Prius Math

You should save on brake pad replacement.

 

Sorry, no knowledge of golf. The cost savings derived from giving up golf are a separate (though substantial!) matter.

You are right to state that oil change costs would be lower (because less frequent). Brake wear on the Prius (all other things being equal) is also less than for the Grand Marquis.

 

Did you include the tax deduction?
How about cheaper tire replacement?

How about pointing out that gas prices can only go up over the next few years. Try redoing your calculation on gas savings with a gas price that rises each year at say, 10% per year. Or you could raise the gas cost incrementally at th rate of inflation, although the rate of inflation is bound to rise with record deficits.

IE:
If the Prius saves $551 the first year, it will save $606(551*1.10=606) the next. 2nd = 667, 3rd = 7334, 4th = $807

Also, a cleaner environment is important even though it can not be quantified.
You can also point out that the Grand Marquis is a "grandpa car". A little underhanded, but yet effective in swaying the middle aged away from a particular car.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(olends\";p=\"85335)</div>

Did you say $4500 off? Is there one too many zeroes here? Wow, desparate times require desparate measures...sorry, couldn't help myself.

As far as convincing someone...just get them to drive it. There's a zen about the Prius that just can't be quantified with a pocketbook. The smoothness of no shifting, the quietness of all-electric at low speeds, the feeling of doing the right thing for the future generations by reduced environmental impact, reduced consumption. I know money talks, but human hearts and feelings are just as important.

PS $4500 dollars off? Wow, still can't get over that.

 

So, you're comparing a base model Marquis to a fully loaded Prius? That's not really a fair comparison, for the Marquis! Of course it will be cheaper.

I would personally tout the safety features of a Prius, what with all the airbags and VSC the BC package has. Ask your dad to quantify *that*!

Brad

 

It doesn't matter if he IS a grandpa. Most 56 yr. olds don't want to drive a "grandpa car" They want to still seem somewhat "hip"

Here's another one:
Look at the cost of a used Marquis, say at 1yr, 2yrs, and 3yrs old.
Then compare the price to a used Prius. BIG difference in resale value. This is a stronger economic argument than even the gas savings.
A Marquis loses 15% of its value within the first month.
Accross most of the US, a Prius is worth the same or even more months later, due to the demand.

 

I don't think there is a good way to quantify it, but there is that 'Toyota reliability' thing as well.

 

A $4500 rebate does show how bad things are in Detroit. Rebates like this have been growing and have caused major drops in resale values for used vehicles. The only cars that are holding value right now are hybrids. The market for American cars is flooded right now, causing huge rebates, major drops in resale values, and factory shut downs.

 

www.fueleconomy.gov

05 mercury grand marquis
MPG (combined) 21 (probably 18 is more realistic)
Annual Fuel Cost $1471
Annual Greenhouse Gas emissions 9.2 tons

05 toyota prius
MPG (combined) 55 (probably 50 is more realistic)
Annual Fuel Cost $562
Annual Greenhouse Gas emissions 3.5 tons

You want quanitification of environmental savings? You got it!

The Grand Marquis puts out approx. 2.6 times more greenhouse gas emissions than the Prius. The next question would be, how much value does that hold to you?

Anyone notice that the Prius has two different EPA scores depending on where you got the Prius? It seems like there are two versions of the same car.

 

Have you checked on insurance costs for both cars?

There may not be many numbers out there, but I'll bet the Prius wins the depreciation equation.

Repairs? How many repairs has he had with his car in the time he's owned it? Any way to compare to lifespan of Prius?

Here in California....I just learned I no longer have to have smog checks to renew my registration. I'm loving that.

Does your state get any perks for hybrids? L.A. has free metered parking, VA and soon CA will get HOV lane access, any breaks on sales tax, income tax, etc?

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Darwood\";p=\"85363)</div>

Excellent point. In fact, I'm a bit surprised that this reason was as far down on the list as it was. I read somewhere that the sale versus resale value of any vehicle is the single biggest cost of any vehicle. Bigger even than the gas savings.
This factor alone blows away the Marquis.

 

In California, a Prius qualifies
- some free city parking (San Jose, San Francisco, LA)
- 5 yr waiver of smog check ($80 each time!)
- how about carpool lane access?! priceless.

I also found it hard to convince people on dollar and sense alone. It is like questioning Lexus ES330 drivers how they hope to get back the price difference of $10+K versus a Camry V6 Limited. Same chasis, hosepower, suspension, etc. Almost everyone who ever sat in my Prius changed their view about Prius after that. That is all it takes to like a Prius. Drive one and he or she will understand.

 

ok... let's see.. selling point are easy. there are many though. some of these i mention will need to be looked into.

Carpool: i think 1 or possibly 2 states have supported this. California is not one of them ( i live there ) not sure about NY. check into it

Oil Changes: using normal oil, it's every 5k miles. At most 7.5k miles. Keep it to around 5k miles. So... 3k vs 5k equals about 15 bucks every oil change saved... ok.. not much

Brakes: why not.. many people have mentioned this. The prius brakes are supposed to last over 100k miles. Some say 100k miles. I'll say 100k miles. That's ( could i say double? ) uhh.. double the time the brakes on the boat will last.

let's have a little fun...

Safety: Your model prius ( if i'm guessing right by price ) has the vehicle skid control and vehicle stability control. ok.. ok.. traction control. that traction control system on the prius is amazing. people reported zooming around in iced over parking lots and the system would not let the car do 360's.. it seems to glide and then straiten out to wherever you are pointing. i've tested it myself. it's amazing. could save your life. the other car most likely can't do that.

stopping distance.. it's quick.. very quick.. a lot quicker than the mercury

Theft is not a problem. you can't steal a prius. If you can.. we haven't heard of a possible way yet. oh wait... a flatbed truck.. that's it

safety rating. i think the prius is better

ok.. ok.. back to saving money

Fuel. 50 average mpg?.. we'll say 43.. that's a low average. ( you have to drive really bad or be in really cold climate to get an average this low... or really short trips for the life of the car ) the mercury. more realistic? about 23.

Spark plugs.. prius says to change them every 150k miles. hmm.. ok.. vs about every 30k miles

no timing belts, no major services having to do with timing.

mileage. the prius is said to last 500k miles. the battery will last 19 years ( toyota reports )... don't tell your dad 19 years.. tell him the good, not the bad. in 19 years, you'll save enough to get a new cheap/more efficient battery.

warranty. look them up for your area. the prius is 150k miles. i've seen a lot of mercs die way before 150k miles. we've seen someone go 180k miles on a classic while sitll running stong. the new prius will go a lot farther.

ther are many many many things that will save you money, if not save your life when it comes to a prius. plus.. Toyota has a lot better track record with vehicles than Mercury does.

so.. over all, you'll save a lot. as gas prices climb the difference in savings is going to get greater. the car will last a lot longer. the maintenance will be a lot less.

 

I wouldn't want to bet any important parts of my anatomy on that.

The Grand Marquis is basically a Crown Vic, which may just be the most rock solid vehicle produced today. There's a reason you see so many of them as Taxis and Cop Cars.

They are basically unbreakable and run forever.

 

Be honest with the gas figures

I was looking at a 2005 Acura TL (an all around bad-*ss car) but the Prius came up first and was also on my "I want that list"

To get honest gas number average the two EPA numbers then take a number 10% less. with the TL this gives a number like 25 MPG, not bad for a 270 horse V6.

Now, I have a spread sheet that calculates my actual Prius miles traveled, MPG and gallons used then converts that to a number that represents how much, given the actual purchase price of fuel, I have SAVED by driving the Prius instead of the TL. Right now after filling the tank not more than an hour ago these are the numbers I have- 7,680 miles driven 44.4188037 MPG, 172.902 gallons of 87 octane fuel consumed, $791.76 in SAVINGS over the TL., I purchased the car NEW with 5 miles on it on February 4. total ownership cost counting down payment, insurance payments, fuel and maintenance costs $5,925.37 or 77.152251 cents per mile

At this rate on FUEL alone I will SAVE nearly $3,200 this year!

 

I think an online total cost of ownership tool (Edmunds calls it true cost to own) would really help your case.

http://www.edmunds.com/apps/cto/intro.do

I tried a Prius and Grand Marquis (Not Sure for the Vehicle Trim on the GM) using the Toyota of Clifton Park zip code. Below are the results for 5 years of ownership.

Prius = $33,048
Grand Marquis = $42,307

While the Prius is not a fully loaded price, the difference in TCO is more than enough to cover that.

I was also looking for the TCO information from Intellichoice directly, but I can't seem to access www.intellichoice.com.

I hope that helps.