Trying to decide on new Car

I just went from a 1998 VW Jetta to a 2010 Prius about a month ago; I couldn't be happier. You can't beat the mileage or low emissions of the Prius, which for me was the reason to buy (I am getting about 45 MPG now which is relatively low for this car, but I do a lot of short trips, cold starts, and hills which are all bad for high mileage). The engineering and thought that went into the Prius is wonderful, but I'd say most of the investment in the Prius went under the hood. It's not a luxurious vehicle but for me so far overall performance has exceeded my expectations.

But it depends on your needs and priorities, and what you will be using the car for. I'd say test drive all the cars you're interested in and then decide.

 

Fit/finish/quality seems to be a very personal preference kind of thing. I am very satisfied with these three. Others on here have
been critical of one or the other. I think this has a lot to do with what you have been familiar with.

My recommendation would be to rent one and drive it for yourself.

 

For me, I was able to get over the shortcomings (mainly appearance, performance and handling) and whatever fit/finish issues by loading it up with tech features I didn't have before (bluetooth phone+streaming audio, navigation). I would have gotten the V with its added features, but it doesn't come with a sunroof and that was a requirement by my wife. For me, it's all about the mileage and cost savings. And the terrific lease rates/residuals take all the risk out of buying one.

 

Asking here is like asking a mac forum whether you should get a mac or a PC, but why aren't you considering the VW GTI?

 

or a VW TDI?

 

If capacity is an issue you may not like the Prius. It is surprisingly roomy (technically has more capacity both for cargo & passengers than my old Jetta) but I don't think it can compare to a Passat. Definitely more compact than a Camry.

 

True Story: Had a friend who was an investment banker. Very technical fellow. About ten years ago, he went shopping for a car. He created a spreadsheet and factored every piece of data into it. He wasted weeks and weeks gathering data, writing formulas, and he finally determined that the most cost-effective new car was the Saturn.

So he bought a BMW.

The moral: Test drive all three, and buy the one you like the most.

I switched from a 13 year-old BMW 3-series to the Prius. The metal is definitely thinner, like a VW. But Toyota quality is legendary. The BMW was a great car, but it had cooling problems every now and then. I don't know yet if it will last the same 160,000 miles with fewer problems, but it probably will.

 

Perfect advice!!!!

 

European cars - yeah nice and solid while you're driving them to the dealer to get repaired. After a problem plagued BMW, Mercedes Benz, and several VWs - it's nice (odd) to own a car that NEVER has had a problem and gets 50mpg. After the Prius, never again will I own a European unreliable 'pretty' pile of junk. Granted, I'll be the first to admit that the Gen II Prius looks like a dorkmobile, has so-so handling (as compared to a BMW), and the thin sheet metal makes it feel like a tin can when you shut the doors. But so what - minor issues. Oh, and it's underpowered from a dead stop - acceleration when you're moving is fine. But the Gen III Prius apparently addresses many of these shortcomings to some degree - even though it still looks like a dorkmobile. Best advice is to just test drive a Prius and see what you think. Personally, it took me several test drives (more like half a dozen) to get past the handling and (under)powered issues. Plus just the strangeness of the Prius as compared to 'normal' cars took a some time to adjust to. Of course, now I couldn't imagine owning anything else and since the Gen III is a much better car (than Gen II) - I suspect that there's little need for the adjustment that some of us Gen II owners may have required.

 

The day I picked up my new Prius V another man was trading in his 'Ultimate Driving Machine' on a Prius. As for me, I won't be buying anything else to drive. I love my new Prius.

 

if you're not in it for the fuel savings and environment, what's the point?
what do you mean by 'i like the idea of a hybrid'?