what other cars did you consider before the prius

This is virtually the same path I took a year ago, and the same
result.

The Fusion Hybrid was first on my list, and the Insight a close
second. I like Ford as a company, but their pricing strategy
for the Fusion Hybrid is plain stupid.

Since I ended up with a lightly used '09 Prius, in effect there was
a third car on my list: the '10 Prius. The Gen III has some really
nice improvements over Gen II, but I couldn't stand the redesign
of the interior, specifically, the "flying bridge." Now, if Toyota
had come out with a Li-Ion battery for the '10, I would have
swallowed my dislike for the interior and bought the '10.

 

I recently saw an ad on TV for the 2011 Kia Optima and was totally blown away by its looks! + it gets 35 mpg hwy. Check it out maybe.

 

I spent a lot of time on this decision. I put lots of highway miles on a car.

- Chevy Cobalt: Almost 1/2 the price of the Prius! It is cheap and not too bad. Glad I chose the Prius instead.

- Ford Fusion base model: Still have 2nd thoughts about not choosing it. Cheaper, decent mpg, and quiet! I rented one on business a month after I bought the Prius - bad mistake. I'd had bad experience several years ago with the service department in the Ford dealer across the street from my neighborhood so I never even considered walking into their showroom. The Fusion is a very nice car.

- Honda Fit: All Honda's that I've owned (4) were really noisy on the highway and I thought the Fit would be even worse. I like the size and am sure it would last a long time.

- Honda Civic manual: Never drove one but it was on the list. Much cheaper street price than the Prius. I was stopped in a parking lot the other day by a guy in a 2010 Civic who was complaining of gas mileage in the 20's in the winter. He wished he'd bought a Prius.

- Toyota Avalon: It is not too much more expensive than the Prius! It is large and quiet and you can buy a low mileage Avalon from an older person that is in better shape than one on the lot. I will own an Avalon someday.

The 2010 Prius was the only hybrid that I considered. 14k miles in 4 months! I live in Northern Wyoming and drive in the snow most of the time. It is a great snow and ice car with studded snow tires. It is getting 35 mpg in the winter and 50 mpg before it turned cold. The traction control works great!

 

LOL - No, just few days prior to the big dive.

 

I looked at several cars, but then settled on the Prius because gas isn't getting cheap and I drive an average of 1500 miles per month. So the answer was obvious. I looked at the Acura TSX, Audi A4, Audi A3 TDi, Lexus IS250, VW TDi, and new Ford Explorer.

Before owning this car, I owned a 2004 BMW 330ci, a 2004 Audi A4, and the one you guys will hate... 06 Hummer H2.

 

Purchased used 2010 Prius from Enterprise. Budget a consideration. Still have reliable '97 Subaru, but need to be a 2-car family. Considered Jetta TDI, but biodiesel (my preference for fuel) availability is patchy. Was hoping Subaru would bring an automatic diesel to the US. Finally, wheelchair fit nicely into Prius and test drive sold it.

 

I knew 2 years ago that the Prius was my next car. It was a logical step from the Honda Civic Hybrid I owned.
I took a cursory look at the Camry Hybrid and the Ford Fusion hybrid.
the Prius is the king of the hybrid world, and for very good reasons!

 

I knew 100% I wanted a hybrid. When I was looking for a car, to years ago, the only ones available here were the Honda civic, and the prius. I test drove the civic first, which disappointed me a lot. I just didnt like it. And I was worried that when I test drove the prius the next day, it would be a disappointment too. But, I loved it, and so did my cousin (I took him with me cause he knows about cars).

 

Honda makes a nice Hybrid. The only reason I won't own one is IMA doesn't do electric only, if the car's moving, the ICE is running.

 

I considered the Mercedes A Class Diesel 180 Auto. However although the build quality is better than the Prius i.e no buzzes or rattles, I decided to buy the Prius due to its tax and fuel efficiency and its tech. I opted for the T SPIRIT. So far I am happy with the Prius however I wish Toyota would pay more attention to buzzes and rattles

Mike

 

Being a car nut I was considering an Infinity G37 but my eco-conscious kicked and I got the Prius. I'm happy with the purchase.

 

Kind of weird but I wanted a 2011 Mustang GT 5.0 and even special ordered one. But Ford was very slow in making the Mustang and after almost 4 months I got mad canceled the deal.

Afterwards my wife and I looked at the 2010 Prius and made a great deal.

It was just not meant to be for the Mustang but I still look when I see them on the street.

TED

 

Don't get sucked into highway MPG figures ... the Prius turns coventional cars upside down the way it works. My Accord Couple is rated at 33 MPG highway, but 26 MPG combined.

With gas at $3.40/gallon, that's 13cents/mile for Accord, 6.8c/mi for Prius.

So, every mile you drive in a Prius, 6.2 cents is saved based on above. Kia Optima likely sells for less than Prius, so get to factor that in.

A 35 MPG conventional car may only get 24 MPG city. The combined may very well be only 27 or 28 MPG.

So, you compare the Optima's 28 MPG combined with Prius 50 MPG combined.

Hwy only MPG is just marketing ploy.

 

So, if you're in a long line at a metering light for example, does the Civic Hybrid engine kick on every time you have to move forward a few feet?

If so, that would be a drag as the Prius engine would likely stay off whole time while in the line (assuming no heat/AC running).

 

I haven't driven the Optima, but you can figure on a $2K per 50,000-mile payback on the fuel efficiency difference with the Prius. (Today's gas prices)
'Pends on what you want to drive I guess, but if you're rooting around in the bargain bin for a car, you may also want to consider the '11 Elantra (which I have driven, and was reeeally impressed with!) The rhymes-with-Sunday company has built probably the funnest (and one of the more frugal) cars out there that you can drive for less than 20K---waaaay less if you don't need your butt scratched with all kinds of goofy features.. It's probably not going to be my next car...but if you can put up with the interior, and Hyundai stays on track with their rise in build quality---it's a solidly good car if you can't (or don't want to) plunk down 24K for a Prius.
I haven't figured out an operating delta for this car over the Prius, since it's really not on my short list of cars to replace the GMC.

 

I looked at the Lexus IS250. But in Japan, lots of taxes on cars. The Prius had a tax exemption and a cash back. So the choice was easy. Resale value on the prius is awesome too.

 

If so, that would be a drag as the Prius engine would likely stay off whole time while in the line (assuming no heat/AC running).
I don't own a Civic hybrid, but I do own a Honda Insight, which I believe is very similar to the Civic. Yes, the ICE must kick on to move the car -- no EV from standing start. One reason Prius gets better mpg.

 

Sorry, I butchered the quote in my last post. Hopefully it is still understandable. Guess I need to read up on how to properly add a quote.