Who would consider purchasing a Prius?

[Kal-El]

I know the Prius purchase debate has been touched upon many times here but let's have an official discussion and poll showing where we generally stand on Prius consideration.

Lately, I've been feeling the itch and really loving the new Prius. Never cared for the 2nd generation, but the 3rd is vastly improved in styling, driving dynamics, and even better FE at a very reasonable $22K base price.

I know as Yaris owners that we've all argued against the economics of a Prius vs the Yaris.
Yes, the numbers work out better for the Yaris but we must remember that they are a different class of car. So we can't run numbers on an apples to apples comparison. The Prius is more in line with the class of the Camry, just smaller.

Many of us chose the Yaris for good reason because it is the lowest true cost of ownership. However, the Prius sells much better than the Yaris for good reasons as well. The question is whether we would buy one for those reasons.

The other thing to consider, and the likely tipping point for many of us is of course the price of gas. Under $3/gal (US) makes the Prius a tougher sell for many. But what if it is consistently around $4/gal, or even $5? It could, and is likely to be at least $4 this summer. $5 isn't far fetched the way things are going in this world.

Let's discuss.

[p123456789]

If they both cost the same I'd much rather drive even a 2nd gen prius its just a much nicer car.

[Hershey]

Would possibly consider the "C" model when it arrives . Depending on the I.C.E.. Hopefully the 1.3 ltr..

[frownonfun]

I'll consider a prius when they don't cost so much and get better mileage. I still think they are kinda gimmicky at the moment.

Also 22k sounds unrealistic. A least in my neck of the woods. Nobody is walking out of a dealership with a Prius for 22k. I don't care how good their credit is.

And you can say we can't compare the yaris but if one of your biggest concerns is keeping costs down then the yaris wins out I think. And I'm not sure what the point of having a Prius would be other than to reduce cost. Or having the illusion of that anyway.

[cali yaris]

I have 2005 Prius, very good car, no problems at 90k miles. Only mod is a switch to force all-electic for short trips, long lines, stop and go, etc.

[wooverstone8]

If I had a small family and 22k I would honestly take the Prius III into consideration.

If gasoline were to go up to $6 a gallon or more I rather change my driving style and keep the Yaris.

[Kal-El]

Originally Posted by frownonfun

I'll consider a prius when they don't cost so much and get better mileage. I still think they are kinda gimmicky at the moment.

Also 22k sounds unrealistic. A least in my neck of the woods. Nobody is walking out of a dealership with a Prius for 22k. I don't care how good their credit is.

And you can say we can't compare the yaris but if one of your biggest concerns is keeping costs down then the yaris wins out I think. And I'm not sure what the point of having a Prius would be other than to reduce cost. Or having the illusion of that anyway.

Edmunds True Market Value price for a 2011 Prius I (base) including destination charge is $21,578 in my area. There's no shortage of Prius's this year, so there's no reason for dealers to set premiums for it. Perhaps more common though, is the mid-level Prius III at $24K. If you can't get a Prius for under $22K, then that just means that you can't find a Prius I. If I were to buy one, it would be nothing but a base model.

As far as comparing the Yaris. As I said, if it's all about driving the cheapest car, then of course the Yaris is it. The Prius is for those that want a higher end car while also getting the best mileage possible. It's why anyone get's anything more than a $13K car. They want something more and something bigger. In the case of the Prius, you get this while also achieving 50 MPG.

Clearly, people have their preference and needs. When you compare it appropriately with the Camry, the price is very comparable as well.

As you can't see, the Prius is considerably more upscale...

[frownonfun]

Originally Posted by Kal-El

As far as comparing the Yaris. As I said, if it's all about driving the cheapest car, then of course the Yaris is it. The Prius is for those that want a higher end car while also getting the best mileage possible. It's why anyone get's anything more than a $13K car. They want something more and something bigger. In the case of the Prius, you get this while also achieving 50 MPG.

True. True. I still don't think it makes any damn sense to buy a luxury-esque car and then be like, hey, I really need to save money on gas. lol. But on the other hand, buying an econo-box and adding performance parts to it doesn't make too much damn sense either. And I'm guilty of that.

At the end of the day the Prius just isn't for me but other people are more than welcome to them. I have a large family so I typically like to have a really large roomy vehicle and a small micro car to go solo in. So the Prius doesn't really fit into what I need in a car. Maybe if I didn't have so many kids then it would get more of a consideration from me.

[Hershey]

The "C" should be less than $19,000 to compete wth the Insight and other small hybrids to arrive on the market .

[cali yaris]

^ If you've sat in both, there's no comparison. The Prius is worth more, and gets better mileage.

[Shinare]

Am I correct in assuming there's still the "I'm better than you" attitude held by most owners of a Prius?

As a side note:
My mom got hit by a Prius the other day. As she was walking across a parking lot she was looking in her purse for something and the Prius backed out of a parking place (I assume not watching behind them), made literally no noise, and proceeded to run over her (actually just kind of pushed her out of the way). The person didn't even say they were sorry, just drove off. My mom said she just kinda noticed something out of the corner of her eye, glanced up and a car was running her over.

[severous01]

wont do hybrid unless the gas/diesel engine is not part of the drive train...like the volt. if the engine is part of the drivetrain it's pointless.

give me full electric, full gas/diesle, or a full electric with engine battery charger.

[frownonfun]

Originally Posted by Shinare

Am I correct in assuming there's still the "I'm better than you" attitude held by most owners of a Prius?

There's "I'm better than you" people behind the wheel of every kind of car.

[Hershey]

We had an '06 PRIUS . That car helped us to learn better driving for higher gas mileage . Was fun having it , would have competition to see who could get best mileage .

[Hershey]

We did have someone call us tree huggers since we owned a PRIUS . So , there's those who assume you think that you're better than others since you drive one . Can't win .