Who would consider purchasing a Prius?

[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...