I Bought a Prius

[7acres]

This post feels like it almost doesn't belong on the forum. But as this forum has a Green room I figured I'd put up a post. So yeah, I'm no longer working from home and have a 20 mile commute (mostly highway). My normal vehicle is an Xterra which gets lousy gas mileage. My wife and I initially were considering an electric only vehicle. We needed to purchase used as well. Long story short, we decided the Prius line was a quality known quantity with great reviews.

Yesterday we test drove a 2011 standard size and a 2014 Prius C III. They were both very clean. But I really wanted "leather" seats and the 2014 with trim package III had them. Both had ~100k miles and were listed at a similar price. I snagged the 2014 Prius C III for $7,200 (plus tags, taxes, etc.). Drove it home yesterday from work and the display calculated the trip home cost me $0.96.

 

[byQ]

That is a good deal. I guess the c model gets the highest mileage of any car (except electric) in city driving.

 

[woodgeek]

Sounds like a great commuter for the price.

 

[7acres]

Thanks guys! I am a bit mystified why there wasn't more demand for this car. This dealership was even trying to auction it off and couldn't get any takers. Anyway, I'm happy I snagged it.

I've been getting used to driving it. It's definitely different. Understanding when the engine is kicking in and charging the battery vs the engine off and the battery powering the wheels and draining the charge (and not using gas) is a very intellectual way to get around. I like it. Getting the most out of downhills and braking is also cool. It's funny how your whole mentality changes. It's like a game.

I'm already improving my driving efficiency. My MPG is up 5mpg just in the 2 days owning it. My one-way commute has gone down from 96¢ to 77¢. I was paying about $4.50 in my previous vehicle.

 

[blades]

I looked into those - for me and my commute it just wasn't too feasible, I would run out of charge before finishing the round trip. Nice snag on the price, 14 models around here are double that +. The dealers call it Market pricing- I call it by what it really is -price fixing.

 

[woodgeek]

Smokin deal. You could've got something with a plug, like a Gen 1 LEAF for close to that amount, but it would have been a much less generally useful vehicle.

 

[JRHAWK9]

Here's a Prius

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[EatenByLimestone]

I bet that does wheelies!

 

[Allagash350]

Nice! I have a 2017 Camry hybrid. I’ve put 15k on it since I got it the last few days of September.

Took some getting used to coming from a crew cab f250, but I got over it when I saw I was getting 4x the mpg lol.
I usually average 40mpg, but I think the Prius does better. I just don’t like the looks of them.
Unfortunately my mentality is a bit different. I figure even if I drive it like a bat out of hell I can still get 32mpg on a long highway trip at 80.
City driving i get 42. Mileage went down to 36 in winter with studded snow tires and lots of idling.

 

[jebatty]

Here's the peoples car: Jaguar EV
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-43239038

 

[Ashful]

Here's the peoples car: Jaguar EV
http://www.bbc.com/news/business-43239038

There are a few respectable EV’s, this being one of the more practical options. Let’s not forget the venerable BMW i8, for those who enjoy driving. Of course, at these prices, going EV isn’t about saving money.

A 20 mile commute would cost $18.00 round trip in my ICE-powered sedan. If you’re going for economy, $0.77 sounds damn good, but are you figuring tire wear in that number?

Of course, jebatty, you and I have very different definitions for “respectable” when it comes to our vehicular priorities. ;-)

 

[peakbagger]

Jaguar not a paragon of reliability and is now owned by a Chinese firm. Not really buying that reliability is going to be a big long term bonus to buying a Jag EV.

 

[Ashful]

Jaguar not a paragon of reliability and is now owned by a Chinese firm. Not really buying that reliability is going to be a big long term bonus to buying a Jag EV.

I’ve owned modern Jaguars (as recent as 2006), and have never found them to be less reliable than any other car I’ve owned.

You are right, their ancient history is full of fun stories of electrical and mechanical problems, but they were pushing the limits of technology (V12’s in 1971 ?!?). Those cars were built for racing and sporting, not for commuter reliability, and they were some of the best at that.

As mentioned, they’ve been purchased again, no longer owned and run by Ford. Who knows what this really means for their reliability, today? They are not what they once were, so I’d not assume any legacy, good or bad.

 

[peakbagger]

I agree that the past does not predict the future but Jag has been pretty consistent on having very low reliability for many years. The sixties E-series models were pushing the edge of tech and were expected to be fragile, but the sedans were nothing special. Ferrari was making V-12s long before Jag. Not so sure the later XJS series was a good example, they still had the V-12 but the electrics were abysma and the cars had turned into luxury tourers. I think they were plagued by ongoing labor union issues which hurt them but funamentally they like many luxury cars had outgrown standard individual circuits compared to the LANs used in newer luxury cars. They seemed to have high point early on with Ford when they pretty well stuck with the XJ6 family and for awhile they became somewhat mainstream in the US as a luxury sedan alternative but the folks at Broken Kitty down in texas still sold lot of engine and transmission conversions. Unfortunately Ford decided to try expand the franchise by whitewashing the mondeo line at some point and sold rebadged 4WD mondeo station wagons as Jags. Maybe they have changed, but I rarely have ever heard a long term Jag owner who doesnt answer a question about reliability without a "yes, but" Their resale values also tend to plumment which drives up lease costs. Their dealer network in the US has always been strong on image but weak on service yet very high priced.

 

[jetsam]

Nice! I have a 2017 Camry hybrid. I’ve put 15k on it since I got it the last few days of September.

Took some getting used to coming from a crew cab f250, but I got over it when I saw I was getting 4x the mpg lol.
I usually average 40mpg, but I think the Prius does better. I just don’t like the looks of them.
Unfortunately my mentality is a bit different. I figure even if I drive it like a bat out of hell I can still get 32mpg on a long highway trip at 80.
City driving i get 42. Mileage went down to 36 in winter with studded snow tires and lots of idling.

I have a gas-only Honda Fit that gets pretty much those same numbers (though the other way around, low 40s on the highway and mid 30s in the city). I always wonder if some of those hybrids are purposely designed for poor mileage so they don't compete with the gas guzzlers too much.

 

[jetsam]

Of course, jebatty, you and I have very different definitions for “respectable” when it comes to our vehicular priorities. ;-)

I bet he doesn't even OWN a JATO bottle!

 

[peakbagger]

I have a gas-only Honda Fit that gets pretty much those same numbers (though the other way around, low 40s on the highway and mid 30s in the city). I always wonder if some of those hybrids are purposely designed for poor mileage so they don't compete with the gas guzzlers too much.

Most of the hybrids were designed to optimize city mileage, with highway mileage secondary. Aerodynaimcs and vehicle weight are the big drivers for highway mileage and lugging around a battery pack and the extra equipment for the hybrid drivetrain offsets some of the efficiency gain.

I have seen discussions over the years about ripping the electronic guts and battery pack out of prius and switching it to ICE engine to see what the difference in highway mileage would be. I think the little ECO tech 1 liter Ford Fiesta motor would be a nice fit. Ether that or the new Mazda homogeneous charge engine https://www.caranddriver.com/review...on-ignition-gas-engine-prototype-drive-review. I expect the Prius would still excel at local city driving but expect the ICE engines would give them a run for the crown on highway.

 

[Ashful]

I bet he doesn't even OWN a JATO bottle!

Lol... how’d you know?

 

[WiscWoody]

What’s a ICE engine?

 

[peakbagger]

What’s a ICE engine?

Internal Combustion Engine (ICE)

 

[jebatty]

JATO bottle

Where can I get one, maybe two?

 

[WiscWoody]

Lol...ok, what’s a JATO bottle? So much to learn here!

 

[woodgeek]

Lol...ok, what’s a JATO bottle? So much to learn here!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JATO

 

[jetsam]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/JATO

And, famously, the flying car.

https://www.snopes.com/autos/dream/jato.asp

 

[begreen]

Nice! I have a 2017 Camry hybrid. I’ve put 15k on it since I got it the last few days of September.

Took some getting used to coming from a crew cab f250, but I got over it when I saw I was getting 4x the mpg lol.
I usually average 40mpg, but I think the Prius does better. I just don’t like the looks of them.
Unfortunately my mentality is a bit different. I figure even if I drive it like a bat out of hell I can still get 32mpg on a long highway trip at 80.
City driving i get 42. Mileage went down to 36 in winter with studded snow tires and lots of idling.

Wow, that's a lot of mileage. You live on the road so I would agree the Camry is a better fit for comfort, especially if one is doing a lot of highway driving.