May 7, 2008
dear clusterflock
I drive a Dodge Charger R/T, which I’m convinced is made of human feces and some wires. I hate the car across every dimension: the quality sucks, it’s a boat, the mileage is horrible (around 17-18 in summer; 15-16 in winter), the brakes warped at 23K miles, the horn honked randomly until the 3rd trip to the shop, and when I try to start it in the morning it cranks and wheezes and turns like an air-cooled VW that has been mortared and set aflame. I often want to punch the car but don’t for fear of something important falling off/out, like the transmission or an axle.
Why did I buy it? Good question. I think it’s because I was stupid on that particular day.
Regardless, I am coming up on my lease mileage limit and I have 8 months left on this screaming piece of shit, and with my monthly gas expense hovering nicely in the $450 or so range, I’m thinking about just buying this thing out and getting a 2008 Prius. I’m fairly sure the math works. (Math is numbers and language is letters, right?)
It’s to that end I am seeking your opinions, anecdotes and experience with a late-model Prius. I know it’s not some supercar in terms of performance, but that’s not what I want in my daily driver. (That’s what I will buy a GT-R for.) I want a car that will get me to and fro with a minimum of this thing we call money leaving my pocket.
For reference, my Charger costs me about $1100-$1250 per month to operate. The Prius will cost me around $740. I think I know which way the alligator mouth is pointing on this one.
Discuss. First one to call me a brainwashed hippy wins.
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19 Responses to “dear clusterflock”
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Jeff, we’re planning to buy a Prius in October, to replace Daryl’s 2000 Nissan small red truck (I don’t know what it’s called because, you know, I’m not a truck kind of girl) .
You brainwashed hippie.
Have you driven one yet?
Nope, just read lots of reviews and comparisons.
Daryl and I decided several years ago that, whenever possible, when we must make a purchase, we will purchase the most ethically produced and environmentally friendly option available. That generally means spending quite a bit more money than we might have spent otherwise. But, for us, it’s well worth it.
My inlaws just bought a new Prius; I drove it twice and I loved it. But, I’m from California and have long been a brainwashed hippy and have never been excited by things like horsepower.
If we get a second car, it will be a Prius. I just wish the thing was a plug-in hybrid.
My wife and I spent three days in a Prius rental last week while driving through Arizona and Nevada and also had one in Florida last month. In short, it is a fantastic car– we averaged 45.9 mpg while we had it (and spent at least 300 miles on the highway between 80-85mph.) It isn’t fast, but we never felt like we were struggling (two adults, two suitcases and some random bags/camera equipment on board) to keep up with traffic. With judicious use of the accelerator, I found I could get up to 25mph on the electric engine alone–a lot of fun when cruising around the grand canyon!
It is important to remember that it is NOT a performance car, so you may need to adjust your expectations if you’re coming out of a Charger R/T. I drive a MINI Cooper S in real life and I love my car, but the Prius is very intriguing. We will probably get a hybrid vehicle to replace my wife’s Lexus IS250 in a few years.
Also remember, the Prius is at the end of it’s life-cycle and will be replaced at the beginning of the 2009 calendar year (the new car will be revealed at the Detroit Auto Show in January.) As with all Toyotas, the next Prius will be larger in every dimension, but is reported to be both more powerful and more efficient. That said, you might be able to get a deal on the outgoing model.
If you haven’t driven one, the best thing to do would be to get a rental from Hertz or Avis (ours was from Hertz) and live with it for a few days. You’ll probably like it, you brainwashed hippie!
We started a lease on a Prius April 07. Great car, rides nicely, average about 50-53 mpg, and has plenty of storage. We got the option 2 with stability control, backup cam and mp3 CD player. Depending on how much you drive, you might not make up the savings. It costs us about $36 to fill up the 12 gallon tank (we never let it get bone dry)and we get about 500 miles between fill ups. If you are looking to buy just to save money, probably not worth it. You will be paying about an extra $3500 for a hybrid than a regular car. But we like it and have no complaints!
Al,
My Charger had a stick of $34K, which is a lot for something made of poo. The Prius, OTOH, can be had for about $26K.
Vin: Funny you mention the MINI Cooper S: that’s the car I would really want, as I understand it does well in the mileage department too. I would likely look at the Clubman S, as I could do with a bit more room.
But, as you say, the Prius certainly is interesting.
[...] 7, 2008 · No Comments (I am essentially cross-posting this from something I wrote for Clusterflock. I want to get some thoughts and experiences from GF’s readers as [...]
You might also look at some older model VW’s. Specifically the Jetta TDi (that has a diesel engine for economy and a turbo charger for getting on the highway).
I’d also second the idea of renting a Prius for a week or two and try it out on your regular route to and from work, shopping etc. The MPG numbers people have quoted above are great (!) but I have also heard some horror stories about people who expected 50mpg and once they spent the cash and took the shit for being hippies - actually got around 30mpg. (This friend traded his shiny new Prius in on a 10 year old Civic that gets 36mpg)
Try before you buy!
Matt, 30 MPG for a Prius might happen ONLY if there’s a lot of freeway driving in subzero temperatures. By every user report I’ve read (and I’ve read a lot), people can expect 44+, and even over 50 in the warm weather months.
One thing you will learn is that you can’t drive the Prius like a regular car. There is a certain way to drive it to get the most out of it. We actually had a lesson from the dealer that showed us how to “pulse and coast” as well as how to maintain speed on level ground. The issue most people have with driving the hybrid is that they don’t change the aggressive style of acceleration and braking. Once you master how to maximize the engine, 50 mpg is no problem. I know people who get 65-70 because they are the master at pulse and coast,. I just don’t have the patience for it.
Things you might not know about the Prius.
1 Toyota fills the tires to 32psi. Read the tire and they say 44psi.
I fill all four of mine to 44psi and have driven that way for over two years with no problem.
2 After the first 2,000 miles you will see a gas mileage improvement.
3 The front seats fold flat to make two beds for camping.
4 Folding down the rear seats is more comfortable to sleep in and you can look at the stars through the glass window.
5 The calipers on the brakes only grab under an emergency, or below 8 mph when your stopping. I have 45,000 miles on my Prius and the pads still look brand new.
6 The Gas engine only runs half as much so it last longer.
7 No transmission
8 No starter
9 No alternator
10 Priuschat.com is the best place to learn more about the car.
11 Check out my website HybridPlugs.com
I hope this helps.
It is the low tire pressure, the break in period, winter temps (get a grill blocker for cold months) and not knowing how to drive it that gives people such low mpg figures like 40 mpg. You can do way better with those simple tips.
Jeff–
My cars: http://flickr.com/photos/vinreddy/sets/72157604369226218/
I’m actually on my second MCS–an ‘07 model.
I also had a heavily modified 2004 MCS until about two weeks ago. The gas mileage is decent– low 30’s on the highway, high 20’s in the city–on premium gas (recommended.) The MCS will not run well on regular gas–the Prius handles regular just fine.
We’ve got a baby on the way, so I may be looking into Clubman or the soon to be announced R60 MINI SAV in the near future.
Vin! All good wishes to you and your wife and your on-the-way baby!
Thanks, Sheila! We’re pretty excited. The Bean (our temporary name for the kid) is due to arrive at the end of October.
The Bean! I love it. (For the first year of his life, a child I knew was called ‘The Nuk’ by his parents — in deference to his love of the Nuk-brand pacifier.)
[...] previously wrote that I was considering a Toyota Prius to replace my Dodge Charger R/T, which is approaching its lease mileage limit and sucks down over [...]