Quote:
Originally Posted by fmars62
well im mostly doin like 70% highway and 25% city so thats another reason why a think a hybrid will be a waste
|
I never understand why people say things like this. The first gen Prius is rated at 42 city, 41 hwy. According to the users on fueleconomy.gov most people are getting about 44 mpg. How is that a waste? Here is even some data from others with similar hwy/city commutes:
mpg state stop&go hwy
54.8 NC... 30....... 70
47.2 CA... 30....... 70
46.2 NY... 30....... 70
45.7 NY... 35....... 65
45.5 MN... 30....... 70
44.6 CT... 30....... 70
No other car in your price range can get anywhere close to that besides a TDI (users on fueleconomy.gov are averaging ~46 mpg with an 03 Jetta TDI). I love the TDIs but they just aren't worth what people are asking for them these days. In my area you're looking at $6k for an early 2000s model with nearly 200k miles on it.
Maintenance isn't that big of a deal mainly because the things just don't break. The Prius has won numerous awards for quality and customer satisfaction. That doesn't happen when you have a car that breaks down. Only a tiny fraction of the battery packs have had to be replaced. Last I read it was under 1%. If they do need to be fixed up there are places that will rebuild them for you for much less than the full replacement cost that is always cited in articles.
I'm not saying you need to buy a Prius. However, I would like to clear up some obvious misconceptions. Its sad to see so much misinformation still out there about a car that has performed more than solidly for the last 10+ years.