Quote:
Originally Posted by slowmover
OP, cheap-to-run is part of low cost ownership. Do the rest of the math on all aspects. Insurance, tax, finance, depreciation and the rest. Fuel is less than half.
Length of ownership is “true” economy.
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Starting with the part that easier to compare, the economic part, I found that at least according to Edmunds, a used 2014 AWD Dodge Charger would run some $12,000 more in a 5 year period than a used 2014 Toyota Prius driving 15,000 miles per year. Of course if I drive double that, my costs would be more and the Dodge would cost even more.
Used AWD Dodge Charger Costs
Used Toyota Prius Costs
So in conclusion, if I drive 30,000 miles per year, I'm looking at about $7,130 on average per year in a 10 year period for driving a used Prius and about $11,900 on average per year in a 10 year period for driving a used Charger, over 1.5 times the cost. If I simply drove 15,000 miles per year like normal people it would only be $8,800 vs $6,000, almost 1.5 times the cost.
Safety. Interestingly the Charger doesn't have a 5-star rating in all categories. Both the 2014 Charger and Prius have 4 and 5 stars in different catagories. The Charger actually has a lower rating in a driver side crash than the Prius does. But the Prius has a lower driver front and side pole ratings.
2014 Car, DrFront, PsFront, DrSide, PaSide, SidePole, RollOver
Charger, 5, 4, 4, 5, 5, 4
Prius, 4, 4, 5, 5, 4, 4,
2014 Charger Safety
2014 Prius Safety
Edit: Here's some better Safety info. The Prius looks only marginally safer.
Charger Safety
Prius Safety
Of course this is just crash test ratings. On the road in the real world we need more statistics to point to which is safer, and if so by how much.
So, is the Prius really a death trap compared to the Charger? Is it worth shelling out $4,770 more per year for the Charger over the Prius?