Quote:
Originally Posted by redpoint5
Assuming she has $4,000 to work with, what car would you recommend? A manual would hold up better, right? I'd be concerned about syncros and clutch though as she is an aggressive shifter. You think a Prius drivetrain would hold up to constant on/off acceleration?
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For that money I would buy a second generation Prius. I've had 2. The 2005 I sold when it was 12 years old with 145K miles. The 2009 was 10 years old and had 116K miles. Both were boring but dead reliable. Neither burned oil between 10K mile changes. Both returned 45 mpg in mixed driving.
The only thing require besides routine maintenance was changing the valve for the thermos. It costs less than $100 to do yourself and is technically easy just unplug a connector and loosen the hose clamps. No need to drain the coolant per the service manual. (It helps to have small hands though) The dealer will want $400.
The taxi guys get 300 - 350K miles on them with the original battery.
The Prius "eCVT" is just a single planetary gear set that connects the motor to the wheels. To accelerate the electric motors feeds in torque as required.
For $4000 she should be able to get a clean example with less than 150K miles.