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I may get ex-communcated from this forum for posting this, but it would be worth it. Actually, I see no downside risk here.
That's our new Prius Prime (plug in hybrid) next to my 2017 Z-51. They were giving the Prius Prime away: $30K list, $3500 in Toyota cash, $4500 federal tax credit, $1100 NY state tax credit.
This follows Automotive BiPolarity I which featured the predecessor to each of these two vehicles:
I am thinking about doing a chip and exhaust on the new Prius.
I have been in your shoes for years; 2014 Z51 Conv. 7MT 1LT Torch Red (6th and last Vette, retiring next year) and our (third) 2013 Red Prius 3.
It's fun to go to Prius sites and share what my other car is. I also teach and my students do a lot of head scratching. They are both performance vehicles with one accenting A to B quickly, while the other is A to B economically.......
You might not get "ex-communicated," but it's only a matter of time before someone points your Toyota hybrid is not a Chevy hybrid.
And although I love Toyota products, the Volt is a really nice car these days and much better looking than the Prius.
I think that this is a excellent pair of cars. It makes even more sense if you take the money the Prius saved you when you bought it and add what it saves in fuel and then spend it all to have even more non-PC fun in your C7.
Why go for a Prius when there are American-made options?
Among others, there is this little car called a Tesla...
I was all set to buy a Volt. Then I got to drive and ride in my pal's 2017 this summer. Good grief what a cheesy feeling and looking car inside and out, but particularly the interior. I mean, I can't believe that's the same company that makes my C7. I mean go figure. The Volt isn't a cheap car, if you buy one with similar equipment to the Prius we just got it has an MSRP of $40K+. Bigger Fed tax credit, but in the end it would have been $6K-10K more. For what? 0-60 in 2 seconds less and a K-Mart interior? The longer electric range is a wash, the Prius is way more fuel efficient in pure hybrid mode and my wife does heavy mileage. And this Toyota just oozes quality, they really make an amazing product.
They were seriously giving away the Prius Prime, which isn't as capable as the Volt in terms of performance, electric range. The Toyota wins hands down on quality (the inside of our new car is just beautiful despite the exterior being so fugly) and I have maximum faith in Toyota reliability and sketchy faith in GM. We rely on this car, it will be the workhorse for my wife's commute. And it was considerably cheaper net net in the end. I bought an $1100 Toyota Platinum 5 year 125k mile bumper to bumper no deductible extended warranty for peace of mind. That's what we did on the 2011 Prius - and then of course nothing broke. Which is fine.
I drove the new Prius like 150 miles yesterday and today and the car is GREAT. WAY more comfy, better handling (lower center of gravity). I drove that car to and from NYC today, like 120 miles round trip and the car averaged like 62 mpg. I got the car for two key safety features: lane departure warning and assist (it beeps if you drift out of lane but goes a stop further, if there no response on the steering wheel it STEERS you back into your lane which would really save your life if you fall asleep at the wheel), and automatic pre-collision braking (another potential life-saver). And it has adaptive cruise control, that's going to make my wife's long highway drive way less stressful, i never drove a car with that before, that feature works great.
This notion that I should go out of my way to buy American is odd thinking to me, I don't think the car biz is a charity. Chevy won me over with the Corvette, that's how American car companies should get sales, by earning them in the marketplace, and by and large they have been doing that. But the Volt didn't cut the mustard for me, if it had C7 quality I might be driving one.
Tesla? They're $80-$100K, this Toyota was closer to $20K. And we needed a car NOW, That $35K-$40K smaller Tesla car has a 2 year wait list. That's not a car, that's vaporware. AND it's unproven on the road. I hope Tesla can make that car work for the buyers and for them, but that remains to be seen.
The thought of participating on a Prius forum scares me, and I've owned a Pruis now since 2011. These cars are appliances. Very GOOD ones. Nothing wrong with that, but not that exciting for me.
Last edited by Steve Garrett; 10-09-2017 at 10:19 PM.
Reason: Merged Posts
A Prius. Really....... If you're happy, that's good. Not for me.
BTW, Nice Cervelo!
The Cervelo was sold a while ago. I have three Scott bicycles now.
This is what kills me about car reviews and road tests- I'm not an automotive journalist, but I've owned a few dozen cars, I was in the car business for a decade and I've been getting 2-4 car magazines monthly for 30+ years, so I'm not oblivious to cars, I'm into them. I read a lot of reviews about this new Prius, and nobody mentioned what I found to be the most striking aspects of this new generation: 1.) The suspension is astounding. The car rides so much better, kind of luxury car-like, but with better cornering/handling, and it even conveys a little steering feedback and road feel. 2.) The interior is so much better, higher quality materials they really did a good job. The big giant touchscreen looks great and works pretty good.
In all the reviews I read, maybe one guy mentioned the higher quality interior, everybody griped about this big touchscreen (I was expecting it to suck and was surprised when it didn't) and nobody but NOBODY mentioned how much better the car's suspension is. I would agree on some of the interior control ergonomic gripes, but it works fine and if you own the car you'll get used to it.
Last edited by Steve Garrett; 10-01-2017 at 06:27 PM.
Reason: Merged Posts
Here's mine. But the Smart didn't last too long after the Vette showed up. 4 cars for 1 person was a bit much and the parking situation was getting a little ridiculous.
Have you ever worked out the payback on a Prius say vs a Chevy Cruze? Just curious , every time I worked thru it on these high mileage hybrids or EV's there was no way to get your money back in savings. Depends on rebates though and where you live. A lot of folks never really do the math, perhaps you have if your wife is high mileage drive. I have a lot of investments in oil/gas and pipelines, my SUV and C7 is a way to give back for all those investments have done for me Different strokes for diffent folks.
Have you ever worked out the payback on a Prius say vs a Chevy Cruze? Just curious , every time I worked thru it on these high mileage hybrids or EV's there was no way to get your money back in savings. Depends on rebates though and where you live. A lot of folks never really do the math, perhaps you have if your wife is high mileage drive. I have a lot of investments in oil/gas and pipelines, my SUV and C7 is a way to give back for all those investments have done for me Different strokes for diffent folks.
This.
How many miles does it take to break even on a Prius vs. a Civic/other cheap econobox? Unless you are a VERY high miles driver, chances are you'll never recover the premium you paid by just your gas savings. If gasoline was over $10/gal as it is in Europe, the case could be much stronger.
I would think that for most buyers, it is NOT that they've run the numbers and they find can save money overall. Some just like the virtue signaling of driving a Prius -- "Hey, I'm saving the planet!" (the case for 100% of the people I know who have one). Some just see it as a contrarian choice, or a more interesting car than a Civic or Corolla and they are willing to pay more for that notoriety.
Like it or not, the car you drive says a lot about you.
Have you ever worked out the payback on a Prius say vs a Chevy Cruze? Just curious , every time I worked thru it on these high mileage hybrids or EV's there was no way to get your money back in savings. Depends on rebates though and where you live. A lot of folks never really do the math, perhaps you have if your wife is high mileage drive. I have a lot of investments in oil/gas and pipelines, my SUV and C7 is a way to give back for all those investments have done for me Different strokes for diffent folks.
Generally, you are correct that it takes a long time to pay back the higher price of a hybrid or EV over a comparable gasoline econobox based upon the fuel savings. For example a Chevy Cruze starts at $17K and has an EPA combined mileage rating of 34 mpg. The Prius starts at $24K with an EPA combined rating of 52 mpg.
Using the above EPA combined ratings, in 50K miles you'll spend $2403 in fuel @ $2.50/gal in the Prius. Fuel cost in the Cruze will be $3676 in 50K miles, so the Prius saved you $1273, but the purchase price is an average of $7K more. That's a long pay-back.
Tax credits, and steep mark-downs on slow moving EVs and hybrids can narrow that gap significantly, and once fuel starts moving back toward $5/gal, obviously the formula also changes quite a bit.
Buying an EV isn't just about cost savings, at least not for me and my volt. Oil changes and brake changes are extended much further out. It's nice not having to stop at the gas station and get a "free" 40 miles or so each charge. All the weight is down low and it's a quiet and nice handling daily driver.
09-30-2017, 02:11 PM
Automotive Bipolarity II
Different strokes for diffent folks.
