Thinking of getting a used econo-box for my daily work commute. I do about 500-600 miles/week and gas prices are killing me!! I was wondering if anybody had a 2004-2006 Prius and how they liked them.

Compare what you'd pay for one of those to how long you'd drive before your fuel savings recovered your 15-20K purchase price for the car. This of course assumes there's nothing wrong with your current rig.

Just my .02 worth.

Have you checked the TOYOTA site!!

Compare what you'd pay for one of those to how long you'd drive before your fuel savings recovered your 15-20K purchase price for the car. This of course assumes there's nothing wrong with your current rig.

Just my .02 worth.

Spot ON:hurray: I have this conversation A LOT with people. If you are only doing it to save money on gas, gotta look at the money spent versus money saved if your current vehicle is in descent drivable shape. Now.... if you are in the market for a new car anyway, or you are just getting rid of it to save the earth... a whole different story.:D

I sell Hyundai's new. Those little Accents are awesome little commuter cars. Great price too. 37 MPG. They are around 12K for an Automatic.

Hybrid cars are mainly for low speed (city) fuel economy. The highway mileage isn't much different than a similar non hybrid car.

if all you want is 55-60 mpg and don't really care if it has any creature comforts or even offers any sense of security when you pass a pickup going the opposite direction on the highway, find yourself a late 80's/early 90's Ford Festiva or Geo Metro. not very plush or confidence inspiring, but they will get you where you need to go, and do it cheaply.

Pick up a beater. I bought a 97 Monte Carlo on Craig's list for $400, put a junkyard engine in it total about $900. It has cold AC and gets 26mpg. My Silverado SS gets 14 so in the year I've had the Monte it has already saved me roughly $500 so far. I am old school I guess because I wouldn't spend one thin dime on an import new or used. We as a country have sent so much work over seas and import so many foreign goods that we have helped to develop India, China and Korea and it's coming back to bite us with their increased demand for oil the price goes up. That money we saved by outsourcing is gonna cost us in the long run. It's your money buy what you like but a $15,000 car is gonna take quite a few years to pay for itself in fuel savings.

Good points guys. I have to work out how much a 50MPG car will save me on the long run vs what i am driving now.

I don't think owning a Chevelle and a Prius at the same time is morally acceptable. It's like wearing a leather biker jacket with pink lingerie....:D

Look at older VW diesels too. I get 50mpg in my 98 Jetta TDI. But, again, you have to do the math. Diesel prices are up there, so depending on the mileage you'll get with a gas car, you'll have to see if it's cheaper or not. Considering I get more that twice the mileage with my diesel Jetta than I got with my Taurus, diesel will have to get a heck of a lot more expensive than gas before I say it's not worth it.

Plus the diesel gets 600-700 miles on a tank. Fewer stops at the pump.

Tim.

Thinking of getting a used econo-box for my daily work commute. I do about 500-600 miles/week and gas prices are killing me!! I was wondering if anybody had a 2004-2006 Prius and how they liked them.

a normal 4cyl car is what you want..
a hybred only if buying new..

if you need a new batt pack it's costly
plus the cost of getting rid of the old batt pack..envo hazard you know...
what till people need to junk these things and are told.. it's gonna cost um hundreds of dollars for a junkyard to take it off there hand.....

me chevy hhr gets as good mph on the hyway as that prius..
and almost the same in the city
only place the prius is better is in heavy traffic, were you're moving under 25mph most of the time... as the gas engine never gets used..
so if your in heavy traffic all the time ..them it might be worth it.. if not.. then..

We bought my wife a hybrid (04' Civic w/2k miles) when we were really looking for a plain civic. Civics (same year) had 30-40k MORE miles and about about 3k cheaper. We went with is because of the low mileage and the 2k tax credit that the previous owner did not claim! It turned out to be the same price as a used civic!

I would consider ALL comments above along with any tax credits. I heard that they are not available or as high as they used to be.

BTW, we get anywhere from 38-45MPG in the city, and less on the highway. It depends on how you drive. I have taken trips as low as 25MPG (mountains, wind, A/C) and as high as 52MPG.

I'vr talked to a few people who owned the Prius and they all liked them very much. If I was buying new I'd definitely consider it. The batteries are waranteed for either 100,000 or 150,000 miles. With gas going to who knows where I'd be real happy with an average of 45-50 mpg. The dashboard information display can be used to drive carefully and get even better mileage. Kind of like a game to see how high your mpg can be.

Look at the Vibe. Made by Toyota, runs great and is very comfortable. We have the AWD, great in rain and when we get winter weather.

Metros have to be about the best car ever made for a daily driver. I rode in one with the AC on, and the little 3cyl engine had no problem cruising along. High 40s for mileage with an automatic.

My 2000 Metro got right at 50 mpg w/o the A/C on running 58 to 62 mph commuting daily for years!! it was the 3-banger corn-popper, 5-speed hatch!!

Now my 2003 Accent 5-speed hatch w/o A/C on running the same way will hit 40, but usually about 35 to 37 commuting!!



And I would buy a brand new 1987 Chevy Sprint ER 3-banger, 5-speed hatch in a heartbeat for $10,750 NOW!!

It was that good a car!! Sucker got 50+ mpg running 70 mph commuting for years and tears!! I'm talking 227,000 miles worth of years and the engine leaked more oil that it used!!! And it still had the original frontend under her too as well as drivetrain but the clutch was 100 percent gone!!

I am NOT happy w/ GM at all b/c of them helping Suzuki get outta the corn-popper car market that GM has NEVER been in!! And GM own's that little 3-banger engine so go the f-- figure now that we commuter guys need corn-poppers that can hit 50 mpg!!

pdq67

It's tough to suggest that someone buy American as there isn't really such a thing anymore. It doesn't matter what country a car comes from any more from the looks of it. You guy's can buy whatever you choose but come on, the Pontiac Aztec was aout the ugliest thing ever produced next to a citroen but the prius, well, it is as ugly as either.

Dan, there are definately American cars still out there, ready to be bought. Sure, the lines are blurred now with foreign makes being built in the US, and American makes being made in Mexico and Canada. But there are definately American branded cars being built in the US. IMO, that is definately an American car. Between my g/f and I, we have a ford SUV and ford car, both built in the US, and I also have a chevy truck, built in the US. What's not american about them?

As far as the prius goes.... most of the previous comments are right on. Look carefully into how long it'll take to pay for itself in fuel savings. You might be better off with a regular small-ish used car. Also do a little research into what kind of mileage people are really getting with them in the real world. I've read that they don't quite get what they advertise....so they might take even longer to pay for themselves in fuel savings. Toyota does make a good car, so I can't say a prius would be a bad choice....but do some calculations to see if it's the best choice for YOU. :)

Lot of good info guys. Thanks. I didn't realize some of those other car you mentioned were that good on gas.

I routinely get 31-34 mpg in my Integras ('94 & '01). Handle well in snow, fun to drive and you can fit a crapload of stuff into the hatch area. Not as good as a Prius but it would also be quite a bit cheaper to purchase.

Jim, The toyota Prius gets the best milage in city driving. The average gas milage we see out of these cars is 45mpg In Pa. The Prius is designed to be a very low emission vehicle. It is a very good car but, I would not buy one just for the gas mileage benefit.

If you buy one used, you will get stuck putting a battery pack in it if you plan on keep it for any lenght of time (I don't believe Toyotas claim the batteries will last forever :noway:)

The Prius does its best in stop and go traffic, it isn't a highway car for mileage. Look at a regular gas burner (or diesel) for a highway cruiser.

If you buy one used, you will get stuck putting a battery pack in it if you plan on keep it for any lenght of time (I don't believe Toyotas claim the batteries will last forever :noway:)

The Prius does its best in stop and go traffic, it isn't a highway car for mileage. Look at a regular gas burner (or diesel) for a highway cruiser.

Our 04' civic hybrid has a 7yr 70k mi on the entire IMA system. Not sure what Toyota offers.

Heck, even my 2002 monte LS with 185,000 miles on it still gets 29/30 highway - nice big COMFY car too. The ones 5+ years old are getting cheap! I'm going to get rid of mine soon, and I bet I'll be lucky to get 4K for it.