Prius, Would you?
Discussion
Tend to agree with one of the posters above, nissan leaf sounds like it fits your profile well.
Could even get one new at that kind if money*, provided you were willing to lease the battery separately.
If it's to be used for occasional long trips, probably not, but it sounds like you have alternative vehicular options for that case.
Could even get one new at that kind if money*, provided you were willing to lease the battery separately.
If it's to be used for occasional long trips, probably not, but it sounds like you have alternative vehicular options for that case.
- if memory serves! you may need to check.
lexusboy said:
richs2891 said:
To answer the question, would I have a Prius the answer is no.
Its a clever idea, the one I drove I could not fault as a white goods item, I would have concerns of how long thw batteries last and the cost of replacements.
I think the Honda Jazz is a better idea, less to go wrong
Dude, seriously. The batteries ARE NOT A PROBLEM. There are still thousands, if not most of the 1st generation Prius on their original batteries and that is 10+ years old. Its a clever idea, the one I drove I could not fault as a white goods item, I would have concerns of how long thw batteries last and the cost of replacements.
I think the Honda Jazz is a better idea, less to go wrong
We are now in 3rd generation hybrid technology and the batteries are smaller and even better.
Right onto the OP. Looking at your budget I would assume you're looking at a MK2 or and early MK3. If it's mostly town driving then there won't be any problems and the MPG should get into the 50+ range easily.
ks.My local taxi rank is full of them. Its normal for the rank to be 50% prius. I use taxis quite a lot and ask why they chose a prius. The answer is always that they are cheap to run and are bullet proof.
Most modern cars now have very expensive components that fail. I drive a mondeo, and clutch replacement from ford was quoted at £900, when the fuel pump went they wanted £350 just for parts, and the fuel tanks has to come out to fit it!
We‘ve done 90k in our 2010 MK3 Prius T-Spirit. Nothing has ever gone wrong, not a thing. I bought it as the family shopping trolly/taxi and it gets constant use.
What‘s good:
push a button and go - easiest car to drive, ever.
economy - can average 70mpg on a run if very careful
quiet - brilliant in heavily congested areas
gadgets - sat nav is excellent, rear camera etc.
What‘s bad:
economy - out on the motorway it is just a 1.8 petrol... but still 50mpg
engagement - it wont get the heart beating, really a very boring car
refinement - the doors clang when slammed, it is such a light car.
Overall - it is a brilliant appliance, bought with the head, not the heart.
What‘s good:
push a button and go - easiest car to drive, ever.
economy - can average 70mpg on a run if very careful
quiet - brilliant in heavily congested areas
gadgets - sat nav is excellent, rear camera etc.
What‘s bad:
economy - out on the motorway it is just a 1.8 petrol... but still 50mpg
engagement - it wont get the heart beating, really a very boring car
refinement - the doors clang when slammed, it is such a light car.
Overall - it is a brilliant appliance, bought with the head, not the heart.
I have a 2011 Jazz and it's chuffin' brilliant. 50mpg is easy around town. I'd like an auto, but the manual is very good and the drive train is very smooth so it's easy to make smooth progress. It's a piece of piss to park being so small and light of steering, the doors open wide and it's got those clever seats that turn it into a van. It's actually quite nippy and entertaining to drive. Maybe the Fiesta is a nicer steer, but I think the Jazz is quite a bit more practical. You'd get a nearly new one in your budget.
As for the Prius, I like them, not that I've driven one. Driving around town is it's natural habitat. It is a lot bigger car that the Jazz which maybe an issue or a help. Toyota do a hybrid Yaris too.
If you're keeping it for the entirety of it's life its value will be relative to its weight.
Either car is likely to provide years of stress free ownership. You could of course buy a shagged M3 for your money.
As for the Prius, I like them, not that I've driven one. Driving around town is it's natural habitat. It is a lot bigger car that the Jazz which maybe an issue or a help. Toyota do a hybrid Yaris too.
If you're keeping it for the entirety of it's life its value will be relative to its weight.
Either car is likely to provide years of stress free ownership. You could of course buy a shagged M3 for your money.
We have a Prius (genII)
As a family car used mainly round town they are pretty good.
For really short runs expect 40+mpg, longer runs we are in the 50s...this is in 30 and 40mph zones.
On motorway we get 50+mpg more than keeping up with traffic flow.
A little drop in economy over winter as the engine runs more to keep everything warm.
Tyre pressure and tyre choice also heavily affect economy.
Power, 0-60 is 10.5s which is ok. 0-40 is more than ok. Those that say it's slow are probably comparing it to a car that does 20mpg. The drivetrain is really good, no kickdown just one long forward gear in effect, though engine gets a little noisy when you floor it. Very relaxing to drive, but low speed torque surprises quite a few.
You can now get an annual hybrid health check at Toyota main dealers - free during service or about £40 otherwise, which will increase hybrid battery warranty potentially up to 10years.
As a family car used mainly round town they are pretty good.
For really short runs expect 40+mpg, longer runs we are in the 50s...this is in 30 and 40mph zones.
On motorway we get 50+mpg more than keeping up with traffic flow.
A little drop in economy over winter as the engine runs more to keep everything warm.
Tyre pressure and tyre choice also heavily affect economy.
Power, 0-60 is 10.5s which is ok. 0-40 is more than ok. Those that say it's slow are probably comparing it to a car that does 20mpg. The drivetrain is really good, no kickdown just one long forward gear in effect, though engine gets a little noisy when you floor it. Very relaxing to drive, but low speed torque surprises quite a few.
You can now get an annual hybrid health check at Toyota main dealers - free during service or about £40 otherwise, which will increase hybrid battery warranty potentially up to 10years.
Edited by cootuk on Monday 21st April 08:55
okie592 said:
Personally I would, the batteries wouldn't worry me all I have never ever owned a single electronic good with rechargeable batteries that has had to have them replaced, no mobile phone , laptop, drill etc.
Funny I replaced the battery in my phone last year - it went from a charge just lasting a day to now it can go over 2 now. Of course most people would have changed their phone in after 2 years so would have little idea of what the battery is like long term. I have seen plenty of work laptop batteries have seriously reduced charge holding/die as well.okie592 said:
I was reading a leaflet in a Toyota dealer the other day, I know it's hype but it had about 1st gen Prius having over 300k on them and going fine on original batts.
Did it say how much capacity is left in the battery - it may be they are still working but don't deliver anywhere near the fuel savings in traffic, or maybe the driving style has been such the battery hasn't really had many charging cycles. Though I believe they use NiMH batteries which have much better life then Lithium Ion at the expense of higher self discharge ratesI borrowed the inlaws Prius at Xmas and have the following observations;
1. Very sluggish pickup, pulling out into traffic was 'interesting'
2. Not 'that' economical overall. Mid 40's for me not driving it hard.
3. Electric only seemed to be just that little bit too slow before the petrol kicked in.
4. Noisy at motorway speeds.
5. Cheap seats which weren't that comfortable.
6. Totally isolated driving experience.
My father has a Jazz and its brilliant. Similar if not better economy, massive carrying capacity. The early ones were a bit cheap inside but it held together ok. Better drive than the Prius.
HTH
Oh, and whilst its not useful to quote an older car being better our 200k mile D5 is a nicer (more refined, faster, better built) car than both of them. It cost £2800 6 years ago and still averages 45mpg
1. Very sluggish pickup, pulling out into traffic was 'interesting'
2. Not 'that' economical overall. Mid 40's for me not driving it hard.
3. Electric only seemed to be just that little bit too slow before the petrol kicked in.
4. Noisy at motorway speeds.
5. Cheap seats which weren't that comfortable.
6. Totally isolated driving experience.
My father has a Jazz and its brilliant. Similar if not better economy, massive carrying capacity. The early ones were a bit cheap inside but it held together ok. Better drive than the Prius.
HTH
Oh, and whilst its not useful to quote an older car being better our 200k mile D5 is a nicer (more refined, faster, better built) car than both of them. It cost £2800 6 years ago and still averages 45mpg
I think a Prius would be idea for the OP's missus. I've always found them to be practical and trouble-free transport, and as acceptable to drive as any other non performance oriented spacious two-pedal family front-drive hatchback. Though they are definitely not exciting.
NiMH, like the Prius batteries, are much less limited in lifespan, and will go on for a decade or more if not abused by over-charging.
JimmyTheHand said:
Did it say how much capacity is left in the battery - it may be they are still working but don't deliver anywhere near the fuel savings in traffic, or maybe the driving style has been such the battery hasn't really had many charging cycles. Though I believe they use NiMH batteries which have much better life then Lithium Ion at the expense of higher self discharge rates
Li-XX batteries, like the ones in your phone and laptop, have a life which is limited by both calendar time and number of cycles, when not being stored at refrigerated temperatures and ideal storage voltage. NiMH, like the Prius batteries, are much less limited in lifespan, and will go on for a decade or more if not abused by over-charging.
Edited by Lowtimer on Monday 21st April 09:06
isv said:
We‘ve done 90k in our 2010 MK3 Prius T-Spirit. Nothing has ever gone wrong, not a thing. I bought it as the family shopping trolly/taxi and it gets constant use.
What‘s good:
push a button and go - easiest car to drive, ever.
economy - can average 70mpg on a run if very careful
quiet - brilliant in heavily congested areas
gadgets - sat nav is excellent, rear camera etc.
What‘s bad:
economy - out on the motorway it is just a 1.8 petrol... but still 50mpg
engagement - it wont get the heart beating, really a very boring car
refinement - the doors clang when slammed, it is such a light car.
Overall - it is a brilliant appliance, bought with the head, not the heart.
+1, great summary IMHO.What‘s good:
push a button and go - easiest car to drive, ever.
economy - can average 70mpg on a run if very careful
quiet - brilliant in heavily congested areas
gadgets - sat nav is excellent, rear camera etc.
What‘s bad:
economy - out on the motorway it is just a 1.8 petrol... but still 50mpg
engagement - it wont get the heart beating, really a very boring car
refinement - the doors clang when slammed, it is such a light car.
Overall - it is a brilliant appliance, bought with the head, not the heart.
They are appliances, but they do the appliance thing brilliantly.
We ran both a mk2 and a mk3 as company cars for a total of 6 years and 160,000 miles combined. They were both utterly faultless and when we handed them back, felt like they would go one for ever. There are lots of examples of seriously high mileage Prius about - the batteries seem very long lived and not a concern. Mechanically they're actually very simple with no clutches to worry about. For short town journeys they make a lot of sense compared to a diesel. We averaged around 50MPG over the lifetime of the mk3, and it did mostly high speed motorway journeys (which is not their best environment). The mk3 is a much better car than the mk2 - much nicer place to be and much nicer interior. The only two criticisms I'd make of either is that the interior plastics are a little on the soft side, and easily scratched if you catch them when loading bulky stuff (like bicycles), and the service interval is 10k miles which seems a bit mean.
We'd have another in a heartbeat - ideal hassle free low cost transport, especially for around town. The only reason that we don't have one now is that with two kids and two dogs, they're not quite big enough for us, and the Prius+ is still too expensive as a second hand buy.
We'd have another in a heartbeat - ideal hassle free low cost transport, especially for around town. The only reason that we don't have one now is that with two kids and two dogs, they're not quite big enough for us, and the Prius+ is still too expensive as a second hand buy.
I've been in loads of Prius taxis in Norway, most with fairly high miles. They've all been in good condition and haven't squeaked or clunked or anything. They appear to mix Toyota longevity with very good running costs. They are spookily quiet around town too. Not exciting cars, but that's not the point.
I think it would suit the OP's purpose very well indeed.
I think it would suit the OP's purpose very well indeed.
The Jazz appears to be ideal for your needs if you can live with something slightly smaller than the Prius. If an auto is a necessity then avoid the i-shift and look for a cvt equipped car.
My wife has a 1.4 Jazz and it's great, it gets used for pretty much all family trips under 30 miles and has been stated above they really are clever inside with regards to seating etc. Nothing has gone wrong and it costs buttons to run, the only drama being the oddly sized 185/55/16 tyres which are expensive for a supermini.
My wife has a 1.4 Jazz and it's great, it gets used for pretty much all family trips under 30 miles and has been stated above they really are clever inside with regards to seating etc. Nothing has gone wrong and it costs buttons to run, the only drama being the oddly sized 185/55/16 tyres which are expensive for a supermini.
In a nutshell yes I would. In a few years I want to run a classic car (convertible 911 or similar) so will need a car that is cheap to run and bought as a company car. I started a job where they gave me a brand new Prius T Spirit in white with the bigger wheels. Even my oh so cynical mates admitted it looked nice.
I wouldn't buy one expecting 70mpg as you really need to nurse it along to get anywhere near this but 50+ is easily achievable. The shape is extremely aerodynamic so wind noise is non existent almost, plus low resistance tyres are also very quiet. For a car to get from A to B they are brilliant and extremely comfortable/easy to drive.
You can get a twin amp stereo system which is one of the best I have heard (lack of outside noise might contribute to this)
The way the whole battery/petrol handover and the gearbox works is really very very clever and makes it a relaxing place to be.
As a sensible daily (with a toy in the garage) or even for the wifey who cares not what a car handles like I think it is very hard to look past them.
I wouldn't buy one expecting 70mpg as you really need to nurse it along to get anywhere near this but 50+ is easily achievable. The shape is extremely aerodynamic so wind noise is non existent almost, plus low resistance tyres are also very quiet. For a car to get from A to B they are brilliant and extremely comfortable/easy to drive.
You can get a twin amp stereo system which is one of the best I have heard (lack of outside noise might contribute to this)
The way the whole battery/petrol handover and the gearbox works is really very very clever and makes it a relaxing place to be.
As a sensible daily (with a toy in the garage) or even for the wifey who cares not what a car handles like I think it is very hard to look past them.
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff