Help with buying a new Prius

[tvguy]

Makes sense except your investment at purchase doesn't just disappear.
You should also factor in that the average resale price for say a 2010 Focus is about $11k. Average resale price for a 2010 Prius is over $16k (Motortrend). Plus maintenance on the Prius will likely be less.
And the Focus is nice but small inside. Prius has way more room (especially headroom), better standard features.

Nothing against the Prius. No, I did not figure in resale, and you did not figure in the sales tax and new registration and transfer fees which around here would set you back about $2,000 on a $20,000 car.
Although looking at the local Toyota dealer, you can get a new Prius for under $19,000 these days, so prices have come down.
BELOW FOR EXAMPLE ONLY, NOT AN ADVERTISEMENT OR ENDORSEMENT OF THIS OR ANY CAR DEALER OR AUTOMAKER.
http://www.maitatoyota.com/New-2014-Toyota-Prius-c-Two-Sacramento-CA/vd/22130928

 

[freckles04]

I love my 2008 Prius! Bought it brand new (now that I know better, will not buy a new car again due to depreciation, but I was 24 and fresh out of nursing school and thought I was making the big bucks ) Anyway, I LOVE my car. Only problem I've ever had with it is the water pump had to be replaced a few years back but it was under warranty.

Some things I didn't research before buying... the headlights are SO EXPENSIVE to replace. (If you are like me and are not handy, and don't know anyone who is to help you.) I believe it was around $250 each and I have replaced both of them once. That was a big shocker. Not sure if this is still the case in the newer Prius models.

Also, the whole battery thing. I have 91,000 miles on it and I'm so afraid when my warranty expires at 100,000 that will be the day the battery dies. It would be my luck.

Good luck and I hope she enjoys her Prius as much as I have mine!!

 

[JenzyHP]

I love my 2008 Prius! Bought it brand new (now that I know better, will not buy a new car again due to depreciation, but I was 24 and fresh out of nursing school and thought I was making the big bucks ) Anyway, I LOVE my car. Only problem I've ever had with it is the water pump had to be replaced a few years back but it was under warranty.

Some things I didn't research before buying... the headlights are SO EXPENSIVE to replace. (If you are like me and are not handy, and don't know anyone who is to help you.) I believe it was around $250 each and I have replaced both of them once. That was a big shocker. Not sure if this is still the case in the newer Prius models.

Also, the whole battery thing. I have 91,000 miles on it and I'm so afraid when my warranty expires at 100,000 that will be the day the battery dies. It would be my luck.

Good luck and I hope she enjoys her Prius as much as I have mine!!

You would be surprised at how much a Prius resales for. We looked at ones a few years old and there wasn't a big price difference between new and used. It was a no brainer to get a new one.

 

[Barry Browning]

My son has two of them, he loves them both. I would recommend the extended warranty here--it covers the batteries and these seem to last about 3 -4 years he has gotten the money out of the warranty.

My dad was almost killed by kamakazies in WWII I made him a promise I would only buy American I get why folks buy these, my son and I debate it daily.They may be made in America but the $$$ goes back to the Islands. My two cars are ones they don't make any more. I am a living fossil.I have a Lincoln Towncar and El Camino.

My son still has top borrow my truck when he hauls something..


And I digress.I know that you need to to do all the maintenance at Toyota dealership as you may have problems with repairs if you don't.

Good luck hhere with the purchase.

 

[bluedoggy]

My DH is determined to buy American made cars, and since Ford did not take any bailouts he is a huge supporter.
I had been driving a Pontiac Vibe (similar to the Toyota Matrix) since 2006, earlier this year we were at the Ford dealer for something else, and he had me test drive the Ford C-Max Hybrid. Wow... I was blown away. It is similar in "style" to the Vibe/ Matrix, but a bit higher in head-room, a little wider and a little longer. It has a hatchback and fold down rear seats (which I insist on having)
It compares to the Prius V in size but has more horsepower. We did buy it and I have averaged 47.8 mpg ever since, and most of that is in-town driving. No plugging in.. the battery re-charges as you drive and brake. Our cost of gas has dropped in half (I am a Realtor and put on lots of miles...)
So... if someone is considering a hybrid, this may be something to check out. It is a bit larger than a Focus hybrid and I like the hatchback better.

Has good reviews. May not be for everyone, but could be a option

Any money I can save on "gas" is more money to put in the "trip to Disney fund"

 

[sherry7]

I bought my 2013 Prius last August, when they were having 0% 60 month financing. I like the car. It drives well, and the hatchback has a ton of room. We actually drove it to Disney this winter (almost 2000 miles round trip). We fit in luggage for 10 days, a stroller, 2 adults, and a child in a car seat with no problem. I also drove it in a lot of snow storms this winter, with no major issues.

At the time I bought it, I was driving almost 100 miles a day for work. My SUV only gets 13 mpg, and it was going to bankrupt me paying for gas. If you compare a Prius to a car like the Ford Focus, Toyota Corolla, etc and do the math, you'll find that it really only makes sense to buy one if you consistently drive at least 70-75 miles per day.

 

[scrapshappen]

In the research I did last year, the original hybrids needed to have their battery replaced after a few years. However, the technology has come a long way since then. We were told to expect 200,000 from the battery. And the brakes that power the battery last longer than standard rear breaks too.

 

[jodim]

If you can go through USAA or something similar you can get a brand new 2014 Prius 2 it takes off $2000 + on your invoice price.
I just put it in yesterday because we are looking at trading my car for one, since I drive 45,000/yr and it was $22,xxx for a brand new 2014 Prius 2.

We also qualify for a military rebate of $500

 

[Matty B]

Right now interest rates are so low, it really is almost cheaper to buy new... Their is so many 0% for 72 month deals now it will make you spin.

Prius, mixed reviews. You need to look at cost of ownership on these vehicles, this will tell you what the total cost to own this vehicle over its lifetime, you may want to reconsider the Prius / Hybrid fad will not be a good as a traditional gas burner.

Case in point, you can get a new Toyota Corolla for around 18K nicely equipped. It gets 42MPG and has 0 of the maintenance issues that a prius has (batteries that will need to be replaced) and a few electrical issues.

You are going to spend roughly 10K more for a car that gets 8MPG better on the HWY, they do get great MPG in town but is 10K worth that???

 

[travisx4]

I own a Toyota Prius and a Toyota Tacoma. Toyota is the easiest dealership to get the best price without wasting an afternoon or feeling like you need a shower. Make a list of all the Toyota dealerships in your area and log onto their websites. Go to the new car section and select your model. Find the car that you like and there should be a quick quote or contact us button to submit your info. Complete this section and in a short time you will receive a very favorable price on the car. Do this for each of the dealerships. Once you receive the prices ask for the spec sheets on the cars since two cars with the same list price may not be identical (one may have power windows the other may include floor mats). Negotiate prices with the dealer that came in with the highest price and so on with the other dealers (all via email). Once you have negotiated the lowest price go to the dealer and buy the car. The Prius is a great car with plenty of cargo space and mileage into the high 50's if driven properly. You do not need to service the car where you buy it. As far as new vs used you will usually get a better warranty on a used car (most times up to 100K) compared to the 3 year/36,000 mile warranty that Toyota provides on new cars. I did buy new both times since the cars should go well over 100K without issues and the 0% financing saves a couple of thousand over the course of the loan.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

I own a Toyota Prius and a Toyota Tacoma. Toyota is the easiest dealership to get the best price without wasting an afternoon or feeling like you need a shower. Make a list of all the Toyota dealerships in your area and log onto their websites. Go to the new car section and select your model. Find the car that you like and there should be a quick quote or contact us button to submit your info. Complete this section and in a short time you will receive a very favorable price on the car. Do this for each of the dealerships. Once you receive the prices ask for the spec sheets on the cars since two cars with the same list price may not be identical (one may have power windows the other may include floor mats). Negotiate prices with the dealer that came in with the highest price and so on with the other dealers (all via email). Once you have negotiated the lowest price go to the dealer and buy the car. The Prius is a great car with plenty of cargo space and mileage into the high 50's if driven properly. You do not need to service the car where you buy it. As far as new vs used you will usually get a better warranty on a used car (most times up to 100K) compared to the 3 year/36,000 mile warranty that Toyota provides on new cars. I did buy new both times since the cars should go well over 100K without issues and the 0% financing saves a couple of thousand over the course of the loan.

Actually, no brand has an advantage when it comes to dealer negotiations. Each individual dealer (regardless of brand) has a lot of lea way. I shopped a Camry for my parents & NONE of the dealers were particularly responsive or interested in making an aggressive deal nor in searching out the exact car they wanted.

I'm glad you found a god dealer, but if that same dealer sells other brands at other locations, odds are you'd have a similar experience with the other brands as well

 

[lucigo]

OP here, just wanted to thank everyone for your input. My DD26 ended up getting the sea glass green 2014 Prius 3 and is so happy with her choice!! My DS23 made the trip to Orlando to get her old car, a 2001 Chevy Tracker, which my DD19 is driving now, so everyone is happy!

 

[Gumbo4x4]

Glad it went well!

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

The other thing I did was researched the cheapest sales tax rate in the area, (here it can vary city to city). When purchasing a car, this can make a difference. (A .25% difference on 20k is $500.)

Good luck!

And in a lot of states this won't matter as sales tax is required to be paid based on where you register the car. So if you show up with the sales record from the cheaper area you get credit for that and they pay the $500 difference.

 

[manning]

Yeah, don't expect to save any money over the life of the car, the price difference over a conventional car is still to great. But if you LIKE the car,fine.
There was a $10,000 between my 30 mpg Focus and a 50 mpg Prius. I'd have to drive 200,000 mile before I saved enough gas to save $10,000

That's the one thing people overlook. What they see is 50 mpg vs 30 mpg and right away the "wow look at what I'll save".

Not necessarily so. You have to look at the bottom line.

How long are you going to keep the car

How much is it going to cost to run the two cars over the same period of time

What is the price difference between the cars.

Every time I've crunched the numbers the hybrid did not win out. The price difference is what tipped the scale. If the prices where close then it would have worked.

 

[peel]

It's not always about the bottom line, i.e. saving money. Most of the hybrid owners I know purchased them because they'd be reducing emissions and using fewer fossil fuels, not only because they'd save money on gas.

 

[lakelandgal70]

My DH traded in his Ford Fiesta for a Prius couple years ago. We love it! Great gas mileage and surprisingly a lot of room. We travel once a year up to TN and it rides really nice in the mountains. And there is a lot of room for our luggage too. Hubby commutes for work so that is why he bought it.

 

[debknight]

And in a lot of states this won't matter as sales tax is required to be paid based on where you register the car. So if you show up with the sales record from the cheaper area you get credit for that and they pay the $500 difference.

Who is "they"?

Don't you mean "you", the purchaser of the car, will have to pay the $500 difference?

 

[peel]

I'm not the poster, but I took it as a typo that was meant to say "then".

 

[manning]

It's not always about the bottom line, i.e. saving money. Most of the hybrid owners I know purchased them because they'd be reducing emissions and using fewer fossil fuels, not only because they'd save money on gas.

Not if it is the plug in type. When you plug it into a charger guess where the electricity comes from....a power plant. A lot of those plants burn....fossil fuel.