I would really like some idea of ownership costs as I am trying to decide whether to buy a Prius. I test drove it and loved the car. I can afford to buy it but can I afford to own it. I have heard that you need more frequent service intervals, cost of tires is more, you need to use synthetic oil, headlights are more expensive, etc. etc. I won't be driving it that much during the winter so cold weather mileage isn't a big thing. Have you found it costs more when the vehicle is routinely serviced than if you had a ice car? I need to make a decision soon so replies are appreciated.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(CalliAnne\";p=\"40836)</div> What illinformed duffus have you been talking to? Service intervals are LESS frequent...every 5k miles. Toyota recommends regular oil...though many of us do choose to use synthetic. Tires are same price as others...maybe a little more rapid wear due to lower rolling resistance design, but I've heard of no issues and am at 12,500 miles with no sign of significant wear. If you get the HID headlights they are, indeed, quite expensive IF and When you need to replace them, but it's unlikely you'll need to do so any time in the first 5-7 years of ownership. Other than oil changes and tire rotations and all the bells and whistles I've chosen to add cost of ownership has been nil.
Callianne, One of the main reasons I bought the Prius was because of the low operating costs. Obviously you save money on fuel compared to almost every other vehicle on the road, especially SUVs. The Prius gets a tire rotation and oil change every 5,000 miles; the maintenance is very simple and low cost. Also, I still have a difficult time believing that synthetic oil changes the performance for normal driving condtions; I don't use it. The tires are 15 inch tires, which mean they are relatively inexpensive to replace, and so far, I haven't heard of anyone with tires wearing... HID lights are about 3 times as expensive, but last about three times as long compared to the standard lightbulb--- how often do you like replacing your lightbulbs? Not to mention, there is a 1,500 dollar tax rebate when you purchase a Prius. I have nothing to say but great things about my Prius. I'm confident that if you buy a Prius, you will be equally as satisfied. Best of luck, flyingprius
Unless you are in a wreck or drive with your headlights on in the daytime or do all your driving at night, you will never need to replace the HID headlights. Brakes should last 2 or 3 times as long as regular brakes. There is no transmission to service. There is no clutch to service. Motors won't wear out. Engine should have less wear than a normal ICE due to running most of it's life at moderate rpms and soft starting with no fuel until spinning and lubed, not to mention being off a good deal of the time. The concern I would have is after warranty expires and the many ECUs start to fail. If they do, The repair would be costly as it is in any modern vehicle. The shortest and most effective answer to your question however is this. IT'S A TOYOTA!! YEEHAW!!
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(flyingprius\";p=\"40838)</div> Careful on this one. IF you bought it before Jan 1, 2004 the tax deduction was $1500. IF you buy it before Jan 1, 2005 the tax deduction is $1000. That is DEDUCTION, as in taken off your taxable income, not REBATE, as in taken off off your taxes owed. The tax benefit depends on your marginal tax bracket.
The doofus is the closest Toyota dealership which would prefer to sell me a Camry. They sent me out to the service desk and the tech told me that the first major service will be at 30K and will cost close to 400.00. what do they need to do at 30K that costs that much or is this just another sample of deviousness from this dealership? (not where I'd buy the car) This is a dealership that told me my Tacoma got poor gas mileage because I didn't buy gas in a major city.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(bruceha_2000\";p=\"40864)</div> I think you're off by a year. For Vechicles put in service before Jan-1-04 the Deduction was $2,000 For Calendar Year 04 it's $1500 For 05 it's $1000 06 - $500 07+ - gone http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,id=...=107766,00.html So, as long as you buy before the end of the year, you can get the $1500 deduction, regardless of whether you buy an 04 or 05 Model Year Car.
They are trying to sell you the Camry even though you are interested in the Prius because they can make a buck off you today if they don't let you escape. If you were to get on their list, and ONLY their list, they wouldn't make money from you for potentially MANY months depending on their allocations, wait list and what you want. You might even (gasp) buy a Prius elsewhere. My answer to your original query - Hybrid or Conventional? You are asking a biased bunch of people Personally, I think the Toyota HSD system and implemetation in the Prius are nothing short of a major move forward in what will be "standard" technology in not so many years. And what you get for your $$ is a very good buy. I researched hybrids starting June of '03, before I knew the '04 Prius would be a model year change and waited until this summer to see if there was any fallout. I am most excited to be getting mine Friday.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Tempus\";p=\"40880)</div> Cool, another $500 off my taxable. the car is getting more affordable all the time! Thanks.
The Prius is definitely going to be cheaper to service in the long run - especialy with people like the ones we have here at PriusChat who know so much more about the Prius than most "trained" service techs. And don't forget that you can get the Extended Warranty here for about $900 cheaper than most dealers and you can get the Pre-paid Service Plan for close to invoice price. Two more ways to save money in the long run on your Prius.
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(CalliAnne\";p=\"40865)</div> Check out This Edmunds Page and you can see and compare the maintainence schedules for both the Camry and Prius side by side. There's also an "actual cost of ownership" page, but the Prius isn't listed...the Camry is.
CalliAnne: I concur with everyone above, telling you that the cost of ownership of the Prius is at worst the same as any other new car, and at best, much less (no clutch or transmission to worry about) and that apparently your dealer is trying to switch you to a car they have available now. In addition: Cold-weather mileage in the Prius is less than the Prius' warm-weather mileage; but cold-weather mileage in the Prius is still much better than in a conventional car. I think it's likely that the advantage of a Prius over a conventional car is less in winter than in summer, but there is still a very significant advantage. In other words, the Prius' mileage is better summer and winter. Just not as much better in winter. On the other hand, the Prius' handling on ice is far superior to any other car in its price range or below, as you'd have to buy a much more expensive car to get VSC. The Prius is definitely your car, unless you cannot wait for one. You're liable to find there's still a waiting list wherever you go, unless you are willing to pay a big premium over MSRP.
With oil changes alone compaired to my 2000 Neon, as mentioned in another thread recently here, in the past 7 months I've saved $90 (3 oil changes instead of 5, and at $20 for the oil instead of $30 at a service center) I only pay for the synthetic oil on my own and give it to the dealership with the prepaid maintence, which can be figured into the cost of the car (which I did). In gas, saved $720. Trust me, it'll be a cheaper car to maintain in the long run. However, the real reason to buy it is because of all the cool gadgets, the great environmental benefits, and it's so damn fun! -m.
Re: Air Quality Costs With lower emissions Prii are much less expensive regarding impacts to air quality. In turn there is less corrosion of metal and rubber (wipers, gaskets and tires), less tendancy to contribute to ozone and asthma, fewer contributions to negative air quality to nearby and distant agriculture, landscaping and wildland ecosystems. Prii have very low air resistence, contribute to quieter ambience (background noise levels). All vehicles contibute to particulate matter (PM2.5) in the atmosphere, just by rolling along. Prii should contribute less or stir up smaller amounts of particulate matter.
This is a very biased crowd. Includes me. The Prius is simply the most technologically advanced car in the world today. Cars will for the near term be looking more and more like the Prius rather than less. You will, baring a unpredictable advance in science and engineering, be driving a car or truck like the Prius. We have a couple of hybrid busses in my town. You are welcome to join us!
My Prius is in the shop because I was rear ended. I'm now driving a rental 2004 Camry and can't wait to dump it and get my Prius back. I used to like the Camry, my last two cars were Camrys, but I LOVE the Prius. First time I've ever been able to say that. I'm not a car person and always looked at them as just transportation. I got the Prius as transportation because I've got a new long commute and it would take less gas but I quickly found myself converted into a car person. Maintenance isn't much different from my old Camry. The big maintenance cost would be a battery replacement, (the hybrid battery , not the regular car battery), and the Prius comes with an 8 year, 100,000 mile warranty for this. (the new 2005 may have an even longer warranty). If you get the Camry I'll bet you'll regret it once you start having friends that are driving Prius's.
The reason Toyota is giving a 100,000-mile warranty on the battery is that they figured out that these batteries are going to last a minimum of 250,000 miles. That's a minimum. NiMH batteries would not normally last that long. But Toyota figured out how to make it happen by programming the computer to hold the range of charge within a fairly narrow limit. (Not something you have to think about, as the computer does it all, but still something that is nice to be aware of.)
One thing that reduces the life of a NIMH battery is excessive heat. For that reason I prefer to use the cargo cover and park in the shade. I also sinted the windows with "huper optik" coating. That's made a huge difference when I can't find shade. I'm in Texas by the way where mid nineties are still common in late september.
