Tuesday, September 27, 2011

How much money in gas could I save by getting a Toyota Prius hybrid?

I am trying to figure out if I should get a Toyota Yaris sedan or spend the extra $10,000 and get a Prius. Will the prius pay off in the long run?|||It takes 10 years for a Prius to break even. Hybrids arent the best technology for better fuel economy anyway. A clean diesel can get 60 mpg easy, while costing thousands less than a hybrid system. Diesels are most common in European cars, and manufacturers like Volkswagen sell them in the US as options. The Prius is a much better car than the Yaris, although I would not suggest either mainly because of Toyotas falling quality. http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/20鈥?/a>


The Yaris was called a "disappointment" by ConsumerReports, which has long been criticised for being biased towards imports. The Yaris is the ultimate penalty box. A good medium between the two cars is the upcoming Saturn Astra. It has been rumored to have a hybrid option, and if it does will be much more affordable than a Prius. The upcoming Saturn Astra is light years ahead of the Yaris. It is a rebadged Opel Astra, one of the most popular cars in Europe. Nothing will be changed from the original Opel in its transition to a Saturn. It will be made in Belgium and imported into the US. Here are some reviews of the Astra.


http://www.caranddriver.com/autoshows/12鈥?/a>


http://www.caranddriver.com/carnews/1276鈥?/a>


http://www.autoblog.com/2007/08/21/candd鈥?/a>


http://www.caranddriver.com/carnews/1285鈥?/a>


The Astra has already proven to be a great car, since it has been on sale in Europe since 2004. The Astra is more refined than the Yaris, not even going into its driving dynamics. Compare these pictures:


http://www.edmunds.com/apps/vdpcontainer鈥?/a>


http://www.edmunds.com/apps/vdpcontainer鈥?/a>


The gas mileage should be about the same on the Yaris and Astra, since every other car currently in that segment is within 2 mpg. Here is a side to side comparison of the Yaris VS the base Astra. Just look at the features, the Astra is hands down a better package, not including the longer warranty and better saftey.


http://www.edmunds.com/apps/nvc/edmunds/鈥?/a>


GM is now on top of JD Powers reliability/quality ratings with Buick. The tests were on cars from 2004 to see how they held up. This does have some faults since Saturn has completley overhauled their lineup, and currently the oldest car in their lineup is the 2006 Sky.|||60 miles per gallon is grossly exaggerated.

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|||If you're only concerned with the cost, and you're comparing a Prius to a Yaris, the answer is probably not. Here is a comparison of the Prius to the Yaris liftback:





http://autos.yahoo.com/newcars/compariso鈥?/a>





As you can see, the initial cost is about $11,000 more, and the Total Cost to Own (after 5 years) is $7,000 more. Assuming that rate continues, it would take about 14 years to make up for the higher initial cost.





The thing is, the Yaris and Prius aren't comparable vehicles. The Yaris is a compact car while the Prius is a mid-sized car. It's much roomier and more comfortable, and has a lot more features. The Yaris is just sort of a cheap basic car that will get you good mileage due to its small size.





If you're also taking environmental impact into account, the Prius has a major advantage, as you can see from their Yahoo Green Ratings (84 vs. 74), and the fact that the Prius was named the world's greenest car by a recent Swiss study:





http://www.reuters.com/article/environme鈥?/a>





But just looking at cost, it would take a long time to make up for the higher initial Prius price. Of course, the cost of gas will probably continue to increase, so the Prius might save money a bit quicker. It will also have a higher resale value, so that's another factor to take into consideration.|||I don't think it will for years .You should look at what the battery runs after it depletes.Do some homework.I have to friends that have Toyota Prius.They like them but don't know how the maintence is.|||yeah, until after 6 years then your battery will fail and then your out 8,000 dollars. So... good luck saving all that money!|||Most certainly get the Prius hybrid. For one, it is a Toyota and will last a long time if you keep up with regular maitenance. I know with the hybrid, it gets an actual 40-50 mpg. That's not bad at all! If you consider you will get about 30 actual mpg with the other vehicle, that is a possible 20mpg more with the Prius. It will pay off. Get the Prius. Very nice car.|||It depends on what kind of car you are driving now and how manny miles per week or month you drive. Without that info nobody can figure it out.|||Absolutely. I drove a Prius for a week. I drive a lot... and had to fill the tank once. Gas at the time was $3.19 a gallon and I only had to spend $18 to completely fill the tank.|||Sure, in the loooooooooooooonnnnnnggg run.





You'd have to do an AWFUL lot of driving to make up for the extra 10 g's you're spending.





Heck, I bought my first car (75 Honda Civic) for 300 dollars, got 60 mpg...I miss that car.|||Look at the gas milege. Some hybrids do not get as good of gas milege as a standard vehicle.|||Everybody should buy hybrids. I encourage anyone that asks me if they should buy one. HECK YES!!!! It makes sense, the less gas, uninformed "Al Gore type granola eaters" use, the more gas is left over to burn in my muscle car at 4mpg!





I'm serious! EVERYONE should sell their gas guzzling cars and get a hybrid! Take a stand, don't burn an ounce of fossil fuels, buy a bike or an all electric car.





If you want excellent mileage, check out the VW TDI's. A friend of mine has two of them and with a little mod both of them (European injectors) consistently get over 56mpg.








Please don't read the following if you're considering buying a hybrid, because it makes sense and you'll feel better if you buy one.





Article on Prius outdoes Hummer in environmental damage:


http://www.cnwmr.com/nss-folder/automoti鈥?/a>





Prius costs an estimated $3.25 a mile over an expected 100,000 miles. A hummer will most likely last three times longer and $1.95 mile and a lot less in environmental damage while being produced.








Click on this link and check out the cost per mile to own a hybrid: http://cnwmr.com/nss-folder/automotiveen鈥?/a>


Click on the list for costs.








Another interesting link:


http://www.reason.org/commentaries/dalmi鈥?/a>

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