Comments on: Wanna buy a Prius? It'll cost you

As more people clamber to get their hands on a Prius, the popular hybrid is getting harder to come by. Jon Oltsik's advice to potential car buyers? Wait.

[wiseleo]

This BMW M3 driver has parked his car about 2 months ago. I drive a '98 M3 convertible (only 240HP) and it's a terrific car. 24.7MPG, according to my on-board computer.

The Topgear comparison was an interesting one ;-) What they did was drive Prius like a sports car and follow it with a real vastly overpowered sports car (the '08 M3 is a V8 monster with 420HP). I love Topgear, but let's just say that if they were to drive my M3 with the same style, they'd get 6-8MPG.

Anyway, I am selling folding electric bikes as an alternative to cars. Interested readers are invited to visit http://www.FoldEBike.com

Zero emissions, state of the art technology, very low cost per charge. I am faster on my e-bike while navigating stuck traffic. :)

[Sabroson]

Buy a used and very large V8 Car for around $10K (Like a Yukon XL .. many in Cars.com) ... then use the $17K you did not spend on the Prius to buy gas.

Heck .. It will take you a LONG TIME to spend $17K in gas !!!!!
(at $100 per week that would be more than 3 years).

It all depends what you want to accomplish...

1. Do you want to save gas?
2. Do you want to save money?

These two are NOT THE SAME !!!

[atish505]

I'm a Financial Analyst and let me tell you why Prius makes sense.
* Tax deduction: Hybrid purchase allows you to deduct a portion of the expense form your annual income Tax (esp. in California, where you can get a state tax deduction as well).
* No vehicle Tax (in California and some other states)
* Saves me $4 in toll charge each day (i commute across the Dumbarton bridge to get to Palo Alto)
* Car pool lane (saves even more on gas in rush hour)
* Depreciation Hybrids depreciate less as they have premium in the market. My two year old Prius (30 k mileage) has only depreciated by 10% based on its current market value.
* Re-sale: Higher resale value, faster turn around time.
* Lower maintenance: My records show I have spent 50% less in maintenance in two years than on my previous Jeep grand Cherokee and Dodge Grand Caravan SE.
* Discount on auto insurance.

I am planning to sell my and after all costs and savings accumulated over two years would only loose about 5% of the price I paid.

[bgdrewsif]

Ok, I own a 2006 Prius with just over 40,000 miles on it (all of them driven by me). Since gas shot up over $4.00/gal I slowed down to 55 on the highway. I now average 58-65 MPG on the highway and a combined 52.4 MPG overall between a mix of 60% Highway and 40% city driving. No honda civic can match that or provide me with the cargo volume of my Prius with the rear and front passenger seats folded down (I am about to move 2000 miles from Ohio to Arizona)

Also, I have a backup camera, keyless entry and keyless startup, seating for 5 PLU a full cargo area (I love hatchbacks) and the drastically reduced environmental impacts are a big plus too... the prius is classified as an AT-PZEV (Advanced Technology-Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle) which the civic and other "high mileage" vehicles cannot match... And car companies ((GM! Cough Cough)) Claiming big fiel savings at 22MPG is really laughable and depressing when my car gan average 50+ MPG easily)

As for the performance issue, everyone who has either traveled in or driven my car has commented on the "oomph" factor of my car from a dead stop to highway speeds... the electric motor provides a surprising amount of torque...

[Dalkorian]

"and the drastically reduced environmental impacts are a big plus too..."
BS. All you have done is trade in CO2 generation, which plants can breathe and convert to O2, for nickel battery disposal. Name me one plant in nature that can "breathe" nickel.

[Joselito05]

Mr. Oltsik, a barrel of crude oil during the early '90s averaged $20.00, this time last year $69.00, the first half of 2008 it's been dancing right above $130.00. If you honestly believe prices will somehow drop to $80 at any point you might as well believe that Ford will be re-realesing the Model-T for $300.

The Prius is a bit of a fad we will be seeing a disastrous declines in fuel supply by around 2030 until then the prices will continue to stabilize and rise due to the political & economic climate. I suggest waiting a while or settling for a hugely fuel-efficient Honda then get something fully electric somewhere in the next decade. =-)

[b_baggins]

Current oil shortages are artificially produced by environmental policies. At $80 a barrel oil extraction from shale and and making it from coal become economical. Canada and the U.S. have enough oil shale and coal reserves to power the two nations for about 500 years.

Why are we not manufacturing oil from shale or coal?

Environmentalists lobbied their lackeys in congress to slap a moratorium on it.

Drill here. Drill now. Pay less.

[ancl87]

The real title and subject matter of this article should be. You want to buy a Prius? It'll cost the planet.

C-net should run an article about the behind the scenes destruction of earth in creating green cars.

Here is some great writing on the nickel factory.

http://fallbackbelmont.blogspot.com/2007/03/which-is-greener-prius-or-hummer.html

"As already noted, the Prius is partly driven by a battery which contains nickel. The nickel is mined and smelted at a plant in Sudbury, Ontario. This plant has caused so much environmental damage to the surrounding environment that NASA has used the ?dead zone? around the plant to test moon rovers. The area around the plant is devoid of any life for miles.

The plant is the source of all the nickel found in a Prius? battery and Toyota purchases 1,000 tons annually. Dubbed the Superstack, the plague-factory has spread sulfur dioxide across northern Ontario, becoming every environmentalist?s nightmare.

?The acid rain around Sudbury was so bad it destroyed all the plants and the soil slid down off the hillside,? said Canadian Greenpeace energy-coordinator David Martin during an interview with Mail, a British-based newspaper.

All of this would be bad enough in and of itself; however, the journey to make a hybrid doesn?t end there. The nickel produced by this disastrous plant is shipped via massive container ship to the largest nickel refinery in Europe. From there, the nickel hops over to China to produce ?nickel foam.? From there, it goes to Japan. Finally, the completed batteries are shipped to the United States, finalizing the around-the-world trip required to produce a single Prius battery. Are these not sounding less and less like environmentally sound cars and more like a farce?"

[derekbergey]

Although it breaks a few rules for me to write this, I will say it anyway. I've seen the new Prius, sat inside it, looked around. It's the exact same car, gets 10 miles more with the plug in feature. Toyota made some ood improvements from 2003 to 2004, since then, they've done nothing but pat themselves on the back. So, don't look for anything to spectacular in the years to come from Toyota, if you want the best of the best, Cadillac is making a CTS with improved gas mileage, doesn't matter, I wouldn't car if I had to push that car, it's better than anything on the road. But, if you want the BEST, and I mean, the BEST BEST BEST gas mileage, warrenty, and techology, you should all just google (like I did, sorta) the car that no one knows about. The 2010 Chevy Volt. In a year you will see a little car, put everything to shame. Prius is really excited to unviel a 40 to 60 MPG. While Volt will be shooting for 80-131. Don't believe me, look it up.

[yanchineseguy]

Some have wrote that they think the Prius is ugly. I own a Prius and I like the body styling, but it's personal taste -- I dislike the very boxy cars like the Honda Element or the Scion xB, but obviously some people like that style. I look forward to more types of hybrids and other alternative fuel vehicles coming out in the next few years, particially driven by the rise in oil prices. What do y'all think of some of the candidates for the Progresssive Automotive X Prize? http://www.progressiveautoxprize.org/

[iconoclast04]

I can't believe how much people pay for these Priuses. First of all, they look like crap. Second of all, they're small and I can't imagine they drive all that well. And now I find out how much they actually cost! Most of these people will never recoup the premium price they paid for this car in gas savings. It's amazing how people's behavior is affected by a slogan and a campaign. "Green is the new patriotism." Sounds like something out of 1984.

[fredtheviking]

If you are buying a hummer (even if you can afford it), you doing a socially irresponsable thing. But also about what a 1 dollar increase in galleon means if you driving a hummer with a 39 galleon tank. It will cost you almost an extra $40 for everytime you refill the tank, which gets you 300 miles. Where with pruis with a 11 galleon tank only increases costs of $11, plus I have easily gotten over 400 miles on that amout of gas. Plus I among my other pruis owners are putting less pressure on demand, helping everyone save money.

[ancl87]

galleon? you don't even know how to spell gallon. you are just proving that all prius owners have no clue when it comes to the total cost of owning a car, both the direct cost of paying for it and the indirect cost of environmental damage. the Toyota marking team has done a great job of brainwashing suckers into buying their cars.

[aidoroboo]

This is the argument I've been making about Hybrids in general. Consumers would save even more by purchasing a small economy car like a Toyota Yaris MSRP is about $10K less than a Prius. The estimated highway MPG is 35 and with conservative driving you can squeeze out a more. It takes years to see the cost benefits of buying a hybrid versus a smaller vehicle. And that's only factoing gas. We all know the pains of paying to get cars serviced. Most of us wouldn't know how much those special hybrid components cost to replace. And consumers don't actually know how long hybrid engine components will last. I know Toyota generally makes pretty dependable vehicles but we'll only know for sure in a few years when all these hybrids are still on the road or not.

[GLF17]

Still by Far the Ugliest car on the Planet.

[Dalkorian]

Funny, I always referred that distinction to the Citroen 2CV.

[jdcrepeau]

I work at a Toyota dealership and we are certain that we will get no more in until at least September IF not October that aren't pre-sold. We are one of the largest and busiest Toyota dealerships in the southeast region and we only get maybe 7 a month. Toyota long saw this coming, but did nothing to increase production. Oh well, it just means we sell more Yaris' and Corollas.

BTW, if you do want a cheaper car that gets GREAT gas mileage, check out the Yaris. We have been selling out of those like crazy lately too.

[deuce19]

Or buy a old '96 Ford Escort, fix it up a little, upgrade the intake and get 35+ mpg. I think there is too much to this Prius craze. And after only spending a few grand for the Escort you have piles of money left over for gas. Or we can wait for a car like the Chevy Volt and just plug in and have zero emissions on trips under 40 miles.

[daltron7]

I am a simple person I own an 06 with 79382 miles. Be sure you do the math not the BS from the writer...
Car replaced was a impala SS 16city 30hwy my ave 24mpg
Prius 48.1+- city 49+- hwy ruf ave 47.8mpg
Using my 79382miles driven. Impala would have used 3307.58 gal and the Prius used 1660.71 gal. Divide gal used by 2 for the 2yrs 06 and 07. Impala 1653.79gal per year and the Prius 830.35 gal per year. Now use 2$ for yr06 and use 3$ for 07. Impala 2yr gas bill $8268.95 Prius $4071.80 savings of $4197.15. Prius tax cred $3150 and tax writeoff unbilled milage 2yr $5852.97 Total savings for me in 2yr $13200.12. Both cars cost 30k+. Even if you only take the gas savings of $4197.15 wow. Fig 08 30k at ave $3.80 you can add another $2365.12 so by the end of 08 the gas money still in my bank will be $6562.27.. SO WHATS IN YOUR BANK ACCOUNT?????? From the first time I filled up I new I had done the write thing. I think by the time I am ready for my replacement I will have recovered close to 20K or better. Did I say the Tahoe is in the garage and my wife and I comute in tow dif location 18 mils apart and I did not even add the decrease in her fule bill to my savings Hummmm.

Fools are easly parted from their money..... use your brain and you may find your way.

[Dalkorian]

blah blah blah - you're comparing an economical car to the Impala SS, neglecting everything EXCEPT gas and wowing yourself but no one else. Try making that Impala a Civic or something comparable, then include the eventual battery replacements (will eventually be necessary for the Civic as well, but won't be NEARLY as expensive). You'll see the "savings" are pretty minimal at best.

[solver7]

What kind of polution is given off by charging a hybrid's battery? sure it's different from standard car exhaust polution - but are the gasses released during battery charge cycle any cleaner? Since hybrids charge their batteries constantly is this exposing the driver to more of this pollution than a standard engine's exauhst pipe woul?

[xZero2007x]

Many have commented on "driving the speed limit" and getting great gas mileage, while others have complained about emissions.

1. Every car has a specific curve that describes its performance at a certain speed. Generally, the speed limit actually does fall in the good half of the curve, giving many drivers the mileage they want.
But there's two sub-points to be pointed out here:ent with different speeds. Most of the time, going higher than the speed limit can give you better mileage (the reason why ties in with reason 1b).
1b. What kills a car's mileage (and what causes the difference in city vs. highway MPG estimates) is how often or how aggressively one accelerates. Think physics, specifically on the topics of inertia and acceleration. It takes more to bring a car up from 40-60 than it does to keep a car at a constant speed.

Combining points 1a and 1b will definitely help drivers fully utilize the gas they sell their limbs for.

2. Emissions: Look at it this way. I don't entirely agree with being green and the global warming movements, but that doesn't mean I'll be narrow-minded about it. I am conscious about the amount of waste I produce and what I can do for it. But when it comes to the global warming movement, there are just some things that I don't see adding up. For our car emissions, we (drivers in cars) account for a much smaller percentage for the emissions that end up in the atmosphere as opposed to production factories, airplanes, energy plants, etc. And there have been various articles on this very point here on cnet and other sources too! We all could be driving Expeditions or fully equipped Tundras, working our engines to the max and the difference that would make in the emissions levels would be minimal. It's like trying to raise a weighted portion of your grade for a class in college or high school--you could try putting a lot of effort into a quiz category that's only worth 10% of your grade (though it doesn't hurt to), but ignorantly believing that if you focus all of your time and resources (and not think about the other weighted 90% of your grade), you're not going anywhere.

As for the "green" topic overall, I still feel that the study in nature and its weather patterns, changes in the atmosphere, and such, are far too young to fully determine if the facts many green debaters are actually valid or not. Our sample size for most of their research is way too small (just because of the time we've actually been industrialized), and we don't have full backings of a lot of the research, but rather theories and many a hypothesis that are currently in testing.

But yeah, I say go try points 1a and 1b--they'll make a difference, no matter what you're driving. And be careful not to mix-up being green and marketing oppertunities, or even your reason for buying a hybrid.

Good points to bring up in the article~ Provoked us to think and bring up what we do when we drive and a lot of our ideals.

[mjgolli]

I'll keep my new '08 Impala SS, thank you very much!

Doesn't matter what you drive, you are killing the planet anyhow. A change in driving habits for everyone is what is needed: More convenient public transit, more walkable communities, etc., will cut down fuel use, emissions and the amount of natural resources being raped from the earth.

If you drive a lot, then a Prius might be for you. I don't. I work only 4 days per week and rarely go anywhere on the weekends, save for short errands to the grocery or chemists and the like. Think about it this way: Prius owners still pay $4 per gallon, just like everyone else. Why they are not outraged like everyone else is beyond me...they should be fighting for the cause rather than being smug as if they are better than everyone else.

For those that whine that your SUV uses too much gas...well, you should have thought of that before you made your purchase. Now you're stuck with it? Oh, well, that is just too bad. Soccer moms: you can fit a number of kids in a reasonably fuel efficient minibus, nice sedan or a seemingly ultra-rare station wagon. You DID NOT have to buy an SUV.

Next time you are at the pump, try thinking about all the trucking companies out there that haul goods across the country. We have near or over $5 diesel, and it takes a LOT to fill up a big rig. Do you think this will translate to higher prices for everyday items? You bet! How did your SUV or Prius get to your dealer? Ship/train/truck...and there you go. Are you going to whine when milk is $5 per gallon? I hope so. Maybe you'll start taking this thing more seriously than the pointless "I get more/less mpg than you" argument.

[compudoc318]

A prius sounds good now, but in a few years, hybrids will be gone, we will have full electric or other means. A hybrid is a fix in the short time. Bmw already has a diesel coming out that'll put a prius to shame with better mpg and lots more horsepower. Not to mention it doesnt look so terrible. Try to sell your hybrid in 5 years when they dont make em anymore or service em anymore...lol.

[handtop]

**** the prius, and **** the ******* dealerships.
***********.