OK, so thinking of trading my Acura TL for a Prius

Thinking of getting a miser-mobile as well.
But would like it to have a little life.
Considering a Mini Cooper S.
30 mpg with a smile on.

 

If your main goal is cost savings, as it seems to be, why not just get a non-hybrid Civic? You could save several thousand dollars over a Prius and get a similar-sized car and relatively similar gas mileage.

 

Not to mention a slightly better looking car. If you HAVE to have a hybrid, look at a Camry. My cousin gets over 600 miles per tank.

 

My dad did this when he realized taking the passat 70 miles each way to work everyday wasn't cost effective and has regretted it ever since. The main issue is the transmission, he and I are both more than competent stick drivers but nobody riding in the passenger seat has ever felt good after a long ride. The main reason is how awful the transmission is regardless of how competent you are you will be lurching back and forth for the entire ride; it really ruins an otherwise pretty decent ride. And I feel like in the stop go traffic of the city this problem would only be ampliphied. This of course wouldn't be an issue if you got an automatic but just pointing that out.

 

+1

My neighbour has a Prius. I have a turbo Mini S.

One's like driving a microwave. The other's a go-kart.

Milage is better in the Prius and there is more trunk space but you might as well at least make your commute fun!

 

Remix- alot of us are in similar situations including me. I have a 25 mile commute, and on top of that go out of my way for family issues and the gym 3 times a week which makes me do almost 400 miles a week. I go through gas pretty fast and my daily is a honda accord.

I suggest look into a 2000 maybe even newer, yes its used, but alot better than a civic ( i agree about driving one) , and more pleasing than a prius. Youll still get up to 30mpg. Parts are cheap, easy to be found , and with tinted windows, a $250 sound system, you are set. Nobody pays attention, you can park anywhere. I like the fact I dont have a sporty fun car as my daily, its easier to commute in IMHO without getting all into performance or driving experience.
Maybe a hybrid accord or camry if youre up to it...

 

The Civic was just an example of a vehicle in that class that costs significantly less than the Prius but gets similar mileage. No offense to you, but it seems like you want to maintain an 'image' rather than save all the money you possibly can.

 

there are plenty of cars that can average +30mpg these days. Which makes me wonder why you feel the need to drive a electric death trap. If you get in a serious accident and the capacitor doesnt blow you could be zap'd with well over 1000 volts.

As a first responder, I can tell you that there are not many people who know what to do when they arrive at the scene of an accident with a hybrid car. The problem is that models come out faster then anyone can keep track of. I attended a safety class at a toyota on there hybrids and can tell you that they are safer then anyone else out there (especially ford). But even they mess up, there have been a ton of recalls on the original prius and the time that it takes for the capacitor to blow on it is far slower then the second gen prius. This makes me wonder why they put a product out which is not safe.
If you look at the toyota's with the big push buttons with the green light. That stupid little light is the best idicator that the industry has managed to come up with. Sad!

+1 on the Mini's

 

Prius...cool car...$20,000.
Any other small compact $15,000.

You are going to have to drive a lot to save $5000 in gas cost alone...

Does image matter, being in commercial realestate? Up here, it does. If you save 100$ in gas but lose a $40,000 commission...

Perhaps you could go retro-cool. Like a Kharman Ghia, or a VW rabbit. The old, first gen CRX diesels got 45 miles to the gallon...

I say buy a big mercedes, prefferably something that gets 12mpg... If anyone comments, just reply "I make so much money for myself and my clients, that frankly, mileage just doesn't matter..."

I was going to get a plate for the testarossa that read "8 MPG," but figured I would piss someone off...like a cop...

 

Lotus Elise.. Don't they get around 30mpg?

I would vote for the Civic over the Prius as well. Throw in a grand or two of suspension upgrades and you will have a car that is actually kind of fun to drive.

 

Get a Jetta TDI, you'll get better fuel economy... and slower moving prices on cetane.... and longer life of the engine. The tiny "ice" in the prius is gassed quite lean, and a very high CR of 13:1... stories abound about those engines going out. Battery life is low, and the cost of the clout vs. the supposed savings on fuel just don't match up.... not even close.

Anything but a hybrid, and if a hybrid is your only choice, scruff the Toyota marque IMHO.

 

I would have suggested a Jetta TDI, but with the gap between gasoline and diesel I'm not so sure anymore.

If you don't need much interior space, I'd say a C5 Z06 would make a decent choice. You can get nearly 30 mpg and put a smile on your face every time you fire it up.

 

When I was doing my taxes the other day I noticed you can get a tax break for a hybrid car. I'm not sure how much, but I'd find that out and add (or rather subtract) that into your calculations.

I work here at FOX in LA and we actually get several thousands of dollars from the company if we buy a hybrid/natural gas (eco friendly) car. Although I get great gas mileage for my MR2 Turbo (22/30) I've been thinking about a Prius as well. Supreme is averaging $4/gal and it's only to go higher this summer. Considering my MR2 is paid for I wouldn't be saving any money for a time but, I just HATE giving my cash to the oil companies.

 

You saw that I said C5 Z, right? Those can be had in the $20's all day long.

I agree that they're probably not what you're looking for in a daily driver, but they're pretty attractive for many reasons (not the least of which is getting ~ 30 mph).

 

After reading about the required goodies, I was going to suggest that a C6 might be more up your alley. I'm sure that it's still a stretch to meet your needs, but it would be fun.

Last time I checked, rates were pretty favorable on Vettes (look at the demographic).

 

Not sure about the mini's coming with sat radio but you could always get a navi that has bluetooth. I would like to see what kinda mpg the prius gets with the A/C on CITY.

 

Isn't life funny...I was considering getting a 2009 Acura TL with SH-AWD or Evolution X to save gas over my current 12mpg e60 M5...so 20mpg sound great to me! If you want better mileage and can live with a FWD car, check out the Mugen Honda Civic...it is a great looking car that gets 30mpg...

 

Bluetooth is an option on the Mini and is available under the convenience package. Bluetooth would also be a deal breaker for me. Navigation, OTOH, is not. I commute 35K miles a year - I haven't got lost once. If I needed NAV, a portable would work fine.

Bluetooth may one day be available on GM products - right now, No, they want you to use ONSTAR - for a fee of course. No Vette or Caddy CTS then.

 

How bout a Ford Escape Highbred?