Quote:
Originally Posted by DrBdan
If you are looking simply for saving money most stuff that I've read says that it's more economical to buy a compact car (Yaris, Civic, Mazda3 etc) than a Prius because it takes a long time for the money saved on gas to make up the extra cost of a Prius because those small cars are already pretty efficient. If you're leasing then the difference in price might be less (obviously since you're not buying the car) so it might be more worthwhile. I think that one thing people don't realize is that the Prius is actually a pretty big car. Closer to a Camry than to a Yaris or Corolla (in terms of Toyotas).
As far as driving a Prius (sorry I haven't driven the others) it drives well in city and medium speed traffic and is very smooth. It's fine on the highway but you won't be flying by anyone in the left lane. I didn't really like the sightlines in it as the back window is awkward and kinda small and the blind spots are in a different place than in most other small cars that I've driven. I think that probably just takes getting used to. My parents just bought one and my Dad loves it while my Mom is on the fence.
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That's the dilemna. We'll definitely lease the car, so the fuel savings vs extra cost of a hybrid is our concern. Our fuel savings might not even be realized if the car costs several thousand dollars more than lets say a mazda 3. With a hybrid we might only be saving a few hundred dollars a year, but our lease payment on a cheaper car might make it cheaper to drive the Mazda 3.
The Escape Hybrid looks like it will be the expensive way to get the car we want, but sadly we'll probably be getting a fucking seabring.