Owned cars but this is my first financed vehicle after totaling my dear ol 96 honda accord
Iām looking to get a car with excellent mpgās and something that is safe and reliableā¦
Iām down to a 2009 used prius(was a formerly leased car and a certified Toyota) with 63k miles but really good shape cosmetically and drives well or a brand new 2012 Hyundai accent rated at 30/40hwy.
Iām jonesing for a hybrid but dad thinks I should get a new car with a good warranty! Not to mention they are pretty much the same price.
I would go with a new Accent, it has a 10 year power train warranty and gets excellent gas mileage. Repairs will be modestly priced as well, and the car has proved itself quite reliable. The Prius has a little more interior space. I have rented an Accent twice when on holidays and found it to be a good highway car as well.
The Prius is a good hybrid, but will cost a lot more to keep on the road than the Accent.
The hybrid is best when you do much more stop and go driving and very little highway driving. If you live and drive in a city the hybrid might be best. Overall Iād lean toward the new Accent.
How about the Elantra? Also gets 40 mpg on the highway and is a little bigger than the Accent. Just won some car of the year award. Yes, it costs a little more but isnāt quite so small.
Skip the Prius and test drive a new Elantra, Focus, Corolla, and Civic. They are about the same size as the 1996 Accord. The Accent may be a good choice too, but it is a bit smaller. If you like the Accent after driving it, drive the smaller Honda Fit as well.
Keep in mind that all of the above are good choicesājust go with the one you like best.
You can count this as another vote for a NEW carāwhether it is an Accent or another modelāin view of the superior warranty coverage that you will get. Additionally, the new car wonāt need to have brake pad replacements for a few years, will not need to have the cooling system serviced for several years, and in general will not need repairs for an extended period of timeāas compared to that used Prius.
Between these two choices, I would go with the Accent for a few reasons. One, itās a brand new car, so you will know how well it was cared for from day one. Two, although itās not a hybrid, it gets great gas mileage with no complex hybrid system. That brings me to my third point. The Accent is so simple that anybody can work on one, and parts tend to be much cheaper than on the Prius. Even excluding the hybrid system (which has proven to be quite reliable, by the way), the Prius is loaded with other high-tech and very expensive gadgetry that can go bad.
Does a Hyundai dealer near you have any new 2011 Accents on the lot? They are heavily discounting them; the 2012 Accents are near MSRP. Have you looked at any of the pricing services on line, like Edmunds.com or NADAguides.com? You can find out what the car you are looking at sells for in your zip code. Iāve used Edmunds for new cars for years and find their pricing information to be excellent. Hyundai does not have any rebates at this time. Kia, a division of Hyundai, offers a $500 rebate on the Rio and it also gets 40 MPG on the highway.
How many miles do you drive and what percentage city, what percentage highway? FYI, Fueleconomy.gov indicates youād save about $500 in fuel costs per year at current fuel prices if you drive 15K miles a year (55% city, 45% highway). Edmunds.com indicates a 2009 Prius has a slightly better TCO (true cost to own) than a 2012 Accent (35,500 vs. 37,980). Still, I agree with the other posters, the security of a a warranty and a brand new car are hard to beat.
Like others, I say no to the Prius, unless you want to make a āgreenā statement. There are many choices in the small size category. Agree with others, take your time and test drive and bargain on 2011 models.
