This may seem odd, but we’ve narrowed our car choices down to a 2009 Prius and a 2008 Volvo S60 with under 8000 miles. Problem is we can’t decide. They obviously are very different cars, but similar in size.
We appreciate the Prius’ fuel efficiency, and we like the perceived safety of the Volvo.
We don’t like that the Volvo has frugal rear leg room, and we are simply a little too unsure of the Prius’s long-term performance.
We are a family that doesn’t replace cars often. We have a 1994 Ford Escort that runs fine and that we plan on keeping, and we have a 2004 Outback with 130,000 miles that we need to keep for at least another 5 years (until we pay off this new car).
We are getting a new car primarily because we have a newborn that we don’t want to put in the '94 Escort, and we need a second car.
Can we expect to get at least 10 years from a Prius? If so, what would that entail in terms of maintenance? We are little more confident we can get 10 years from a Volvo S60, but I hear the maintenance is also pretty expensive. The car would be used for our commute to work–110 miles round trip–that we do 1-3 times per week.
Any thoughts or opinions would be appreciated?
BTW, we’re staying away from another Subaru because we’ve continually had problems with the TPS, despite it having been replaced twice. And we don’t want a Honda, Nissan or Accord. We’d like something a bit different.
Thanks!
Edit:
“And we don’t want a Honda, Nissan or Toyota (other than a Prius). We’d like something a bit different.”
Volvo maintenance will cost you a lot more than the Prius. If you keep the Volvo 10 years; years 5 to 10 will be wildly expensive. Prius has been around now a long time, few problems in 10 years. Of the two you are considering go with Prius. Costs of maintenance and repairs much less with Prius, depreciation much less with Prius. Therefore costs of ownership much, much less with Prius. Not to mention using less gas.
If you want something different with about the same room for less money look at the Mazda 6.
The Prius battery pack has been shown to be good for 180k miles or more. Obviously some don’t last as long as others, like any other part of the car. Just think though, the Prius has won’t ever need a new timing belt, as it has a chain. So, when you get up over 150k miles at least, and need a new battery, you can buy one from a wrecked Prius for the same price as you would have put into a timing belt! Close anyways. It’s to bad you can’t hold out for a 2010 Prius, it’ll be a significant improvement, although the second generation is a great car. Get the Prius.
Determine which is your primary objective, low ownership costs or safety. If you choose the Prius, there may be some concerns about safety. I have heard from several sources that the Prius can ‘feel’ unsafe when traveling on the highway amongst large trucks. It is very light and owners have told me that they can feel body sway when large trucks rush past them. The same can be said for high wind gusts perpendcular to the Prius. One friend had traded in his Prius becuase of this very fact.
The S60 is a much heavier and safer car. The luxury points of the S60 are something to consider also as the the Prius has more plain appointments.
Looking up the S60 reveals that it has a turbo charged 5 cylinder engine in it. Not sure about long term reliability, but turbos can be expensive to replace on ANY vehicle.
Given the choice between the 2, personally I’d take neither
Edmunds lists the s60 as a compact car, but it looks midsize.
If you don’t want Honda, Nissan or Toyota, how about a Mazda or even a Ford?
Ford owns part of Volvo and a little bit of Mazda, so they pretty much have the same base line. A Fusion/Focus or 3/6 from either of those companies should fit the bill as well as the s60, and be cheaper to maintain than the Volvo and maybe even the Prius.
I am with bscar on this one. Give the Ford Fusion a look-see.
I’m With Bscar, too. Buy Something With American Heritage! I Always Have With No Regrets.
I’m assuming you have OBJECTIVELY decided that uniqueness, long life, reliability and operating cost are the deciding factors.
The Volvo, as mentioned, has a few strikes against it:
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The future of the company is TOTALLY UNCERTAIN. Ford will unload it but we have no idea whether it will become Indian, Chinese, or what! It might even be shut down.
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As pointed out, after about 5 yaers the Volvo will become wildly expensive to maintain and repair; the Prius will will be reliable and have averge repair and maintenance costs.
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Over 10 years and 15000 miles a year of driving the Volvo will consume 6818 gallons of gas, while the Prius will need only 3571, the difference of 3247 gallons at @2.50 per gallon (conservative est.) will be $8117! So, don’t listen to any scaremongering posts about the cost of a battery replacement on the Prius. The battery is about $2000, but it easily lasts 10 years. For the gas savings you can buy 4 batteries.
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The repair and maintenance extra for the Volvo over 10 years will be substantial as well, but I would estimate about $6000.
So you have a $14,117 extra outlay for the Volvo over a 10 year period, provided the company stays in business!!! We consider $0 resale value at the end of 10 years for both cars.
The above process is what every business uses to arrive at the Life Cycle Cost of owning and operating a piece of machinery.
The Prius has skinny tires to ensure the incredible mileage. I would replace the standard tires at the earliest opportunity with somthing with a slightly larger proifile and more grip.
I trust this gives you some hard data and facts to make your decison.
Good luck!
Wow. Thanks everyone for your insights and suggestions. We’re definitely leaning towards the Prius. We’ll revisit the Volvo when we need to replace our Subaru Outback in about 5 years (if the company still exists).
When comparing the Fusion, 6, Camry, Accord, etc., etc., they are all pretty identical in specifications and pricing. I guess the US market is what it is. 
Thanks again!
I’m also with bscar on this. There are many alternatives out there that have excellent safety records and that will likely have a much better repair record over 10 years (and will cost less initially to buy, especially right now).
I’ve driven Prii (plural) on a few occasions and while they are interesting, there are conventional cars that get mileage very close to a Prius that offer more room and cost a lot less. Producing Prius batteries is harmful to the environment but that is a different debate. People have also debated on this forum about how many years you need to drive a Prius before you have broken even on the extra cost vs. buying more $4 gas for a traditional car, and to me it’s not worth it. But in the end, I support you in making whatever choice you deem appropriate. Just don’t limit yourself top these 2 cars yet.
Yes, car lots are hurting for sales, and I’m almost certain one could buy a brand new Hummer for a song.
Though, if you’ve never given any of those cars you’ve mentioned a test drive, reconsider it. The Fusion, or it’s twins the (mercury)Milan, (lincoln)MKZ, and (mazda)6 offer different levels of sporty and luxury feelings to them.
Camry and Accord, well they’re Toyota and Honda so they’ll most likely feel ho-hum
I agree with CSA and think you should consider buying cars with “American Heritage”.
That’s why I consider first, cars that were manufactured under the guild lines of that great American, Dr. W Edwards Deming: The American Who Taught the Japanese About Quality.
Buy the Prius and support “American Heritage” instead of that of Mexico and Canada.
Just learned that the Cheery Car Company of China is negotiating with Ford to buy the Volvo division. Cheery has a lot to learn about quality and reliability, so would not likely be able to make any improvements in the Volvo for a while.