A 2017 car was probably not a personal lease. Most personal leases are 36 months and some 24. Check the car fax. These appear to be former rental cars. That may or may not matter to you. I have purchased them.
Even at 54/50mpg rated, it’s still a good sight better than most other cars.
Is there an incentive for hybrids for tax credits? If so, I’d say go for the brand new one and you might get a better deal than the used ones
No more incentives for a Prius hybrid, not sure about the plug-in version.
And yes, 50 mpg is great, but some other compacts will get 35 mpg highway, which makes the premium price for the hybrid harder to pay off.
For 15,000 miles/year and $3.00/gallon, that equals $385/year in saving for the hybrid.
You might be thinking about normal sedans with hybrid engine options- like the Camry which has about $4k starting price difference between regular and hybrid($23k vs $27k). The normal Camry is rated 29/41 with the hybrid rated for 51/53. At that price difference, I might agree with you. But then again, the options that come standard in the hybrid models might make up for a bit of the cost, too.
However, a Prius has no other options, it is strictly hybrid. It starts out at $23k, which is just a tad more than a Ford Fusion and Mazda 6, and about the same as a Chevy Cruze. So I’m not quite certain where you are getting the Prius has some kind of premium cost over other sedans
Cost of Hybrids aren’t what they use to be. 10 years ago - in order to get a hybrid version of your vehicle you had to buy the premium trim level at a $10k+ difference. Today - many companies are now offering a hybrid on most trim levels at only a $2k difference. I wish that was the case when I bought my 14 Highlander. I couldn’t justify the $12k cost difference. But I drive enough each year with a ratio of 50/50 highway/rural driving to justify $2k difference (which it is now). And I also keep my vehicles a long time so I would have easily made up the difference (and then some).
You might look at other compact cars of the non-hybrid variety. The Kia Rio, Toyota Yaris, Honda Fit, Nissan Versa, Chevy Spark,Ford Fiesta, and Mitsubishi Mirage all come to mind. I may have missed a few.
I bought a Mirage as it was one of the cheapest cars and high mileage. I could also get a manual transmissions which is getting to be harder and harder to find. You might not want a car this basic but I like it. Those who have had them several years have really not had any problems besides the routine maintenance and so far mine has been the same.
Read the reviews and take some test drives. I really like the Kia Rio for what it costs and what it has to offer. You will get 39 or 40 mpg out of this.
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The Corolla gets about 35 mph highway, has a bit more interior room than the Prius, and is less expensive. A Prius one is about $24k, a Corolla LE is about $20k, so $4k difference. At $400/year, that’s a 10 year payout.
Look, I have a hybrid, it’s nice to only fill up every 500+ miles and 35 mpg or better, city driving. But it probably didn’t pay out yet, 5 years in.
A used Hyundai or Kia might be close to half the price of the Prius which would really make up for a lot of gas and also less complicated when it comes to repairs.
look around - a year and a half ago we got a 2016 Camry with 12,500 miles on it for about $17k. It gets over 40 on the highway and is a much nicer car to drive than the Prius.
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The price difference accounts for the mileage difference, but I would consider other things, especially the condition of the interior, amount of rust, and if they have the same features and all parts (often used cars are missing a few items).
Thanks for all the responses. I test drove the car and decided there were too many factors that I didn’t feel like dealing with - exterior damage and taking it to a mechanic. So, I opted for a 2018 Prius C. It’s a bit smaller, but I’ve been getting 48 - 60 mpg, even with my stop and go highway miles. I am extremely happy with it.
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Hard to find anything as problem-free and reliable as a new Toyota! Thanks for getting back with your news. Happy driving!
I really think you made the right choice. New vehicle with full warranty and probably did not spend a lot more than the used ones you were looking at.
Thanks for letting us know the final outcome. I was assisting a friend buying a new car awhile ago, and we looked at all the new Toyotas before they decided on a Corolla. I agree, the Prius C seems like a pretty good car. I’d definitely consider it were I looking for a new model.