Prius anyone?

W

want to retire

Guest
New car time for my daughter. I think it will be a Prius. My main interest is mpg(real world) and reliability. It will be a hybrid, level 2.....nothing real fancy. Anyone?
 

rod

Retired 22 years
Whats with all this giving a new car to the kids bs? Dosen't anyone have to work for their first car anymore? Driving past the local High School nowdays is like driving by a new car dealership.
 
W

want to retire

Guest
Whats with all this giving a new car to the kids bs? Dosen't anyone have to work for their first car anymore? Driving past the local High School nowdays is like driving by a new car dealership.



Well her 2002 Blazer gets about 16 mpg. 180,000 miles, falling apart. She will be driving 80 miles round trip(per day) to school.....5 days a week. The car will pay for itself(kinda) in fuel savings. I could get her another used pile but we already have 2 of those and mpg is king(right now). I want her to focus on school and get finished with the best grades she can get. With all the cutbacks at public schools(she's going to be a teacher) she will be competing for a job. She will also have to learn fluent Spanish during this time.....she's gonna be busy........Since we work such long hours(and you know too well).....I don't have the time to worry about reliability......yes, things cost money.......in the end-her living at home will translate into alot less college debt....and she'll have a car that will take her into career. I believe in the "Why make things harder than they have to be?"......my parents bought my first car and I believe I know how to appreciate earning a living........
 

Nimnim

The Nim
Whats with all this giving a new car to the kids bs? Dosen't anyone have to work for their first car anymore? Driving past the local High School nowdays is like driving by a new car dealership.

I agree on the new car thing. My parents got both me an my sister a 12 year old car at the time to share. It was practically a giveaway from a friend of theirs. I probably put more money into that car then they had, and my sister has never gotten her license so it was pretty much mine.

Though we went to a high school in a "rich" area and seeing a car there that was over 2 years old was fairly uncommon. Kids need to learn a few things about driving and an older car helps more than you know. Heck after I graduated I had a friend who had their license but had no clue how to change a tire and insisted I drive under 6 miles to their place when I got a flat once. They stood there dumbfounded while I put the spare tire on.
 
W

want to retire

Guest
Have you thought about a nice used car?


I have. As a mechanic also-what are you getting? It is a gamble....maintenance.....was it reemed at 9,000 rpm? My experience has been that used cars don't seem to be much of a bargain(there are exceptions) price wise(for alot of different reasons).
 

Nimnim

The Nim
Oh to be more on topic, I've got a friend with a Prius. Real nice car and the mileage is great. I've also had the privilege to drive a new Focus once. I don't have the numbers on mileage but they're both nice rides and surely better on mileage than the 94 Volvo wagon I currently drive.
 

ajblakejr

Age quod agis
Well her 2002 Blazer gets about 16 mpg. 180,000 miles, falling apart. She will be driving 80 miles round trip(per day) to school.....5 days a week. The car will pay for itself(kinda) in fuel savings. I could get her another used pile but we already have 2 of those and mpg is king(right now). I want her to focus on school and get finished with the best grades she can get. With all the cutbacks at public schools(she's going to be a teacher) she will be competing for a job. She will also have to learn fluent Spanish during this time.....she's gonna be busy........Since we work such long hours(and you know too well).....I don't have the time to worry about reliability......yes, things cost money.......in the end-her living at home will translate into alot less college debt....and she'll have a car that will take her into career. I believe in the "Why make things harder than they have to be?"......my parents bought my first car and I believe I know how to appreciate earning a living........

Just a thought...
All the window time takes away from study time.

A new car is an investment...

How about a real investment?
Buy a condo nearby her college and reduce the drive and increase the study.
Rates are good and she may need her Master's to compete in the teacher market.

Just a thought.
 

UpstateNYUPSer(Ret)

Well-Known Member
On a side note if you insist upon paying for her college and buying her a new car you may have to change your user name to Never Going To Retire.

When my daughter started college my ex and I split her first year 50/50. We then did 1/3's for the remaining 3 years. She ended up with about $20K in student loan debt. I also leased a Chevy Cobalt for her ($133/month) which she drove through college and after graduation. When my son started college we did the same deal. He chose to party rather than go to class and was asked not to return for his sophomore year. He went to our local community college, graduated, transferred to our local 4 year school and will graduate in December, all on his dime. His mother bought him a used car both for school and for work (pizza dude). He will also have about $20K in student loan debt upon graduation.
 
W

want to retire

Guest
Have you considered other cars?
What brought you to Prius?

Have you considered a used Camry Hybrid?


She(we) considered a Honda Civic and the Prius. When she was a bit younger, everyone had a Focus and she talked alot about that. We spent alot of time at the Toyota dealership Sat. and I gathered that they'll deal with just about any other Toyota except the Prius. That 50 mpg is like a magnet. OK. Example: you can get 0% financing on a Camry all day....not a Prius. Any "hybrid" is expensive......hell any car is expensive! A civic is about $5K less but gets about 20 mpg less. I really loath the oil companies and would rather put the money in the car vs. out the tailpipe. My daughter really like the Prius and has been on cloud nine.....I'm proud of her turnaround in grades and looks to be really growing up(this is important)(she dropped the serious boyfriend)(thank God). I guess maybe, I'm trying to show her hard efforts lead to good things. My experience with use cars is that in the end, they can be right there in price with new.....somebody's gonna pay the depreciation, mark up etc.
 
W

want to retire

Guest
Just a thought...
All the window time takes away from study time.

A new car is an investment...

How about a real investment?
Buy a condo nearby her college and reduce the drive and increase the study.
Rates are good and she may need her Master's to compete in the teacher market.

Just a thought.

We have. You are right. Although I actually think a car(transportation) is an expense. I've talked at length about Master's, buying a house nearby etc. I have a wife and the Daughter....formidable foes.
 
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