PriusOnline.com

WHY do they always seem to ask that question about hybrids??? They dont ask that about other cars......... Actually, I've never in my life gone to a car lot and said "HMmmmm, very nice truck there, but will it ever pay for itself?"

No vehicle (except maybe now our Pruii) has EVER paid for itself, and I really dont think I know anyone who has ever purchased one for that reason. Sorry, I just dont know why they even did that study, but thats just IMHO....

sorry for double post..... user error

My company reimburses me $.44 per mile. So on a 500 mile trip in a week, I spend about $30.00 on gas and get over $200.00 in mileage reimbursement. The "extra" $170.00 goes in the bank, collecting interest, until I need it for mods, and repairs or replacement parts/labor. So far, even with all of the mods I have done, I am way ahead. I paid cash for the car.

I am no econ major, but from my limited knowledge point of view, it has been a good buy...but what do I know!

If you paid cash, then your method of calculation is valid.

When people talk about paying for itself, they are referring to the extra cost of the hybrid drivetrain.

I was mulling over my calculation of 32 cents/mile (not including insurance and subsequent registration fees), and hadn't considered that I bought a totally new car rather than a used economy car like I normally do. Even the 88 Honda Accord I bought used in 92 was at an economy car price (took over my boss's lease purchase option).

For the Prius, I think the statement "you paid extra for the hybrid technology" is bogus. I'm sure there is extra cost involved for the extra equipment. The problem I have with the "staters" of the above is there is no way they could prove it. You can't buy a non-hybrid Prius to compare it to.

Lets see:
Interior space - about the same as regular Camry (about the same cost).
Luggage space - about the same as regular Camry (about the same cost).
What exactly are they "comparing" it to?
The Prius gets much better mileage than the Camry (if that is what we use for comparison). I would estimate operating costs to be about the same over long periods (allowing for the extra cost of a new "traction battery" - if they ever do start failing). Over the short term (3-5 years) the costs for the Prius would be lower.

I think it's time to start stomping on these quoters of unproven statements!

Most of the posts here.I too have been asked by quite a few people the question as to whether my Prius will save me money over a comparable cheaper car.(A "NEW" Chevy suburban owner exclaimed) I said I used to drive a 2001 SAAB 9/5 I drove it like my Prius and was very lucky to get an annual ave mpg of 26.7! And would run it w/out AC. It was also not a tow vehicle it just basically could move 5 people comfortably. The so called comparable vehicles dont have climate control and they are downright uncomfortable.In the Prius I dont feel like my butt is dragging and frankly I see NO difference in comfort,the SAAB was peppyer but needed Primium fuel ! With regular the car would drop mpgs down into the 25 mpg range. So in conclusion the car is great at the pump because what NO-ONE takes into account is the phsycological hit most people take at the pump! Its funny how Mr Suburban that tows something once in a while,has to pay 30 dollars for each 150 miles he travels.Every 3 days someone has to pay 30 bucks has to bum them out over time! I figure if I go 200 miles thats about 10 dollars and thats over a weeks driving! I realize thats probably only 62 dollars a month saving comp to the Saab with premium at 3.20 a gal. at 12000 mi. a year.But it shure is nice to be paying half or better at the pump.BTW if it wernt for the warranty the saab would have cost a fortune in repairs.Turbo smoked,D/I cassette,Display,V rated tires $$$ that didnt last. at the end the car would vibrate at 40 mph.And get this,talk about depreciation? the car was 6 months old when I bought it for just 24K$(At a SAAB dealership!) the original customer paid over 38K$! Honestly I personally believe the Prius is a better car all around.

Ed

The region that covers Colorado has had to do exactly that to give "official" numbers to the state for calculating their state hybrid vehicle income tax credit, which is a credit of some % of the added cost of adding the hybrid system (incremental price difference).

For a Classic, I know that they were using some option package of a Corolla as the comparison. (The cost of the Prius and the comparison vehicle changes each model year...) I don't know if the Toyota certification letter is using a different vehicle now.

I know a few people in WV that has a similar state tax credit have just used the CO published numbers...

http://www.revenue.state.co.us/fyi/html/income09.html