Cheap Reliable High MPG commuter car

[Falloutboy]

Just took a new position that going to require about a 120 mile a day commute. Been thinking about getting into an older car that I can just pay cash for (under 7kish) My brother has been pushing me toards a VW TDI as a good option, but there only worth getting in a stick from what he says. I was eyeing a new prius for a while, but decided I don't want another new car payment. how reliable are these hybrids? see a few mid 2000s in my area with 100kish miles for 6-8k range.

any other ideas?

 

[Fenixgoon]

prius.

i hope that job is 120 miles a day is worth it. i sure as hell wouldn't do it, but if you can, props to you

 

[Falloutboy]

yeah not thrilled about the commute, but just bought a house a few months before finding out my current job is being eliminated because we lost the bid for the account to another company, so was ethier commute 90 miles a day for basically a demotion, or take a job that is a nice step up in pay and title. I did the the latter.

should I be nervous about buying say a 2005 prius with 125k miles on it? i'm not afraid of mainence, but also if there are common expensive problems thats a deal breaker

 

[Franz316]

There are Prius taxis out there with over 300k on the original battery. There are a lot of folks over at Priuschat which also have 100+ on their cars. That isn't to say there haven't been battery failures. Everyone recommends taking a used Prius to a Toyota dealer to have it inspected(few hundred $$). They will be able to tell you the battery condition.

Also, 120mi a day - yikes.

 

[SyndromeOCZ]

If your doing mostly highway driving then I would just get a small gas powered vehicle. Some of them can get over 30mpg if you drive decently. I've gotten 33mpg out of a toyota matrix while i had it fairly loaded with tools, and I don't really drive all that nicely.

 

[kitatech]

I agree with Syndrome...
Hybrid highway miles are not going to save you as much as local driving...a conventional engine should get you 35-40 MPG @ 60-70 mph

 

[2timer]

Just took a new position that going to require about a 120 mile a day commute. Been thinking about getting into an older car that I can just pay cash for (under 7kish) My brother has been pushing me toards a VW TDI as a good option, but there only worth getting in a stick from what he says. I was eyeing a new prius for a while, but decided I don't want another new car payment. how reliable are these hybrids? see a few mid 2000s in my area with 100kish miles for 6-8k range.

any other ideas?

I'm sure your brother would love you to get a TDI, then he could borrow it for joyrides and never have to worry about the responsibility!

Given the 120 mile commute I also like the idea of a Prius. Some TDIs are notorious for high maintenance costs, which would definitely offset the value factor somewhat.

 

[Doppel]

I can't believe really that people are still complaining about hybrid batteries. I had to admonish a neighbor on this just two days ago. It's not just that they aren't a problem now, they literally never have been a problem in the Prius, and 2-3 million of the cars have been sold. Car has been around for about 13 years and yet this myth just won't die. Prius battery life being short was never a real thing, ever.

An old car like a 2005 Prius with 125k can have problems as any car of that age can, but the battery is very low on the list, as are the rest of the hybrid components.

If I had to do a brutal commute like this I would get a Prius. It is absolutely the best car for this.

VW quality is inferior to Toyota and there are not many TDIs around in any case, so selection will be a problem, plus the Prius will spank the shit out of it (and talk down to it as it does this) in the city. Plus uses cheaper 87 grade instead of diesel.

 

[WilliamM2]

120 miles a day in a Prius? I'd rather get something a bit more comfortable if I were going to spend that much time in a car, like a Camry. Easily get 34-35 a gallon on the highway.

 

[thedarkwolf]

bah I love my 04 vw jetta wagon tdi
If you buy the right one that has had all it's maintenance done then they aren't a problem. The manual trans cars get better mileage and the 4 speed auto is shit but the 04+ cars come with a good 5 speed auto. I'd much rather have a manual but mine is an automatic. I got it for such a good deal I couldn't pass it up. The real problem with the TDI cars is they hold their value insanely well which sucks when buying one. The beetles go for pretty cheap compared to the others around here I assume because nobody wants to drive a beetle. My around town mileage isn't anything great but out on the highway I pull down 40mpg + or - and in a much nicer to drive car than a prius .

 

[NutBucket]

120 miles a day in a Prius? I'd rather get something a bit more comfortable if I were going to spend that much time in a car, like a Camry. Easily get 34-35 a gallon on the highway.

This. A Camry is definitely more comfortable and quieter.

 

[punjabiplaya]

Well we have to know if the commute is going to be in traffic or not. If it is, then a hybrid is great for the stop-go.

 

[EagleKeeper]

1) Type of commute.
2) You are sitting in that seat for 2 - 3 hours. Better be comfortable, quality seat and leg room.
3) if possible, locate a place that will let you test drive vehicles for that distance to see how it feels/handles.

Also look at a reliable throw away. $3K for two years of use.

Putting that mileage on any vehicle is going to kill resale value.

 

[rancherlee]

Non Hybrid GASSER IMO. Being 120 miles a day I'm going to assume you have more highway driving than city driving and a hybrid isn't going to get noticeably better mileage under those conditions. Older TDI cars are going to have higher maintenance costs that probably won't offset the fuel savings over a Gasser, especially now that Diesel runs quite a bit higher that Gas. I've been very happy with my Midsize Fusion and mostly highway driving @ 70mph I tend to get 32-37mpg hand calculated out of the 2.5L and have a comfy car to boot. My sister's 1st gen Prius JUST hit the "break even" on fuel saving but she now needs a new battery pack $$$$ at 170,000 miles. She also ONLY gets the same highway mileage as her old late 90's Corolla got which was in the 38-42mph range, of course the Prius is significantly better in town but she is looking to trade the Prius for a new Corolla or Focus.

 

[superccs]

CRX.

 

[Dr. Detroit]

Avoid the 1st gen Prius Sedan -

2nd Gen Hatchbacks are fine.

How much is a comparable gas powered car compared to the premium you will pay on a Prius. Figure 44mpg on the Prius and determine how much gas that premium can buy.

$2000 buys a whole lot of gas!

Protege
Corolla
Civic
Prism

 

[Falloutboy]

Avoid the 1st gen Prius Sedan -

2nd Gen Hatchbacks are fine.

How much is a comparable gas powered car compared to the premium you will pay on a Prius. Figure 44mpg on the Prius and determine how much gas that premium can buy.

$2000 buys a whole lot of gas!

I see what your saying about the 2k gas. so did a bit of research on that angle

here is the swing on gas cost though in my situation.

3 years 90k miles (30k a year) $4 dollars a gallon
28mpg what I get in my fusion right now 12857 (this fusion will be my wifes car now, her car is OLD and she needs something more reliable, now that I can't give her a ride when her car is having issues)
45mpg $8000(I'm guessing i'll be closer to 50, its 55miles of 55mph country roads, so perfect milage situation)

so swing on gas costs over 3 years is 4857.

So lets look at getting a car around a 2008
so comparing 2 cars that fit the same size/function other than the hybrid side of things
2008 Prius 75k miles retail 14250
2008 Matrix 75k miles retail 11675

so 3 years Car Cost + Milage (assuming simlar milage to my fusion on matrix)
Prius 22250
Matrix 24532
Difference 2282 over 3 years

Lets look at new which is something i'm looking as well
Prius C II 20500
Elantra GT (simler size comparable) 19000
Difference over 3 years
Prius 28500
Elantra (figuring on 30mpg) 31000
difference 2500 over 3 years

I think the resale is another angle to look at as well, from looking at used prius they hold there value extremly well, and as gas gets more expensive that should increase.

Ideally what I would love to do is CNG, but right now there isn't a in route fill station going to work, and the home fill stations right now are too expensive and unreliable to make the return on investment any better than a prius from my math.

Also if I do get 50mpg, which I think is doable considering my commute thats an additional 800 dollars.