[BMVeh]

I need to get my dad an economical car since he drives a v8 almost 200 miles a day. So the two cars we have narrowed it down to are The Toyota Prius C and the Hyundai Elantra. Now, he does not need all the bells and whistles as this is ONLY a commuter car back and forth. We calculated that he drives 30,000 miles a year.

Couple thoughts we have kept in mind:



Starting at $20,000.
*Prius has much better gas mileage (53H/46c), Its called the C for city. Now what if hes doing 80 mph constantly on the highway? Will that still get him the same gas mileage? Body is a little smaller, what if the batteries go bad....they cost about $6000 to replace after the 6 year warranty i believe it is. Does the prius have the "get up and go" when trying to get on the highway?

Warranty
36/36,000Basic (mths/miles):
60/60,000Powertrain (mths/miles):
60/unlimitedCorrosion Perforation (mths/miles):
24/25,000Roadside Assistance (mths/miles):
24/25,000Maintenance (mths/miles):
36/36,000Accessories (mths/miles):
96/100,000Hybrid Electrical Components (mths/miles):

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Starting at $18,700
Elantra is a nice car as well. Bigger body, gas mileage is 38 highway,

Basic 5 year / 60,000 miles
Free Maintenance N/A
Drivetrain 10 year / 100,000 miles
Roadside 5 year / Unlimited miles
Rust 7 year / Unlimited miles

So is the extra money for the Hybrid worth it? Any experiences with these two cars? Any input is appreciated!

[Red Bread]

Why not get a Golf/Jetta TDI?

[BMVeh]

I looked up both those cars..Only one worth considering was the Jetta TDI, however, its $25,000 and only gets a little more than the Hyundai and i have have to add in the additional cost of Diesel.

[Red Bread]

True, but real world numbers support higher mileage numbers on the TDI cars than the two you've listed and resale, especially on high mileage TDI cars certainly favors them over a hybrid. However the 10 year warranty of the Hyundai is very beneficial provided it's not over their mileage limits.

I don't know why you'd consider the tiny Prius C but scoff at the Golf TDI, it's much more of a "real" car and has the advantage of having the next generation already revealed, so you could negotiate a great deal on one of the current generation now.

[BMVeh]

Originally Posted by Red Bread

True, but real world numbers support higher mileage numbers on the TDI cars than the two you've listed and resale, especially on high mileage TDI cars certainly favors them over a hybrid. However the 10 year warranty of the Hyundai is very beneficial provided it's not over their mileage limits.

I don't know why you'd consider the tiny Prius C but scoff at the Golf TDI, it's much more of a "real" car and has the advantage of having the next generation already revealed, so you could negotiate a great deal on one of the current generation now.

Im sure he will hit the mileage before he hits the 10 year mark.
Its not that I didnt look at it, its just that it starts at $25,400. and is a little more mileage over the Hyundai once again. But I completely agree with you view. If it was me,I would do the golf or Jetta, but this is pops that will be driving it.

[BMVeh]

And i see what your saying about the numebrs not being real world.. I agree on that as well, i would think the hybrid would get more and the diesel would sometimes get more than what they show correct?

[TMNT]

I currently own a 2011 Elantra that I bought new. As for gas mileage, these cars DO NOT get 29 miles in the city per gallon. It's more like 24 and I don't drive hard or fast at all. I do however average between 38-40mpg on the highway for long trips and I'm usually driving between 70-75mph.

Other than mileage, I really like the car. It has a ton of space for its size. Great back seats and a nice big trunk. I also got the navigation system and back up camera.

The ride is smooth and the interior is very nice for a car in this price range. Depreciation is almost non-existant too. I checked KBB and currently private party sales is around 16-17k with 20k miles on the odometer and I bought this car round $18.5k. Granted these cars are in much higher demand than when I got it.

It's cheap to insure and its cheap to maintain. My current dealer offers free oil changes if I get my standard maintenance done at the dealer. My 15k service was like $360 and I didn't spend squat before that.

I really like the 5 year bumper to bumper warranty too.

In short, I would definitely recommend this car for highway driving. But if you do a lot of city driving, the mileage leaves a lot to be desired vs other cars.

[Inspired]

Originally Posted by Red Bread

Why not get a Golf/Jetta TDI?

Why would the OP want something more expensive, yet gets less gas mileage than the Prius? Let's not forget how unreliable Volkswagon are.. 30k a year on a Volkswagon, that is asking for trouble.





I would get the Prius C. Way better gas mileage considering he drives 200 miles a day. that will quickly add up. In terms of reliability, Prius is ranked the best in the compact car category followed by Corolla and then Elantra.

[BMVeh]

Thank you so much for that... Yes it will be mainly all highway mileage and come city

[BMVeh]

Originally Posted by Inspired

Why would the OP want something more expensive, yet gets less gas mileage than the Prius? Let's not forget how unreliable Volkswagon are.. 30k a year on a Volkswagon, that is asking for trouble.





I would get the Prius C. Way better gas mileage considering he drives 200 miles a day. that will quickly add up. In terms of reliability, Prius is ranked the best in the compact car category followed by Corolla and then Elantra.

do you think this data if for the normal prius or the pricus c, or does that even matter?

[Meeni]

The prius is just average on highway. It really shine in city driving conditions. If you rack a lot of hway miles, you are better off with an economic petrol or even better with diesel.

Look at the Mazda3 skyactiv and the Jetta (TDI or not), and the Ford Focus, they are strong performers too.

[BMVeh]

Originally Posted by Meeni

The prius is just average on highway. It really shine in city driving conditions. If you rack a lot of hway miles, you are better off with an economic petrol or even better with diesel.

Look at the Mazda3 skyactiv and the Jetta (TDI or not), and the Ford Focus, they are strong performers too.

Going to look into those as well. Thats the exact thing.. Its C for City..So im wondering what kind of Mileage it would get going 80 mph constantly on highway

[kyleb350]

Originally Posted by Meeni

The prius is just average on highway. It really shine in city driving conditions. If you rack a lot of hway miles, you are better off with an economic petrol or even better with diesel.

Look at the Mazda3 skyactiv and the Jetta (TDI or not), and the Ford Focus, they are strong performers too.

With the SFE package, the Focus is rated at 40 mpg highway too.

[BMW F22]

How about a Corolla? It gets pretty damn good mileage and the lower cost would probably put you ahead in the long run. Aside from the Corolla I'd go with the Prius. I used to be a skeptic of the Prius until my brother bought one. It's pretty smooth, gets great mileage (400-500 miles on a 7.5 gallon tank!!), and is pretty advanced technologically speaking. It's pretty roomy for both passengers and cargo to boot.

[BMVeh]

so for hyundai its 21, 500. with all their bs included. said he discounted it 1200 and still negotiable. with 2.9% it comes to about 480 a month for 48 months. 1, 500 almost in interest

corolla coukd be considered however it gets about 32 vs 38 on the elantra but toyota offers 0% interest. a possible saving of about 1500....

decisions decisions

[BMVeh]

correction 34 vs 38 so not that much difference.

[jqsmooth]

When my Pathfinder died at 301K miles, I had to get a new daily. I was eyeing the Prius C among others. I wanted something cheap and efficient. Didn't need the bells and whistles as I have the M3 for fun. I drive as much as your dad for work. Here's the reason I chose the Prius C over others. Compared to conventional small cars, the gas mileage is better. Compared to Plug-Ins, the range is better. Even compared to the regular Prius, it's cheaper and gets better mpg. It all depends on how you drive as you can hypermile any Prius.

I've driven over 15,000 miles in the past 6 months. I get >50 mpg in good weather, >40 mpg colder weather(below 40F). Had some bad weather in NJ/NY area, and it's not too bad even without the winter tires.

It's roomy enough to carry most things. Can seat 4, and enough trunk space.

I'm saving lots on gas and it's basically paying for itself. I financed it. $22,500 OTD(class II with weather mats only).

Downside:

Going uphill is a challenge. Feels like a golf cart with windows all around. Breaks take getting used to. I've gotten a speeding ticket with it(it's not invisible). Can get up to +80 mph on the highway. People tailgate a lot, I just yield. I keep up when I'm on a one lane highway, but when there's two lanes, I go maximum 10 over PSL in the right lane.

All in all, I'm glad I got this car. I was really worried about the winter, but so far so good. If and when Mini Diesel crosses the pond, I may have to reconsider. 70mpg and fun to drive. Wow!

[BMVeh]

Originally Posted by jqsmooth

When my Pathfinder died at 301K miles, I had to get a new daily. I was eyeing the Prius C among others. I wanted something cheap and efficient. Didn't need the bells and whistles as I have the M3 for fun. I drive as much as your dad for work. Here's the reason I chose the Prius C over others. Compared to conventional small cars, the gas mileage is better. Compared to Plug-Ins, the range is better. Even compared to the regular Prius, it's cheaper and gets better mpg. It all depends on how you drive as you can hypermile any Prius.

I've driven over 15,000 miles in the past 6 months. I get >50 mpg in good weather, >40 mpg colder weather(below 40F). Had some bad weather in NJ/NY area, and it's not too bad even without the winter tires.

It's roomy enough to carry most things. Can seat 4, and enough trunk space.

I'm saving lots on gas and it's basically paying for itself. I financed it. $22,500 OTD(class II with weather mats only).

Downside:

Going uphill is a challenge. Feels like a golf cart with windows all around. Breaks take getting used to. I've gotten a speeding ticket with it(it's not invisible). Can get up to +80 mph on the highway. People tailgate a lot, I just yield. I keep up when I'm on a one lane highway, but when there's two lanes, I go maximum 10 over PSL in the right lane.

All in all, I'm glad I got this car. I was really worried about the winter, but so far so good. If and when Mini Diesel crosses the pond, I may have to reconsider. 70mpg and fun to drive. Wow!

what speeds do u travel? he does 75 to 80 alot

[jqsmooth]

Originally Posted by BMVeh

what speeds do u travel? he does 75 to 80 alot

I'm mostly going between 60 and 70 mph. The car actually changed how i drive. I used to drive faster but no more. I've driven briskly for a whole tank in the cold weather, still got more than 40 mph. It's exceeding my expectations.

[bimmerjph]

I say Hyundai. If your dad was doing city driving I might say go Prius, but I Hybrids don't have much benefit on the highway.

[BMVeh]

thanks for the replying. looking at carollas as well.
Any other opinions? pulling a trigger tomorrow probably. just don't know which one lol

[hellrotm]

Don't let you dad be one of d-bags on the road driving a Prius C.