I have one with 110K miles on it and no issues every. I have fit such things as a 10 foot kayak and 10 foot lengths of lumber in it WITH THE HATCH DOWN and drive it all around town and into other states with nary a care.

I would go for the Plug-In Prius, or at least look into it.

GF has a Civic Hybrid, it's a nicer ride but less versatile because it's a sedan.

with one of these bad boys.


Christ almighty, I thought we were auditioning for the Grand Theft Auto version of "Top Gun"

70 in a 35, 85 in a 60.......People in line at the taco truck where we ate lunch scattered like cats as we slid sideways into the gravel parking lot and he exclaimed

"See???!! I TOLD you we'd be the first in line!"

I tell him you miss him too!

GREAT carnitas -

Good to see you still working at the driving school, too.

or harder, depending on how you look at it.

You can get the Forester w/o it hitting you too hard in the wallet for the extra $ you'll pay for gas. Still, that'll add up over the years. You can calculate that out.

and we like the elevated "greenness" of the Prius in using less gas.

we really didn't enjoy driving the Forester that much - considering it was 7 years newer than the one we own, we didn't think it advanced at all. The Prius was much more fun to drive (probably because it was novel).

We won't go wrong with either...and are in no rush to buy immediately.

thanks!

www.intellichoice.com

Even so, it rates the VALUE of the Prius as excellent, but the VALUE of the Forester as above avg. You pay several thousand more in, gas for the Forester, but more for repairs & maintenance. The Prius costs a couple thousand more up front, but the cost of ownership holds up better over time than the Forester.

Do you need the extra space the Forester has? Do you need the AWD? If not, there's no pressing reason to get the Forester. Unless you just love it, like I do. The Forester has the best driver position of any car on the road, IMO.

Do you need a loaner car when you get your car serviced? You won't get that with the Prius (or at least we don't get that here in Dallas).

Subarus are costly to repair.

As for me, I'm going to check out that larger Prius. I have an add'l problem, which is a tiny garage.

I ended up buying a Honda Fit. I get good gas mileage, a car that holds a ton of stuff, a zippy little urban commuter, a cute car, and it was inexpensive with a very high resale value. I had to buy a new car in a hurry, so I just got a Fit to keep for a couple of years. I only drive $6k-$8k a year, so I don't need a hybrid, altho I'd like one.

Iowned a Subie Forester for 14 years. Best, most reliable, most useful, most comfortable (for the driver) vehicle I ever owned.



I test drove the new Forester....I didn't like it as much as the old Forester. But still an awesome car that is unmatched for what it can be used for. The interior is not as nice as other cars. But you can't beat the AWD, the looks (but not as cool looking as old Foresters), the utility (large cargo with seats that fold down flat easily). I just love Foresters.

I test drove a couple of Prii. Meh. Nice. But sort of bland. Still, it has a cargo area. I think the seats folded down flat for cargo, but you had to pull seats forward or something? Maybe not.

I didn't buy either, though, because in both, you had to get leather seats to get the top model, and with the Forester you also had to get a moonroof. I won't buy leather seats. And I do NOT want a moonroof.

Bad thing about Subie in my area (Dallas) is there arent many dealerships here. The Toyota dealership closest to me was in an inconvenient location, plus I didn't like the people there.

The thing about a Prius is....if you drive a lot of miles, you'll save money buy getting the Prius. The Forester's gas mileage isn't very good. It's not bad, but it's not good. (check out Consumerreports.org for actual mileage as tested)

Subie: Better a/c than Prius. Prius has all that slanted glass, so it's harder to keep it cool and the sun off of you (I live in a hot area).

My heart says Subie. I just love 'em. But my practical brain says a Prius is the better deal over the long haul, if you don't need a Subie's AWD, extra cargo, utilitarian use, and such.

But that new large Prius was a beauty. I don't know how much they cost, but I would consider buying one of those, if not tooooo costly. It'd be more useful than the smaller Prius.


Subie: You get a loaner car when you get the car serviced. Toyota: No loaner car.

You said above you'll put 10K a year on it and that you intend to keep the car for it's useful lifespan, so it sounds like reliability and long term cost of ownership are major factors. What's the terrain? Do you need another vehicle with AWD? What are your needs for space for cargo, passengers, etc? Is it mostly for commuting or family trips? Do you need a vehicle of that size or with access to the Subie and the truck would you be better off with a smaller, more efficient third vehicle? It sounds like maybe you prefer two box models (ie wagons and hatchbacks) to three box models (sedans with separate trunks,) if that's the case it narrows your options somewhat, but they're popular these days so you'll have plenty of choices.

Once you've thought through those questions you should have a category of vehicles you're looking at, like economy hatchbacks or AWD wagons or something, and then you can narrow down models by their differences from there. Looking at two wildly disparate vehicles in totally different classes generally suggests (with some exceptions) that a buyer needs to spend more time thinking less about individual models and more about their own use and needs, which they can match up to models later on in the process.

move back to the States and look at the Buick Verano or the new Ford Focus. They beat most things from Asia lately and the gas money you would save with the Prius is negligable. For really, really small, Sonics and Fiestas are definitely worth a look

Bigger stuff? Chevy Equinox with the four or the latest Ford Escape.

Volkswagen Passat? Hyundai Sonata? Japan is kinda falling behind the pack in style, reliability, and performance in everyday cars.

Car was just too fussy - turbo blew, and once the rods blew - very costly.

Just beginning my research - these are good ideas.

you wouldn't think of another one.

We've had two and love them both. Union made in the USA, too!

I LOVE mine (1999, about to hit 200K any day now).

Fusion:



Chrysler 300:



Impala: