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First, the mileage. They don't get 55 unless you drive like a miser watches his purse. But they get considerably higher than any other car driven the same way. My spouse used to drive a minivan that was supposed to get 20 mpg, and she got 15 in it. That's because of where she works and the traffic patterns to get there. In the Prius, she gets about 39 mpg--horrible for a Prius, but great for any other car driven in the same way.
I get just over 50 mpg on the highway, which is where I drive it when I do. In town, I average around 48.
Second, the car. It is roomier than a small car, and feels more like a midsize car, like a Camry or Accord. The high ceiling makes it feel roomy. I took my parents, my five year old daughter, and a twelve year old niece from Mississippi to New York in it, and it wasn't bad. For a car that size, the mileage is usually much lower. You can get econo cars with mileage in the mid 30s for a lot less than a Prius, but they are much smaller.
The car drives well. It handles well. It accelerates better than the average economy car, and as well as some much larger cars. It feels quicker than a Mazda 626 I used to drive, and that was a six cylinder. It can cruise easily at highway speeds, and I've driven it above 80 for extended periods in west Texas, with no trouble. It is smooth on the highway, and doesn't drift, and doesn't get blown around like smaller cars.
the car itself feels solid. Parts don't break off, as in some cheaper cars. The seats are comfy. The stereo is garbage, but that's my only complaint.
Maintenance is light. So far, I've had to change the oil every five thousand miles (and the oil doesn't look dirty, so it could probably go longer), change the tires every 25,000 or so (rotate frequently, it does eat tires), and change the brake pads once (they seem to wear better than in other cars, possibly because the Prius is lighter).
Also, since the car is driven by the electric motor at least half the time, and more often at lower speeds, there is less wear on the gas engine. I've spoken to people who used them as courier cars, and put well over 200,000 miles on them in a couple of years, with no problems. There's an urban legend that the batteries fail quickly, or that they haven't been tested properly, but it's not true. Hybrids have been marketed in Asia for years longer than here, with no problems, and there are no reports of significant problems with the batteries here, either. There were some computer problems in the early 04 models, but those have been fixed. And I suspect repairs to the transmission would be costly, since it's very specialized. But I've had no problems with mine, and I've heard of no significant problems in general.
Driving it is fun. You can constantly monitor your mileage, so you tend to try to maximize mileage. It's like driving a video game, to get a high score.
My take on the car is even if it got comparable mileage to other mid-size cars, I'd consider it at its price because of the quality of the car. I wouldn't say I'd buy it, just consider it. But with the mileage bonus--50 mpg to say 28 or maybe 30 in a comparably sized car with as much pickup and speed--it's a great car.
As for getting a deal--I got mine off Ebay with 3000 miles on it, because there was a six month waiting list when I bought it. I got a good price. They can be found, with a little work. (Ebay, Autotrader, etc).
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