2k1Toaster said:
We have a C as well. It is basically the Gen-2 Prius shrunk down in Gen-3 years with a different smaller battery. It is VERY small though considering how gigantic the Prius is.
I haven't quite ruled out the regular Prius since that would be my wife's and my preference. But I have a hard time finding a used Prius for as low as a used Prius C. And I don't want a 150,000 mile car for $10,000 that I have no idea how it's been treated and maintained. I've been down that road too many times to want to try that again. And if a 3 to 5 year old Prius costs some $15,000 to $20,000, I might as well as get a new Prime with the federal and state tax credits of $4,500 and $5,000 respectively.
I guess I could still try to shoot for a Prime or similar. But I don't think that would make the most financial sense. I guess I could make the excuse that I need a better car for driving as much as 30,000 miles per year so need the better car. But still, I would have to go accross the whole country to find a cheaper Prime. Even the "hail damaged sale" Primes in Colorado are all more than $30,000. That means I'd have $12,000 down payment, then take out a $23,000 loan to get the car and pay about $4,000 to $5,000 in taxes and fees, get $9,500 some time next year so I can pay less than half the loan off, and still have some $14,000 to pay off just to get the car of my dreams. For some reason the numbers just don't seem to crunch unless I could go to Virginia or Washington to get a Prime. And that would save me some $3,000 to $4,000 is all.