Quote:
Originally Posted by Timgt5
Hate to burst your bubble on the last statement, but that is not quite true. While the Prius has very low emissions at the talepipe and gets great gas mileage, one has to also look at how it is made.
The electric motor draws power from a nickel hydride battery, which comes from a large strip mine in Canada, then shipped on a diesel powered boat to Japan, where the Prius is actually built. Then the Priuii have to be shipped from Japan to America all of that involves a lot of carbon from boats. Lastly when the battery expires it has to be disposed of somewhere, and nickel hydride is a rather toxic substance.
The Prius does not make a lot of sense from a value perspective either. In terms of real world transactions. The Hyundai Accent for example is about six thousand dollars cheaper and gets nearly 40MPG. Factoring in the upfront costs, you would have to drive a Prius nearly a decade to make up for the difference with gas savings, plus if you own the Prius long enough the battery pack will have to be replaced, at an additional cost of 2000 dollars or so, not to mention the extra maintenance costs along the way for hybrid specific components.
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The Prius is extremely low-maintenance because it is mechanically simpler than a regular car. The hybrid system and battery is covered by a bulletproof 8 year / 100,000 mile warranty. It's surprisingly roomy for its size.
It's not a performance car, it's geared towards fuel economy and practicality. As long as that's what you need (i.e. you are not looking for a sporty car to burn rubber), it's a good car to consider.
Those who think the Prius costs a lot of money to maintain obviously knows nothing about the Prius. Ditto those who think all that matters is recouping the cost in gas savings.
The Prius costs LESS to maintain than a regular car because:
-no oil change for 10,000 miles.
- Its Power Split Device transmission has just one planetary gearset, no gear-shifting wear-and-tear. No clutch, no hot-running torque converter, no CVT belts. This simplicity means it is very durable and very low-maintenance. How the PSD transmission works:
http://www.eahart.com/prius/psd
- The Prius uses electric regenerative braking (i.e. converts the car's forward momentum into storable electricity), which saves brake pad wear tremendously. The Prius brake pads do not need to be changed until well after 100,000 miles. (Not a typo.)
- The Prius has no timing belt, no alternator, no starter solenoid or motor to wear out and need replacement.
- Since the Prius gasoline engine isn't running all the time the car is in operation, it experiences less heat stress, consequently its coolant does not need changing until after 8 years. (again, not a typo).
All these low-maintenance technologies means I don't have to take the car in for servicing as often as a regular car, which is why I am NEVER going back to a regular car.
ignorance is bliss. I'll have this car 10 years Plus because it will last....