The Plunge

For a little over a month, I have been contemplating purchasing a new car.  Not just any new car, but a base model Toyota Prius.  The Prius is rated to get an average of 50 mpg and I drive between 25-30k miles per year.  So compared to my economical Saturn Ion, I would save $1200-1500 per year on gas.  I could only imagine if I was using our Grand Cherokee on a daily basis.  My savings would almost double.

I have always been a car guy, in fact I have posted the ridiculous list of cars that I have owned and I am only 27.  I think 1 for every year at this point.  And I have always said that I would never buy a new car.  As soon as you drive that car off the lot you immediately lose value.  So how in the world did I convince myself to go against everything I have ever believed in and buy a new car?

Let's start with the Saturn first-

1. It would randomly not start.  Wait 10-15 minutes and then it would start.  You can search online and this is a common 'quirk' from these cars.  People have replaced batteries, starters, etc without any improvement.

2. It needed new tires.

3. It needed windshield wipers.

4. It had a bad strut or struts that needed to be replaced.

5. The mileage was 131k miles, plenty of life left, but with more issues.

The Prius-

1. No maintenance for 2 years or 25k miles.

2. Everything is already new.

3. I negotiated such an amazing deal that I couldn't have bought a used Prius for the same price.

The Prius is also a business expense because 95% of all driving I do is work related.  And I don't intend to sell or trade the car within a couple of years.  I will keep the car until it just won't go anymore or at least 150k miles.  In other words, I am definitely going to get my moneys worth.

I do like the look of the new Prius, but I wouldn't exactly say it is an amazing looking car.  I'm more of a Cadillac CTS guy if this was just about having a nice car.  But for me it really was a practical decision.  I finally got over driving a 'nice' car and thought about what I really need.  I need a car with amazing gas mileage that is dependable.  Yes, I could have gotten a cheaper car and picked from a dozen other options.  But now I have a great warranty, the highest mpg you can currently find in any car, and no maintenance for the next 25k miles.  Plus, with the business deductions the car will pay for itself.

Last night, I bought the Prius.  I went with silver because I happen to think that is the best color in the world.  150k miles later, I'm not sure what I will do.  But mark another notch on my experience belt.