looking at buying a medium sized car (astra/golf etc) to take on most of the family driving.
looked at Kia Ceeds as we had a good experience with them because of the warranty, but wondered about a second hand prius ?

I see that Toyota warranty the battery unti 100,000 but for my budget most cars are around 50k miles and I don't want a useless car after 50k miles.

that said lots of taxis around us are prius and they wouldn't use them if they were hopeless would they?

am I mad? should I go eco with a prius or stick with a 4 year old ceed with 3 years warranty?

my budget is about 7-8 k tops

[Edited on 28/2/20 by swanny]

As nobody else has answered...
1. Plenty of Prius minicabs about, so must be tough mechanicals
2. I believe they have a CVT "gearbox" so may be "unusual" to drive?
3. I don't think they are anywhere as economical as figures suggest.

Best to drive one, and have a look at the honest john site for a proper review and owners comments etc etc

I'd ask the question - Why?

Prius is heavy, not particularly economical particularly on a run, expensive to insure & has loads of stuff no one understands or can work on themselves, you'd finish up at the main dealer for many repairs. Once the battery nears the end of it's life the car will be virtually worthless

If you're just looking for ordinary boring transport why not buy a Dacia Logan or Sandero - if you get the Laureate they are well equipped & either the 0.9 turbo or the 1.5dCi diesel are good engines, great economy & free or £20 tax bracket, plus cheap to insure & dirt cheap to buy - I owned one & certainly never regretted it

Or go for anything else from someone like Hyundai, Kia or Mitsubishi (ie something a bit less mainstream), you'll get far more for your money & far less hassle

It's interesting that as we head for the 'no diesel or petrol' era there is still a perceived issue around second hand hybrids or electric cars. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't buy one either, it's just they have a lot of ground to gain before the whole 'electric car' industry can move forward.

But I'm with the other two guys, I'd go for a regular diesel. And as said, the Prius isn't as economical as advertised, in the real world there's plenty of diesels that will do just as well without the finite life or maintenance costs.

I'd go for the Cee'd, they are nice cars. Don't forget the Hyundai i30 as well, almost the same car but just gives you a bit more variety when searching. I've been looking at an i40 for a similar budget as you and I've seen lots of really nice cars. You should find a spot on i30 or Cee'd for that money.

For me I would only entertain one if it was new and on lease and I could limit my liability for losses.
I just don’t see the technology being ready for the next generation let alone the last.

I was under the impression you don’t actually own the batteries in a lot of the newer Ev’s ?

I had one from new to 4 years old. Nothing went wrong with it, but unless you want a city car or like just having a lever for forwards and backwards they are pretty crap. The hybrid bit only makes a difference in city traffic. Everywhere else is a waste of time. Mine was an 08 and on the motorway they are pretty noisy. It's not a particular nice engine.

My current Mazda 6 petrol does about the same, or maybe 2 less mpg on average.

Stu

Thought I'd read somewhere that with many of the hybrids unless you have the required certificate/qualification your limited to what spare parts you can buy for them ?

Just my 2p but I don't think the technology is there just yet, so I'd be looking petrol engined...

As you liked Kia yo could put down a chunky deposit on a new cee'd on a pcp and save a bit of extra cash towards buying outright at end of agreement knowing you still have a decent warranty left at the end.

Scotty says...

I think he answers all your questions...



[Edited on 1/3/20 by Mr Whippy]

thanks all, thats made my mind up!

I thought about it a few times, I like the idea of running mostly electric, but I can't afford a new one and buying an un-servicable item isn't my idea of smart. Hybrid is a great idea if you mostly drive about town but need long range and short charge. It's not a stopgap to EVs as Scotty says (he drives me bonkers, but he's generally right) - hybrid has a very specific use case (as do diesel elec submarines).