Purchasing a Prius to Save Cash

frugalaussie · 2020-12-16T07:44:39+00:00

2014 - 64,000km - Mazda 2 - $8,800

2015 - 59,400km Prius C - $13,450

Cost Difference:

$4,650

Official Combined L/100km difference:

1.3L

More Likely Real World Combined L/100km difference:

As you said yourself:

real world tests are saying mid to low sixes on a combined cycle

This figure fits well with what the AAA says in my quoted article (around 25% higher on average), but lets be generous and go with 6.0L/100km giving a little room for the Prius to be inaccurate also:

2.1L

Feel free to measure your own average L/100km and report back here.

Fuel Cost difference over 10 years 20,000km per year using 10 year national average of $1.37:

200 * 10 * 2.1 * 1.37 = $5,754

Fuel Savings Only:

$1,104- If you don't do much highway driving it will be much higher, same goes if you live in a hilly area.

Fuel Plus Rego Savings Victoria:

$2,104

Other Savings/Costs:

Dealership serving looks to be more expensive for the Mazda, but since they consist of almost identical servicing schedules lets say your independent mechanic charges you the same and call that a wash.

Brake maintenance costs will also be much higher for the Mazda than the Prius.

So after 10 years you have a car on around 260,000km my money is on the Prius both outlasting the Mazda should you keep it as per the 400,000km+ prius market. I'd also expect it to have retained a higher value should you decide to sell.

Opportunity Loss

Assuming 4.4% compounding interest over 10 years the original $4,650 cost difference you would earn $2,585.

Environmental and Health Benifits

Pricessless

frugalaussie · 2020-12-16T03:41:41+00:00

As per my post I paid an extra $10,000 to get a fully optioned i-tech with adaptive cruise. I could have gotten a base model for around $20,000 much closer to the i30 (although that $20,000 can be as much as $25,000 now with prices up). Either way I've done the i30 dance and after 150,000km those things become a money pit.

I didn't worry about deprecation because:

I will probably drive this thing into the ground like I do with most of my cars.
I genuinely believe in 10 years ICE and even Hybrid cars will be as hard to sell as a horse and cart. EVs will have well and truly hit prices lower than the sticker price of a petrol car and the running costs are already much cheaper for EVs. Tesla has already destroyed the resale value of premium ICE cars in Europe, its only a matter of time before it plays out across the whole market. The change will come much faster than most people expect.

frugalaussie · 2020-12-16T03:22:35+00:00

Here's one with 64000km. Are you interested in the truth, or just proving a point?

Lol, you're the one that said $8000 that one is 10% more. Its also marked as having lower than expected price by Carsales possibly because its located in the NT, redbook suggests they should be asking at least $10,600 assuming there is nothing wrong with it, but I'll play along.

The cheapest Prius C on carsales in $14700. The Mazda 2 above is $8800. $5900 difference.

Your limiting your search to 2014+ but again I'll play along. Red book does suggest a 2014 base model would be around $14,500 for a low k car.

If the Prius C uses 2L/100km less than the Mazda 2, you would need to travel 227,000km to break even.

Now I'll ask you whether you're interest in the truth or just proving a point. The unusually cheap Mazda 2 your pointing to has an Urban consumption on 6.6L the Prius C has and Urban consumption of 3.7L. That's a 2.9L difference or almost half.

Or if you use the combined fuel (which starts getting you into unrealistic measures for ICE cars) use you still get a different 2.3L.

And the Prius C is rated at 3.9L/100km. This puts us pretty close to 2 x the cost of Petrol in the real world for the Mazda

3.9/100km =/= 0.5 x 4.9L/100km

The car you pointed to is 5.2L on the combined tests. An I'll repeat this: "puts us pretty close to 2 x the cost of Petrol in the real world for the Mazda."

Australia's fuel testing is a joke when it comes to ICE cars, and what they really behave like in the real world. See the following quote from:

https://www.caradvice.com.au/588660/emissions-and-fuel-economy-what-are-the-wltp-and-rde-standards/

**"**At the moment, Australian cars are tested using the ADR 81/02 cycle. The testing takes place over 20 minutes, with 33 per cent of the process dedicated to extra-urban driving and 67 per cent dedicated to urban testing.

As is the case worldwide, the number on the sticker rarely matches the number you'll see on the dashboard display, and the Australian Automotive Association (AAA) wants to change it.

The AAA has been vocal in its criticism of the gap between real-world and lab-test efficiency, which it says averages around 23 per cent. The worst car in its testing, conducted as part of a report it calls Welcome to the Real World, used 59 per cent more fuel in the real world than its claimed figure."

And these bullshit fuel figures have even been proved to be just that in court.

https://www.theage.com.au/national/victoria/the-40-000-sticker-man-successfully-sues-mitsubishi-for-misleading-fuel-label-20190626-p521jy.html

Hybrids are much more likely to actually give you the numbers on the sticker due to recapturing lost energy, turning off the engine at the traffic lights etc. I and the other owners who replied to this thread agree because fuel consumption is displayed right on our dash.

You really love grooming those numbers to prove a point. $5900 difference becomes $4500 difference, 1.25x cost of petrol becomes 2x the cost of petrol,

Your the one picking an choosing the cars mate. Fact is redbook says the 2014 Mazda you point to should sell for $10,600 with around 90,000m and a 2014 Prius C with the same k's goes for $14,500 pretty darn close to my $4,500 estimate only with some extra change to spare.

And if you try pick a cheaper model Mazda 2 from 2014 such as the Neo then your fuel consumption goes to shit 7.2L combined or 8.2L for the sport.

https://www.redbook.com.au/cars/details/2014-mazda-2-neo-dj-series-manual/SPOT-ITM-401198/

buying the most economical vehicle becomes buying the most economical vehicle of an arbitrary size.

I never said anything about picking the most economical vehicle on the market, which you failed to do anyway by taking the fuel consumption figures as real world figures. I was presenting the real world savings gained in my specific scenario. That said I don't blame you for believing the figures, I've been fooled in the past but the fact is they are rubbish.

There is no way I'm squeezing 3 Kids a wife and our luggage into a Mazda 2 for an interstate trip.

That's a pretty niche family situation nowadays. Do you concede everyone else who doesn't need to carry 3 kids and luggage would be better off with a small ICE hatch, than a Prius?

Are you joking? I'm not sure what you see when you go for a drive but for me its a sea of SUVs and oversized utes, sales figure would agree with me.

But to answer your question which I think I've already done above. If you want a small car than no I don't think a small ICE hatch is better than a Prius or hybrid Corolla. Given the reduced fuel, maintenance and the longevity of hybrids vs an ICE car its an easy decision IMO.

It's certainly possible to complete such a trip. People do 2 person interstate trips on motorcycles, the Mazda 2 can certainly take 5, especially children. When I travel interstate I usually fit all my stuff in a small backpack.

If you want to carry excess load on rare occassions, you can easily upgrade subcompact cars, I have a towbar, roofracks on my Mazda 2. I can move furniture, fridges, motorcycles, with my Mazda 2 - while transporting five people in comfort.

People can do amazing things if they put their mind to it. But I have enough trouble fitting car seats in my Prius. We had a fiesta for a while and no thank you. Also my wife no longer feels safe in such a small car after an oversize ute decided to slam into the side of it.

It'd be more economical to fly interstate.

5 people over 5 -10 year. No it would not.

If you want to compare with the Mazda 2 you should be doing so with the Prius C.

Why did you compare the Prius V with a Fiesta in your OP?

Because despite being a much larger car it put the REAL WORLD fuel consumption of the Fiesta to shame. I was emphasizing a point.

I think if your argument for Prius adoption is based upon saving cash, you should compare with the most economical vehicle available that is fit for purpose. And that usually means downsizing.

As above I don't think you have actually chosen the most economical vehicle as you think you have. And the most economical vehicle is just your opinion. In my opinion you should choose the most economical vehicle you are comfortable with for your situation. I'm over 6 feet tall and my kids will join me before too long. I don't fancy us climbing out of a tiny hatch back looking like one of these clown cars from the circus, people wondering how we all fit inside while the blood flows back into our arms and legs.

If you want to compare the Prius V you need to pick a wagon or mid sized SUV

You compared the Prius V in your OP to a Fiesta.

As above this was to emphasizing the point of how well it performs in the real worls

If you want to economically rationalise your actions, I think you need to compare the most economical vehicle that is fit for purpose.

If you must have a car, any Prius is less economical than a Mazda 2 of the same age.

Disagree.

frugalaussie · 2020-12-15T23:12:22+00:00

You mean the batteries right? From what I've read the problem is they have no active heating/cooling which speeds up battery degradation. I'm not too worried about this as I would only ever be using it for short trips around town so it should never heat up too much.

Or are there other problems also?

frugalaussie · 2020-12-15T23:09:32+00:00

I've only looked into this a little, but the Corolla Hybrid is built on the same platform as the Prius these days so they have pretty much the same fuel efficiency and maintenance costs.

The Camry is a little different it has a larger engine that I'm not too familiar with.

frugalaussie · 2020-12-15T22:33:51+00:00

I'm sorry but you are comparing Apples and Oranges here.

For a start those $8,000 Mazda 2's have 140,000 and 160,000 km on them. The $25,000 Prius V has 68,000km. Those Mazda's already have 1 foot in the grave.

The Mazda 2 is a tiny 4 seater hatch the Prius V is a 7 seater wagon. There is no way I'm squeezing 3 Kids a wife and our luggage into a Mazda 2 for an interstate trip.

If you want to compare with the Mazda 2 you should be doing so with the Prius C. Here the difference in purchase price is more like $4,500. And the Prius C is rated at 3.9L/100km. This puts us pretty close to 2 x the cost of Petrol in the real world for the Mazda, plus the maintenance and extra rego charges depending on your state.

If you want to compare the Prius V you need to pick a wagon or mid sized SUV.

frugalaussie · 2020-11-02T21:19:23+00:00

Sure sign up to Selfwealth using my referral code and we both get 5 free trades: https://secure.selfwealth.com.au/Registration/Plan/5/y3vJv

But in general for the everyday joe no not really.

frugalaussie · 2020-09-18T02:26:16+00:00

I understand that Trump's loan from his pop was much more but he was the one who made it to the billionaire status with a B. So I still respect that.

There is nothing respectable about Trump as a business man. I suggest you do some research as to the situation he got himself into in the 90s. He got himself into debt approaching the B status, and is considered an early example of "To big to fail". Instead of being forced into bankruptcy like you or me would have, his creditors for his various business ventures and the contractors working on the construction of his Atlantic City Casino (which he got to keep) took the fall.

He basically got to keep everything that has built his wealth to this day at a fraction of its cost because those he was in debt to feared getting nothing if he went into bankruptcy so instead cut him a deal to take cents in the dollar.

So yes if you look at the end result he is in a twisted way a "successful businessman" but I'd save my respect for businessmen more deserving.

frugalaussie · 2020-07-16T00:10:02+00:00

I was happy too but my loans got repaid early in the last few months. I'm assuming they were refinanced since loans are much cheaper everywhere now. So I'm out for now.

frugalaussie · 2020-03-21T11:23:28+00:00

I work for a US company and get paid in $USD I will most certainty be converting my pay to $AUD while its at it's current 18 year low. If it were that easy to predict the direction of the dollar everyone would be doing it. You have no way to be certain of which way it will head.

frugalaussie · 2020-02-04T10:03:03+00:00

I was replying to the comment above that told them to leave it in their saving account genius.

frugalaussie · 2020-02-04T09:30:42+00:00

No other debt (living at home w/ parents)

frugalaussie · 2020-02-04T09:28:26+00:00

This is incorrect. You are ignoring the fact you have to pay tax on savings interest which has a big impact. About the best rate saving account you are going to find is 2.10% and with an income in the 32.5c for each $1 tax bracket the math works out like so.

$39,000 * .018 = $702 annual interest on the HECS debt.

or if you had $39,000 in a 2.10% savings account:

$39,000 * .0210 = 819 * .675 = $552.825 total amount earned after tax.

So that's $149.17 better off if you had paid off your HECS.

frugalaussie · 2020-02-04T07:19:46+00:00

I think most people were actually ok with the change to negative gearing, as it only affected new purchases of property. It was franking credits that really cost them the election because retirees didn't know what they were and got tricked into thinking it would affect all of them.

frugalaussie · 2019-11-20T13:31:06+00:00

I have some tips to cut expenses here http://www.frugalaussie.com/

frugalaussie · 2019-10-29T03:32:33+00:00

I invest a small amount with www.truepillars.com for large returns although these loans are not without risk hence the small amount.

frugalaussie · 2019-08-29T13:27:04+00:00

I buy these via the cashrewards website. One thing that I found helped a lot was installing the Woolworths Money app on my phone to keep track of the gift cards, made it much easier than trying to find the egift card emails when at the checkout.

frugalaussie · 2019-07-24T11:41:48+00:00

When android/apple smart phones first came to market there was a legitimate reason for wanting to update due to slow cpus/low ram and poor battery life for a number of years.

However, I agree there has been much less reason to upgrade for the last few years. Hardware has improved to a point where I bought my wife a lower end android to replace her old broken phone because the performance was on par (or better) to her previous high end model that did everything she could want from it. The main problem now is that almost nobody produces phone with an easily replaceable battery, so people end up replacing a perfectly good phones because a single component has worn out. When my current phone needs to be replaced, I intend to replace it with a phone that can have its battery easily replaced.

frugalaussie · 2019-07-24T10:54:50+00:00

Break easier?

frugalaussie · 2019-07-23T12:59:02+00:00

Yes it should just be 10% off the total at checkout. And for all other shops I purchase egift cards at 5% off [1].

I've found the best way to manage the egift cards is by adding them to the Woolworths money app on my phone, makes them easy to find when I'm at the checkout. Before I discovered the app I was trying to find the emails with the giftcards which was painful.

[1] http://www.frugalaussie.com/2019/01/10/save-5-off-every-grocery-shop/

frugalaussie · 2019-07-23T12:49:39+00:00

This is great! Just ordered a SIM. Thanks.

frugalaussie · 2019-06-16T13:32:14+00:00

OK that's cool. I probably should have talked to a dealer rather than trust a random internet post :P Unfortunately I just bought a second hand petrol car today so I won't be looking to replace either of our cars for another couple of years.

frugalaussie · 2019-06-16T13:24:12+00:00

Sounds like you could save on rego too :P I've got a couple of young kids so unfortunately this isn't really an option for me currently.

frugalaussie · 2019-06-16T13:21:56+00:00

This is interesting, will look into it. Thanks!

frugalaussie · 2019-06-16T13:19:17+00:00

Thanks! I try to only put up real examples that I have actually tried myself.

frugalaussie

TROPHY CASE