[MIKEYMIKE]

I'm in the market for a new car and I’m seriously considering a Toyota Prius Hybrid. It’s about $30k. I might be able to swing getting a slightly used one for about $25k.

I'm not sure if the numbers add up and it’s worth it to get from an economical stand point. I'm a student with limited funds so it’s got to make sense on my wallet.

From an environmental and political stand point it makes a lot of sense. By reducing emissions that contribute to global warming (I heard cars are responsible for about half of the excess pollution and factories big business the other half).
Politically it makes sense because by reducing our dependence on foreign oil our policy won't get us in as much trouble over there. The current war in Iraq is the most obvious example.

I spend about 50 dollars a week on gas and I drive an average of 1,000 miles per month. Gas in Los Angeles is on average $3.00 a gallon. The majority of my driving is city and I get about 16 mpg with my current car.

The Prius hybrid is supposed to average 50 city and 60 highway. Let us assume I get the advertised 50 mpg city. If I drive 1000 miles a month how much of a savings in gas can I expect?

On a side note, I have heard it is rumored that you can modify the Prius to get more MPG. By adding extra batteries and even solar panels you can get more juice from the electric. However, I don’t know how much more it would cost. It also makes me wonder if its only a few thousand more, guess two thousand…why wouldn’t Toyota implement this into their vehicles rather than leave it up to the aftermarket?

Maybe I would be better off just getting a regular fuel efficient car like a Honda Civic or Accord?