Not a fan of the Prius. I don't know if they ever fixed the design, but when I tested one years ago, I could not see out the rear window. Other than that, it was a solid car, albeit a bit pricey. But I can't justify paying the premium for a hybrid when I can get a Civic that will get 40 MPG or a Mazda3 hatchback that will get about 36 MPG.

eliya wrote:So far it's a great car. Haven't figured out how to get 60-80 MPG on the highway (50 is more like it for me), though. The rear windshield is split, and that took some getting used to, but it doesn't actually affect visibility. It's just a bit odd at first, that's all. We have a backup camera, but it only works in reverse. Having a backup camera is pretty awesome.Congratulations. You have a third generation (2009-). I haven't driven one, so I am not familiar with any nuanced differences. Probably mostly the same car with efficiency improvements.The technique I am talking about is called hypermiling. The Prius takes up to 10 miles to get the battery full charged and everything to optimal temperature. You have probably noticed that gas mileage can take a big hit in winter. The battery doesn't charge as quickly when temperatures drop below 40 degrees. Hypermiling techniques may not yield impressive results this time of year. They will help, though.I use cruise control as often as possible. All around town. Even at 30 MPH and below. Consistent fuel flow helps to get the best gas mileage (obviously), and I feel like the car can deliver that better than my foot. So, cruise control on the highway. I find that short periods of acceleration above cruising speed allow the battery to charge quickly and gas mileage improves. Set cruise control. After a time, accelerate above that speed, and allow the vehicle to come back to cruising speed. You will notice the battery charge and current MPGs will improve. Your average may not show a difference, but it will help your current numbers. Resetting MPG at every gas refill (or sooner) helps to get a more clear idea of how these technique improve fuel consumption overall. The longer you let the average ticker run, the less current numbers will affect it. These cars love hills. The engine will shut off as the vehicle accelerates downward. You are riding for free at that point. The extra charge will more than make up for the hit you take on the incline. Accelerate slightly into the initial peak and don't hit the gas until you start to lose speed on the upwardincline. Your consumption will improve.I roll up to stops as often as possible. Anticipate them well ahead of time. As long as the wheels are moving, the battery is charging. If your foot is off then peddle, the engine will cut out (unless the battery is severely drained). Coast into that stop light or stop sign. Your consumption will improve.Prius' reclaim power during braking, using that power to charge the battery. At speeds above about 7 MPH, the Prius will use the engine to slow the car. I don't fully understand the mechanics, but this is when power is reclaimed. It is not through the actual brakes at the wheel. Emergency breaking will engage the pads, but mostly they are not used until the car is almost stopped. This is why brake pads can last 200k+ in these cars - they are hardly ever used. One less expense we need to worry about. There may be other techniques. These are the ones I use. They work well for me. Understanding how these cars operate differently than most conventional automobiles will help you develop your own habits to reduce fuel consumption.

I bought a 2014 Chevy Volt last week, through carvana.com. Everything was handled online and over the phone, until they delivered it to me on the back of a flatbed truck. https://www.carvana.com/search/20000415 ... -volt-baseIt was probably one of the easiest transactions I've ever done. I've had Amazon purchases that were more of a headache than this.I had looked at a couple cars at dealers in the area, but had a horrible experience when I was finally ready to purchase one, so that's when I started looking on carvana. It turns out that my brother had bought his car from them a couple years ago, and had some $500 referral discount codes to give out. I used that, which actually got me to a price that was below what I would have paid at a dealership for a similar vehicle.If you're within 100 miles of one of their branch offices, they'll deliver for free. I found that my parents' house was just inside the radius for their new Cleveland office, so I drove down there to pick it up. They'll also give you a $200 credit towards a airline ticket if you decide to do a fly-and-drive and pick it up at one of their main hubs.If anybody wants a $500 referral code, let me know. I've got a bunch to give out.

blackmarket wrote: a gas guzzler and top out at 36 or 40 miles per gallonHa ha ha

Redline wrote:blackmarket wrote: a gas guzzler and top out at 36 or 40 miles per gallonHa ha haNo shit. Despite the published "up to 30 city/40 highway mpg", my 2007 Civic barely gets over 30 mpg on the highway.

tmidgett wrote:He emailed me thusly:The car we ended up buying came from his dealership. Another dealer traded for it. Did not get it at invoice...was a grand under. Did not have to buy a dealership for two million dollars.The other side of this coin is the dealers that know exactly what you are doing and don't give a shit. They just want to move a car. The deal I got on my Wrangler was smoking, and they shipped the thing from 300 miles away to make it happen. The sales manager asked if I did Fighting Chance as I was signing the paperwork.On a barely related note, that hypermiling link claims low test fuel has more energy. That is wrong. A Prius in decent tune certainly has no need for high octane gas, but that energy crap, for either high or low octane gas, is bullshit. Pet peeve of mine.Somebody buy a Chevy SS. They are cheaper now. They are not cheap, but they are cheaper. Probably not the best thing to do with your money in 2017, but I dunno, fuck it.

What an asshole. Fuck that guy. Personally, I'm tired of baby men complaining about everything instead of adapting and improving, like a man. Fuck you.

For the last six years, we've been leasing (twice--two rounds of three-year leases on Hondas), and it can be way cheaper than buying, depending on the deal. This time out, we weren't seeing the kind of deals we had last time from Honda, and it turns out that Chevrolet is running some incentives (Cruze, Trax) for people currently leasing Japanese and Korean cars. We're talking like around $100/month--or even less--with tax (depending on the state) and title/registration fees, but no downpayment. So...that's compelling. If you're leasing or thinking about it, this site could be helpful: https://leasehackr.com(Yes, yes--hackr, ugh. But it's still helpful!)

Tommy wrote:If you hadn't gotten the car from them, I was going to recommend either posting that to their facebook page, or to your own and tagging the dealership.He didn't actually buy it from their dealership though (they just transferred it over to the dealer he did buy from), so he should still do this.