[Pebble Beach]

I know thats kind of a strange question. Expecting delivery on my new Prius in a week or so. My normal drive to work is like 30 miles each way.

I really like the Prius, and am not just getting it for gas mileage.

Anyway, I just found out my job is moving and I will need to take the train to work now. I live like a mile from the train station so thats pretty much all the driving I would do during the week. I am busy on the weekends so would be putting on miles then.

Was wondering if anyone had a similar situation. On the one hand I was thinking of cancelling my order since I would be driving such a short distance, but on the other hand am thinking that I do need a new car and who knows maybe in a year we will move to a different office or I would get a new job. I don't want to necessarily make a decision based on the immediate relocation. And my putting on such few miles I would definitely be saving on wear and tear and my insurance would be lower.

Appreciate any and all feedback.

 

[mrv]

Try and figure out how many miles you'll be putting on the car. If it's less than 7500 miles, you should be in for a discount with your auto insurance company. Also, here in MA, if you can show 11 months of commuter passes, you get an additional public transportation deduction on your auto insurance for that year.

For a while, my husband was commuting into Boston on the commuter rail, which at the time was about 1.5 miles from our apartment. We tried to work it such that I'd drop him off (in my Prius) at the train station in the morning and pick him up at night on my way to/from work. His car (lower MPG, higher emissions) would usually stay at home, except on days when one of us knew that we'd have an odd schedule (he had to stay late, or I'd have to go shopping on the way home, etc.). Later, when I was laid off from my job, when I could I'd drive him to the station, or if I had errands or an interview that day, he'd take my Prius to the station, and I'd have his car...

 

[RSnyder]

It sounds like you're trying to decide if you should buy a car at all at this point. If you're current car is in reasonably good shape and you don't need a new car to impress someone, I'd say put it off and save the payments toward a new car when you need one. If you can reduce or eliminate the amount you have to finance, you save a lot of money. If you're paying more on average to keep your current car repaired than the payments on a new one, then it's time to replace it.

Unless you're in a dangerous area, try walking to the station whenever the weather's not too yucky. The one mile commute is going to be really rough on any car with a gas engine as it doesn't warm up enough to boil the water out of the exhaust system and it tends to wear out the oil quickly.

If you think you'll be in your current location for a year or more, there should be a lot less of a wait for a new Prius by then, so you shouldn't worry so much about not being able to get one when the need does suddenly arise.

Well that's my practical advise, anyway. Certainly if you had your heart set on your new Prius (having already made it almost through the big wait), it will be great as a weekend car and the short commute won't hurt it any more than any other car. But it won't get the big gas savings that it gets with longer commutes.

Good luck with your decision.

 

[T. S. Kimball]

Yes, I drive my Prius for short distances as part of work. It's a requirement.

I support our Sun systems at night (3rd shift), and over two sites (which are about 15 minutes drive from each other). Problem is if there is a problem at the site other than the one near home, I would need to walk back home and then drive the car. This is not good near the end of my shift when response time is critical.

So I 'stage' my car near the site I'm working at so the response time is cut in half. Yes that means my Prius is getting worse MPG overall but in the long run I'm still doing MUCH better than the previous car (an older Corolla). With my Prius now 'officially' broken in at 11K+ miles its not that bad of a hit either, even in short distances in this last winter here in Hoboken.

--TSK

 

[Pebble Beach]

Thanks for the responses everyone. One thing I was off about was the drive to the train station. Its like 3.5 miles, so walking isn't really an option.

My car is old, alot of miles, but in good condition. Have maintained it very well. What makes the decision tough is the car comes in a week and my job doesnt move for two months. And there is an outside chance now that another work location might be available (which would mean driving). So the decision just got tougher.

Think I am just going to go ahead and buy. I would hate to defer and then find out in two months I could have gotten after all. My family and I do take alot of day trips during the spring and summer so am sure I will get good use out of it on the weekends.