Well, it would help to know how big the gas tank is on your current car, but
putting all of that aside, probably the best way to judge it is to know the
mileage you get from a gallon in your current car and compare that to the
mileage you might expect on the same journey from a Prius.  As I live in the
UK and I don't know where you live I'm unlikely to be able to help much
here, but I do know that; -

(a) the UK gallon is equal to about 1.2 US gallons, and I also know that

(b) the average mpg I get in my Prius from a UK gallon is about 52, so a US
citizen would get about 52/1.2 = 43mpg.  I also know that

(c) the Prius tank holds 11.9 US gallons, so the math suggests a US citizen
will get 11.9 x 43 = 512 (approx) miles per tankful.

(d) If you do 200 miles a week - regardless of where you live - you will be
filling up, on average, every 12 commuting days (2 weeks 3 days?).

Now for the "buts".

But it depends on how you drive.  The Prius performs most economically at
around 45 -55mph (from experience), so if you stick to these speeds you
could increase the mpg by as much as 6 - 8 US mpg.  If you have a heavy gas
pedal foot you will probably reduce your 43  US mpg to something closer to
37.

But it also depends on how cold if gets where you live.  The Prius is a lot
more economical (by about 5 US mpg) in Summer than Winter in UK conditions.
If you live in a cold part of the World this could adversely affect your gas
mileage.

There's loads of other factors that could affect gas mileage in the Prius,
like tyre pressures, etc., but overall I would guess that you would cut your
gas costs in half (or more) if you bought the Prius (and you would be doing
your bit to save the planet).

Go get one!

Regards

Chas
(two and a half years a Prius owner and I still love it!)

How big is your gas tank?  Is that commute mileage one way to work, or
is it the round trip?  When you say "5 or 6 days", are you including
weekends or not?

For planning purposes, assume you'll go about 400 miles between fillups.

It depends upon how you approach commuting. I commute 10 miles with the
earlier NHW11 and have gotten 52.3 MPG over 50,000 miles. This also
includes my highway driving. But the range of mileage varies so it is
hard to say how you will do.

So let's take the GreenHybrid.com database median or a 2004+ Prius: 47
MPG

11 gallons * 47 MPG -> 517 miles per tank (11 gallons is feasable)

517 miles / (2*40) -> 6.46 days, roughly a week of commuting

@$3.50/gal -> $38.50 per week

Now you can get better than 47 MPG and many folks do:

http://www.greenhybrid.com/compare/mileage/toyota-priushsd.html

It really has to do with whether you are willing to learn what works
with the Prius and then drive efficiently.

Now there is one other alternative and I hesitate to recommend it:

http://www.cleanmpg.com/

But you need to know all of your options. I understand that since the
summer of 2007 they finally decided that tailgating trucks is not an
approved technique. Because of that one change, I don't feel so bad
about pointing you to them. The rest of their techniques are something
you'll have to evaluate on your own.

BTW, given that your commute is 40 miles, I'd like to suggest you also
look at the Camry hybrid. It doesn't get quite as good mileage but it is
a comfortable ride. There is merit in having a little more room and
comfort in a commute.

GOOD LUCK!
Bob Wilson

In article
<3843d841-dc10-41a0-90de-75456b3a4d34@b64g2000hsa.googlegroups.com>,

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Here is the data on my '05:

 58,058.2 total miles on 1,168.748 total gallons of gas.

That's 49.68 MPG.  (I'm a spreadsheet freak!)

No problems -- I change the oil and rotate tires, etc. every 5,000
miles.  I have made a dozen or so trips from San Francisco to Los
Angeles -- one long trip from San Francisco to Breckenridge CO
(including the high passes -- Monarch at 11,000 feet)  five or six trips
over Donner Summit -- 7,000 feet and Tioga Pass -- 10,000 feet in the
Sierra.

I installed new tires (Michelin Harmony) at about 35,000 miles.

No problems.

Good luck!

earle
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