Toyota Prius

[magicheater]

Why don't you look at the other uses in addition to hauling the #400 of milk (2 adults) 3 times a week. 6 hours of time should not be the over riding deciding factor in a vehicle purchase. The Prius has a VERY LOW ground clearance, I witnessed one being serviced at a garage and they literally had to lift the body up manually to get to clear the lift arms. It was an older type lift but made me take notice. I like the diesel suggestions as you have more low end torque for loads.

 

[tractorsanmore]

Ford fiesta up to 40 mpg
ford focus up to 35 mpg

 

[dmccarty]

That would be awfully cute but the OP milks GOATS.

How do you paint car to look cute in goat colors? :laughing:
And if he had goat heads on his milk containers they would think he was a Satan Worshiper!



Later,
Dan

 

[Tig]

but we could sometimes be transporting 100 gallons of milk at a time, which would be over 800 lbs of weight in the back.

GVWR for a Prius is just over 800 lbs. This load would be too heavy for a Prius, especially if it is all in the rear of the vehicle. 400 lbs would be the max that I would consider as long as it wasn't sloshing around. I would expect handling and braking would both be poor with a large load in the back. I would not feel safe with any heavy load inside a vehicle unless it could be properly secured.

 

[Duffster]

GVWR for a Prius is just over 800 lbs. This load would be too heavy for a Prius, especially if it is all in the rear of the vehicle. 400 lbs would be the max that I would consider as long as it wasn't sloshing around. I would expect handling and braking would both be poor with a large load in the back. I would not feel safe with any heavy load inside a vehicle unless it could be properly secured.

I hope the GVWR is higher tham 800 lbs.

 

[Tig]

ooops, you are right Duffster. 800 and change is the load capacity that I found on line in the Prius forums. Even that seems high to me for such a small car.

 

[75granman]

I was almost killed when a prius rearended my JD2240.The woman was saved by her air bags,her car was destroyed! You want to haul milk in on of those things?Not a very good Idea,If you saw the pix of the wreck you'd think twice about loading a couple of milk missles behind you.Thats what trucks are for.IMO

 

[houstonscott]

I think you will find the Prius not much more that a average 4 cylinder car carrying a bunch of heavy batteries around. Like most small cars it's overloaded at 400lbs. So for what you want to do the Prius is a big NO. The tires are not even rated to do what you want. Two people some luggage and that's it for a Prius. And if you are driving in anything other than stop and go traffic over very short distances your mileage will be average. If you got to go small and I advise you don't I would recommend a Jetta TDi sportwagon. You will get better milage, have a longer lasting car without helping to destroy the Serengeti and that rolling toxic mess called batteries, and you might even have fun in a car that handles well.

HS

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

when you add up all the weight, it adds up to 1/2 ton...I think you'd be better set with a truck built for the job.

100 mile a day at 25 mpg = 4 gallons @3.25= $13.00
100 mile a day at 40 mpg = 2.5 gallons @3.25= $8.12

savings less than $5.day, ,,, safety factor in case of accident, incalculable

$5.00 x 30 days= $150 month savings,,,,,not hardly enough for a prius payment

Putting a bunch of miles on a vehicle which devalues your vehicle is your hidden cost factor. Buy something like a Ford Ranger, drive the wheels off of it and put new ones on it. Gas is not the only cost. Just easiest to point at.

 

[IslandTractor]

when you add up all the weight, it adds up to 1/2 ton...I think you'd be better set with a truck built for the job.

100 mile a day at 25 mpg = 4 gallons @3.25= $13.00
100 mile a day at 40 mpg = 2.5 gallons @3.25= $8.12

savings less than $5.day, ,,, safety factor in case of accident, incalculable

$5.00 x 30 days= $150 month savings,,,,,not hardly enough for a prius payment

Putting a bunch of miles on a vehicle which devalues your vehicle is your hidden cost factor. Buy something like a Ford Ranger, drive the wheels off of it and put new ones on it. Gas is not the only cost. Just easiest to point at.

Prius v Ranger is a false comparison. Ranger cannot seat four, doesn't have interior luggage space and the Prius obviously isn't a pickup. I am no fan of the Pious but to be fair, if you are arguing for a heavier safer car you'd be talking about a vehicle that weighed more and was probably more expensive. It would likely not get anywhere near the 50 mpg combined that the Pious does and would be lucky to get half of that. For someone driving 18,000 miles a year that means quite a bit of savings on fuel. Roughly $1350/yr at $3.75/gal. More if combined fuel economy of the comparator is less than 25mpg. Most safer cars are heavier and probably get more like 20mpg combined. A regular pickup crew cab gets more like 15-18 mpg combined so Pious savings would be closer to $2500 per year. Drive it for ten years and the Pious is free compared to owning a standard pickup.