I have been trying to save up for early 1998 Toyota Prius Hybrid?

Question

I have been wanting to buy an early 1998 Toyota Prius Hybrid...

Especially as I want to use it to see Australia so I want a fuel efficent car.

I have been told the earlier ones will give me grief in the future maybe with the batteries.

I also think maybe I could add more batteries and maybe even try to convert it to run off mains grid electricity.

I know it is one of first models but it is all i can afford and I have seen them going for 9500 AU now so if it treated me well it would be worth it, but I am worried it may end up being more of a lemon than other cars.

Please note I cant afford a better hybrid at the moment....

(I am still in uni)

So my main question really is should I just go with a very fuel efficent car (have my eye on a duel fuel Subura brumby ute that I have read are nearly comparable to Hybrids and are excellent for Aussie conditions), a diesel sedan (could make my own biodiesel) or a very early hybrid (hybrids are just plain awesome)>?

Answer 1

I'd get a diesel.  There's some older models that get mileage not much lower than hybrids, they won't cost nearly as much to buy, diesels can be very reliable engines and yes they can be converted to run on vegetable oil.

Answer 2

The BMW 3 series is going green

It is diesel and is supposed to get several more miles to the gallon than the Prius. Go to www.puregreencars.com and go to the article about the BMW 3 series going green. It will be on the market in September.

Answer 3

Don't feel you have to get a hybrid to be responsible- the battery issues were mostly hype and most automotive sources suggest they will last the life of the car... but still those batteries have to be produced and disposed of.

If you simply buy a small car (or a scooter/small motorcycle) and keep it in good condition, you will be doing far more than most people.

Answer 4

The dual fuel brumby sounds interesting petrol / LPG ? This should prove to be quite stingy on the juice. (Low on co2 emissions)  Added bonus it is a ute and 4wd. Both good features for touring Australia.

I have only rough figures on LPG but it looks about 20% less co2 /km than petrol. (Figures calculated from a carbon footprint site).

This could also prove a good vehicle to do a hybrid /battery electric conversion. Plenty of room under the tray for batteries. Maybe throw on a generator for the longer trips.

The Prius has a good reputation so I wouldn't be too concerned about reliability. If the batteries do give you grief you can still get around with just the petrol motor. It would be a good excuse to get the lithium ion upgrade. (expense)

Some Prius listed here for sale (and two wrecks parts maybe)

http://www.drive.com.au/seo/used/results...

Other things to factor in

Prius four seats (squashy five)  Brumby two. Prius gets better economy around town than on the highway. The petrol motor runs continuously at highway speeds.

Article in current RACQ (Queensland's RACV). States fire authorities will confiscate home bio diesel equipment. Very time consuming anyway. The older diesel sedans aren't that economical in comparison to the new ones. Gemini diesel (1980s) was around 7.2 L/100km

Petrol emits 2.32 kg co2/Litre

Diesel emits 2.66 kg co2/Litre

Summary.

The brumby is probably going to give more options later on and leave more dollars in your pocket now. (Important to a Uni Student). Will almost match an early prius for co2 emissions.

The Prius will really shine in heavy Melbourne traffic.  Quite good on highway. More Technologically appealing to a renewable energy student.

Either car a good choice. Your money you decide

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P.s. Found some info on LPG It emits 1.6kg co2/ litre. You will use more litres /km. The 20% improvement

http://www.greenhouse.gov.au/fuelguide/e...

They have petrol at 2.4 and diesel at 2.7 (close enough for me)

You can still go Prius as you can see above you should be able to get you fingers on spare batteries if needed.There should be a plug in kit for it in a few years time.

http://spectrum.ieee.org/jan07/4824

The ultimate environmental machine is the bicycle virtually no co2 emissions. (my choice as often as possible)