Is a smart car or a prius a better choice for a gas friendly car?

Question

I am getting a car pretty soon and have narrowed it down to these choices. I want something that is gas and eco friendly. Also i suck at driving huge cars.

Answer 1

The smart car is a smart choice only if you're in Europe.  In the USA, it comes equipped with an engine that gets poor mileage for its size and it requires PREMIUM fuel too!  For reasons best known to the manufacturer, it has a different engine in Europe (and a diesel version is available there too) and it gets much better mileage than in the USA.

Dear "Engineer": Time to go back to school.  How many misstatements did you make?  Let me see...

1) Takes 5 years to recover price difference between Corolla and Prius.  Did you bother to compare the standard equipment levels between the two cars?  No?  Gee, I'm not surprised.

2) Prius needs new battery after 5 to 7 years.  And your source for that bit of misinformation is...?

3) Prius with a dead battery is worth zero.  Please direct me to those cars that are priced at zero.  I'll buy each and every one that you can find, and I'll be generous: I'll give you $1,000 for each one (presuming the only problem is a dead battery, of course).

4) Most Prius junked at 7 years.  And your source for that bit of misinformation is...?

5) Takes as much energy to build a car as it does to drive it 100,000 miles.  Even if that's true (you didn't provide a source for that, and I'm not providing one to refute it) most Toyotas are on the road for far longer than 100,000 miles.

So, which junior college did you get your Engineering degree at?

Answer 2

prius gets better mpg than smart and is quicker. the smart is so slow its dangerous for short highway on ramps. and its so tiny youll die if you crash

Answer 3

Smart car is a lot of fun to drive, its very nimble but it only seats 2 people, not a lot of luggage space. The Prius is probably more practical if you only have one car. Ah, to heck with practical, I would go with the smart car.

Answer 4

A bicycle is best :)

Answer 5

I would get a Prius. They are bigger, get better gas mileage, seat more people, and will fare better in a crash than a Smart Car.

If you don't want to go the hybrid route, a Corolla, Civic, or Sentra would get just slightly less gas mileage than a Smart Car.

Answer 6

I suggest neither. The Smart car is as expensive as a Toyota Corolla but has a lot less room in it and is not as safe. Plus, when it needs repairs, you will be charged for these at Mercedes-Benz prices.

As for a Prius, you do not recover the cost premium, compared to a Corolla unless you keep it for at least 5 years. And bear in mind that depending where you live, the Prius will need a new battery, costing about $3,000 installed after 5 to 7 years. And a used Prius with a dead battery has no value at all. Zero.

Also remember that since most Prius models will be junked at 7 years of age and that it takes as much energy to make a car as it takes to drive it over 100,000 miles, that the Prius represents no new improvement to the environment.

The Corolla or even a Chevy Cobalt represents better value than either of your choices.