Toyota Prius vs. Mercedez E320 CDI, which one should I buy?

Question

I drive about 120miles( highway) per day to go to work and I need the best car for gas millage. I saw the cheapest used Toyota Prius for about $20K+ vs. Mercedes E320 CDI for about $33K+. I need an over all suggestions.

Answer 1

u want fuel efficiency go with the prius, but for everything else, the benz

Answer 2

The Mercedes EASILY. If you can afford both the Mercedes is the better car in every way. The Prius may get slightly better fuel economy(not that the Diesel is a slouch), but the Merc would have a better interior, be faster, and look better.

Answer 3

You drive 120 miles a day * 5 days a week = 600 miles a week

According to the US Dept. of Energy, http://tonto.eia.doe.gov/oog/info/gdu/ga... , the national average price on 6/2/2008 for gasoline was 397.6 cents a gallon, and for diesel it was 470.7 cents a gallon.

According to AAA, http://www.fuelgaugereport.com/DCmetro.a... , the Washington, DC metro area average price on 6/5/2008 for gasoline was $3.994 a gallon, and for diesel it was $4.820 a gallon.

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/f*g/noframes/...

2005 Mercedes Benz E320 Cdi:  23mpg city, 33mpg highway, 27mpg combined (about the same MPG as the 2008 E320 Bluetec)

The initial cost (you claim) is $33,000.  Don't know about your sales/use taxes or insurance costs, but probably based on the purchase cost and your location/record.

at 33mpg highway, that's 1/33 gallon/mile, over 600 miles that's 600/33 = 200/11 = 18.182 gallons used.  @$4.707/gallon, that would be $85.58 a week in diesel fuel, @4.820/gallon, that would be $87.64 a week in diesel fuel.

2004-2008 Toyota Prius:  48mpg city, 45mpg highway, 46mpg combined

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/f*g/noframes/...

The initial cost (you claim) is $20,000.  Don't know about your sales/use taxes or insurance costs, but probably based on the purchase cost and your location/record.

at 45mpg highway, that's 1/45 gallon/mile, over 600 miles that's 600/45 = 40/3 = 13.333 gallons used.  @ $3.976/gallon, that would be $53.01 a week in gasoline, and @$3.994/gallon, that would be $53.25 a week in gasoline.

If you are interested, you can see what other owners are reporting for fuel economy in their driving:

E320 Cdi: http://www.fueleconomy.gov/mpg/MPG.do?ac...

E320 Bluetec: http://www.fueleconomy.gov/mpg/MPG.do?ac...

Prius (all US models): http://www.fueleconomy.gov/mpg/MPG.do?ac...

2004-current Prius: http://www.greenhybrid.com/compare/milea...

Depending on where you are, diesel fuel may not be easy to find a station to fuel up.

However, if you are interested, you could fuel with biodiesel, or with some conversion run on vegetable oil, in the Mercedes.

The Prius, an AT-PZEV, has by far cleaner emissions than the diesel E320.  (Although if you run biodiesel the E320 may improve some...)

Given just the purchase price and the fuel costs, the Prius is the clear choice.

Considering that a new 2008 Prius is $21500, if your cheapest used is $20000 then I would say that the Prius is holding its value very well (low depreciation costs), losing only 7.0% of its value.  The 2008 Mercedes-Benz E320 Bluetec new is $52,200 (same MPG as the 2005 Cdi, so probably same car), so if the cheapest used is $33000 it has lost 36.8% of its value.  Something to consider if you plan on trading in the vehicle or selling it in the near future, and not driving it into the ground, would be future resale value.

You can compare the two models here:

http://www.nadaguides.com/default.aspx?L...

http://www.edmunds.com/apps/nvc/edmunds/...

If you encounter slippery roads, you may be more used to a FWD vehicle so would be better in a Prius than you would be in the RWD E320.  Good snow tires on either would be beneficial.

The E320 has a 4 year/50,000 mile basic warranty, while the Prius has a 3 year/36,000 mile basic warranty (but a longer powertrain and hybrid system warranty).

If you enjoy a quiet ride, go for the Prius.  If you like vroom-vroom and more power, go for the higher horsepower E320 Cdi.

Only you can really decide if the luxury features of the Mercedes (such as memorized seat settings, telescopic steering wheel, side mirror turn signals, sunroof, extra speakers, and standard wood trim) will be worth the extra initial price and price differential for fuel over time.  They're both in the midsize vehicle size category.  Take both vehicles for a test drive and see which one you like better.