Best hybrid for <$13,000?

[earlyre]

I have a similar commute, and was leaning towards plug in to replace my old sable. My Brother has a '14 Volt, Sits WAYY to Low for my Fat butt.
other than that it's a great car. Test Drove a few first Gen Fusion Hybrids, also too low.
ended up with a '13 Cmax Hybrid.
an Energi (IElug in) would have been nice, but the bigger battery takes up about half of the cargo area, and there have apparently been some "issues" with the larger battery packs.

My Used Car shopping formula is simple approx 5 years old, approx 60k mi, approx $10k. after a week or 2 of online shopping(back in Feb), I found the "right"car. 2013(6/7yrs old), 64K mi, $10k. it was at a dealer an hour from me, but I pounced on that thing. so far so good.

someone said with such a short commute you won't be getting the most bang for your Buck, or something to that effect.... well, I'm getting double the in town Mileage I was getting in my last car. (2009 Mercury Sable 3.5l/6speed auto 14-15 city/30hwy - I'm 350# with a bit of a lead foot) i'm getting Low 30's in general. haven't paid much attention to the MPG on my few hwy drives...

I was worried the Cmax would be too low, but it sits UP enough it's a very comfortable entry/exit, both for me and for my Dad (bad back, and parkinsons... has trouble getting into mom's Taurus, and His own '15 Escape(it's too High to lift his foot getting in.)
yeah, the cargo area is a bit small, but.. no smaller than a trunk.

in short. GET A C MAX!

 

[SatinSilver]

Good write up earlyre. Thanks for that and I was wondering how you liked it thus far.

 

[earlyre]

Originally Posted by SatinSilver
Good write up earlyre. Thanks for that and I was wondering how you liked it thus far.

i LOVE it.
I've always loved the small car driving dynamics. Loved how my Neon Drove. it just got to be too low for me.
this car drives the same, and sits high enough. plus plenty of headroom.

the atkinson 2l/hybrid drive is sufficient. it's not going to be chirping the tires anytime soon, definitely doesn't throw you into the seat when you plant your foot, but it's not in it's own way merging onto the 4lane hwy.

and don't let the description of the Trans as a CVT scare you off.. it's not. it's basically a single speed trans. also all the electric drive bits are in the transaxle.

 

[Shaman]

Originally Posted by supton
You're driving 6k per year, give or take? Buy whatever you want! mpg really doesn't matter.


That is basically where I am at. What I buy won't matter until we move.


Quote

Further unsolicited advice: for a 2 mile commute each way, I'd ride a bicycle. Heck walking is probably not that much of a time-suck. Then you don't need a gym pass.


Without providing too much information, the route would be roughly
111 Arrowhead Ct, Frankfort, KY 40601

to

111 Professional Ct, Frankfort, KY 40601

No sidewalks, I have to cross an on and offramp during rush hour of a capital city (not saying it's big, but government workers stream in on the road), and the stretch south of the highway is about 3.5 feet across and a ditch with a vertical rock wall on the outside. It's a 45 minute walk, and I almost got hit 3 times the one time I walked it early on a Saturday morning.


Originally Posted by Smokescreen
Get a scooter.


Considered it, but they don't seem to stick around very long in the area of town I live in. Next door neighbor had two relocate themselves in a month.


Originally Posted by The Critic
4.2 miles will not be enough for the Prius engine to fully warm up. The Prius does not deliver great in-town mileage during very short trips; it still fires the engine to get the cats warm and the engine is most efficient once warmed up.

For longer in-town trips (15+ miles), the Prius is king. But for 4 miles, it will still be lousy (but better than most other cars).


the 4.2 miles is round trip. It's 2.1 miles from home to work.



Originally Posted by Rand
Originally Posted by supton
Originally Posted by 14Accent
You're the perfect candidate for a Volt. Run on battery all week, use a tiny amount of gas on your longer trips. Assuming you could plug it in at home or work, or both!

Very nice used '15 Volt's can be had cheap, most are still under powertrain warranty.

OP said no way to charge at home or work.



Which is kind of odd.. no regular 110v outlet? apartment life?

A volt on 120 outlet at 12amps is over 4 miles charge/hour


A "roadway" is between the apartment and the parking area, and I live on the third floor.

 

[fdcg27]

With your use, a hybrid would not be worth the inevitable price premium.
I do around 20K a year, so a hybrid made sense for my use.
An efficient gasser with plenty of space would probably make more sense for you and your use of a car.
Honda Fit?

 

[Shaman]

Originally Posted by fdcg27
With your use, a hybrid would not be worth the inevitable price premium.
I do around 20K a year, so a hybrid made sense for my use.
An efficient gasser with plenty of space would probably make more sense for you and your use of a car.
Honda Fit?

Chevy Cruze 1.4t. Averaging 33 mpg at 30 mph over 1850 miles so far. Wife will get it soon, and I am looking at something else.