Hypothetical but real Question: A Free Mercedes, Volvo, or Prius?

[lostnfound]

My boyfriend wants to buy me a new car since I'm driving around with our small child -- he wanted to get me an SUV, I said no way. So then he talked about a new Mercedes or Volvo because of safety. I've been dragging my feet about it because I've always said my next car would be a hybrid. And I was sure he wouldn't buy one of those.

So the other day when he mentioned that the Prius was pretty good I was really surprised. And tempted. So I did some searching and found out it gets 60+ MPG. Great!

My ethics tells me to go for the Prius but it is so tempting to get something with more luxury and space. There's no mid-size cars yet that are hybrids..

[Jack_Dawson]

1. Uhhh...Mercedes.

That's a no-brainer.

[lostnfound]

2. Throw ethics to the wind, then?? nt

[Jack_Dawson]

5. "Ethics"?

Mercedes is a better car, that's all. Not sure what's ethical or unethical about that.

[lostnfound]

21. uh..global warming? pints-of-blood-per-gallon? air pollution?

supporting exxon?

[Jack_Dawson]

24. "pints of blood per gallon"?

What are you talking about? Methinks somebody is being melodramatic.

[lostnfound]

31. Just facetious or ironic, that's all. It's shorthand for oil-wars. nt

[private_ryan]

33. unlees you want to walk and live in the mountains

you will have to support someone and contribute to global warming.

[Kellanved]

13. yes

At long it is a German made Mercedes it's probably the best choice. I've heard a lot of bad things about the South Africa and US made ones; but even the German ones are a lot less reliable than they should be.
I've hard even more bad things about post-GM-takeover Volvos.

[LTR]

34. Correction

Ford owns VOlvo, GM bought the other Swedish company - Saab.

[Kellanved]

35. ahh, mixed those two up

Thanks :hi:

[absyntheNsugar]

3. PRIUS

50 MPG BABY!!!!

[bhunt70]

4. personally I'd say bmw for safety...

I'll always believe that after my wife was in a wreck in another friends bmw that got totalled by 3 18 wheelers. Lengthy hospitalization, rehab etc but she's alive. I'd be a poster boy for BMW for free if they asked me.

[midnight armadillo]

18. SAAB for safety!

Safest cars on the road.

Check out the death/injury rates on the IIHS website for proof. These #'s are reflected in European statistics too.

[JVS]

6. I'd go with a civic hybrid

I think it is roomier than a prius

[madrchsod]

7. volvo or the benz

volvo wagons are very good esp if you have children and are cheaper than a benz. volvo also makes a nice suv. saabs are also very nice and are on par with benz and volvo in all areas. you can`t go wrong with any of these cars.
hybrids are nice but i`d never put small children in them

[ElsewheresDaughter]

8. do the right thing and follow your heart...intuition

[Ilsa]

15. Amen. Follow your gut (or your heart,...

whichever speaks louder to you.)

[goodhue]

9. Prius

The 2004 is quite a bit bigger than prior years and is close to mid-szie.

[KCDem]

10. look at the safety ratings for all 3.

With kids involved, I'd go with the safest. Or, at least I'd consider that while comparing MPG.

Wow, nice boyfriend! I need to get me one of them. ;)

[loftycity]

11. Toyota Scion

Two style and very nice to drive...check the web site.

[Lorien]

12. Prius

the 2004 Prius is a big improvment over previous models.

[populistmom]

14. Volvo for me

Safety-wise and comfort for all the kiddos. I'd pick a Prius though for a second car.

[IronLionZion]

16. You will never see 60+ MPG in a Prius

seriously unless you only drive at the Toyota test track which is perfectly flat you will never see that, ever. If you want good gas mileage and be able to go somewhere look at the Corolla and Focus. And learn to drive a stick if you don't already.

As far as the luxury cars go, Mercedes blows. It will spend a lot of time in the shop. If you like Volvo, go for it.

[IronLionZion]

20. if you live someplace that has ice and snow...

consider Subaru. I've had a legacy sedan in the past and loved it. The outback H6 is nice too and powerful.

[VOX]

17. Recommendation: Volvo XC 70; safe, and as fun as an SUV, but no guilt...

First off, it's *not* an SUV. It's built on a sedan chassis, so it's a car-sized sport wagon -- easy to drive, easy to park. You get tons of safety features (among the best on the road). Historically, Volvo has always been very good about keeping their vehicle emissions very low, and they are still excellent in this department.

The XC70 wagon has a nice high stance (looks cool!), gets pretty good mileage in the city, and it doesn't block the view of other drivers around you. You get the versatility of an SUV but the feel of driving a car. The warranty includes all scheduled services for 4 years, a big plus.

And it's fun to drive! I know -- I bought one last June, and I cannot recommend this car highly enough.

[thom1102]

19. Lexus has a new hybrid (with the same type of engine as the Prius)

here is the link: http://www.lexus.com/models/hybrid/index.html

[Deja Q]

22. Prius - if nothing else, it'll help compensate for all those

damn SUVs and Hummers on the roads wasting our gas and oil... you're the REAL American though for driving a Prius!

[jmowreader]

23. Acura TL

It's a Honda. We can pussyfoot around all we want, but there's no getting around it: An Acura is a refined Honda, a car which starts out life refined.

The TL looks like a good choice for you--not as pricey as an RL, not as insane as an NSX.

Acura is what Mercedes should still be doing.

[Jack_Dawson]

25. Acura TL looks like a Chevy Cavalier

IMHO...

[ahimsa]

26. 2005 Toyota Highlander Hybrid

Check it out - you *can* have your SUV:

http://www.toyota.com/vehicles/future/

[MrSlayer]

27. Mercedes...No question.

German engineering is second to none.

[tigereye]

28. with kids you really want the bigger car

The Civic hybrid is supposed to be bigger. Volvos are supposed to be really safe though.

[Bertha Venation]

29. 1. Check the Prius' safety standards. 2. Hybrid Highlander coming soon.

I've always wanted a Volvo S-40 or S-70 but don't need that much car, don't need to be so wasteful, and can find safety in vehicles better for the environment. YMMV. At this point, I think I'd buy a Prius -- but then, I don't have a small child.

Good luck w/ your decision.

[ProudGerman]

30. Volvos offer turbos

Get a turbo, you will not thank me enough.

Of course, Mercedes offer really nice V8's, I mean really nice torquey V8's. But it looks like you're really gas conscious. That makes the turbo model better suited for you. If you stay out of boost as much as possible, you'll get good gas mileage, but that neck snapping punch is right there when you need it.

[lostnfound]

32. The new Accord Hybrid would be a dream answer, but must wait a year.

The GD thread on the Accord Hybrid is exciting -- Accords are really great, sensible cars. And the Lexus hybrid too would be a great answer. But it seems like most of the larger hybrids including these won't be here until fall 04.

[Skittles]

36. my ethics wouldn't let my boyfriend buy me a car

but that's just me