Here are the choices:

07 Toyota Prius Package 4 for $23875, a really good deal on this.

or

05 HCH Manual Transmission, 28 miles, used, car is in California, dealer said that customer bought it, then financing fell through, therefore the used status. Got them down to $20,999.

or

05 HCH Manual Transmission, 25K miles, dealer asking $17,900.

Which would you get, I enjoy driving manuals, but the Prius is neat too. Also, what was the base price for a 05 HCH, and how how did the price go with options? Dealer said the one with 28 miles was like $26K new? Is that even possible?

Also, is the HCH's trunk room taken up with batterys? Is it a pass through trunk?

Thanks!

Thanks!

Hi,

You have more options, check Ebay. But I'd probably look at the Camry hybrid too.

I paid $17,300 for my 03 Prius with 49,300 miles in Oct. 2005 and never looked back. It really comes down to which vehicle appeals to you. BTW, you get about a $1.5 k tax credit on the 07 Prius and you might get a state break too.

Bob Wilson

Operation Iraqi Oil Freedom:

Automatic, stock, project car.

My other 1500 cc car:

Automatic, stock, backup car.
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The base price of my (new) HCH '05 was $19,600, but it was a CVT, not a MT, and I don't know exactly what the difference in price between those two models was, but it could have been a couple thousand. Not $6k, though, I'd assume, so the guy telling you that it was $26k new sounds like he's trying to fool you or wildly misinformed. $26k was the base price for the HCH 06, though- so could you or he be mistaken as to the year? The 05 is an HCH I, and the 06 is an HCH II, so there are some really obvious differences; just get a picture of each and look at the car, and you should be able to pick out whether it's an 05 or an 06. The options varied widely. Check out the thread entitled 'How much did you pay for your hybrid civic' under the HCH section of the discussion forum and you'll see the full range of prices people have paid, and when, and what options they had.

The HCH 05 has a trunk that is a bit smaller than a regular Civic because of the battery pack, and the rear seats don't fold down (no 'pass through' trunk). It's still fairly big, though, and I've never had a problem fitting stuff in there.

As for the tax credit, if the 'used' status really does mean someone else was going to buy it and didn't, then you would still be eligible for the tax credit this year on the 05. It doesn't matter what year the car was made- the tax credit goes to the person who puts the car 'in service,' basically by bringing it into the pool of vehicles that are in use in this country. Lots of people on GH have posted about the details of the tax credit, including me, so if you want more assurances, search the threads here or look it up yourself on the IRS website or through links on the Honda and Toyota sites. It's pretty easy to find.

Good luck!

Financing falling through should not affect the status of the car unless they registered it before the financing was completed, and then it would be shame on them for jumping the gun.

Something sound fishy with the 05 w/ 28 miles on it.

Given the relatively small difference in the prices you mentioned I would pick the Prius. For me, it would be a no-contest. Some may argue that the manual transmission Gen 1 Civic can match the fuel economy of the Prius but the fact remains that:
-You may have to work at it on the HCH.
-The 2007 Prius is a potentially safer vehicle with a full complement or side and curtain airbags- please correct me if I am wrong on this one.
-The Prius is less polluting than the MT HCH.
-The Prius offers more versatility in terms of cargo space.
-The 2005 HCH is a 2 year old(er) model.
-History ! Hard to know the full history of a used vehicle. Many of us find it conforting to pay a few grand more and start with a clean slate.

Cheers;

MSantos