Used cars: NJ residents find best value in Toyota
Buying used cars. NJ area included, can develop into a love-hate relationship. On the one hand, buying a used car can be a great financial decision. Used cars are significantly less expensive than new cars and often, they are a more sound financial decision when considering how quickly new vehicles depreciate in value.
On the other hand, new cars can buy peace of mind for consumers because new cars don’t have any unknown accident or mechanical history. What’s more, a new car is, well, new. As you can see, there are many factors that go into deciding whether to buy new or used cars. NJ residents, however, who are considering buying a hybrid vehicle, have even more to consider during their car buying experience.
Mainly, the biggest unknown to buying a hybrid vehicle is the lifetime of a hybrid battery. Since hybrid battery technology is so new, there is little to no knowledge about its longevity and therefore, there is only speculation about how long these batteries will actually run for. That was true, until now, that is.
Consumer Reports recently caught up with a man living in New York who is still driving a 2002 Toyota Prius, just one year younger than the original Prius model to debut in the United States. Granted, it’s not all that unusual for someone to drive a vehicle for nine years. However, this man is the original owner of this Prius, the Prius has 207,000 miles on it, and the Prius is still using its original hybrid battery. Aka, this vehicle is a walking, or should I say driving, research project for hybrid battery interests everywhere.
Of course, Consumer Reports immediately secured permission to test the 2002 Toyota Prius. Execs at the magazine were eager to see how the vehicle, but mainly its battery, held up over time. The results supply Toyota and Toyota NJ consumers with some incredibly uplifting news about hybrid technology.
The 2002 Toyota Prius was taken through the same set of tests that new Toyota Prius models are subjected too. The results of the tests found that the vehicle had lost just two-tenths a mile per gallon in fuel efficiency ratings and was only a half of a second slower in the zero to sixty miles per hour dash.
Currently, Toyota hybrid batteries are under warranty for 100,000 miles or 8 years. However, thanks to the results of these tests, Toyota could reasonably consider raising these stakes. Probably more likely and more importantly, however, is the confirmation of longevity the battery on this Prius gives to consumers considering a hybrid Toyota. NJ residents, along with consumers across America, have had a tough decision to make when considering the pros and cons of buying a hybrid vehicle. Without information on the longevity of the hybrid batteries, consumers were forced to consider the possibility of needing to replace the battery during the life of the vehicle, to a tune of nearly $3,000.
Therefore, the Consumer Reports research brings good news to Toyota, consumers and the environment. With fewer and fewer negative reasons for driving a hybrid vehicle in existence, there is no reason why more and more residents of New Jersey shouldn’t switch to the fuel efficient, environmentally friendly and long lasting Toyota Prius.
Visit your Toyota dealer today.
Processing your request, Please wait....
