I’m planning on buying a new car with the help of my parents with a budget of about 20,000. I need help choosing between a Dodge Caliber, Toyota Prius, and Volkswagen Rabbit. The Caliber is my dad’s pick, the Prius because its the cheapest hybrid, and the Rabbit because its a small car with a lot of power. I don’t mind buying Certified Pre Owned, especially with the Prius. So please help me choose!!! Let me know your opinion or some pros and cons!!
I’m planning on buying a new car with the help of my parents with a budget of about 20,000. I need help choosing between a Dodge Caliber, Toyota Prius, and Volkswagen Rabbit. The Caliber is my dad’s pick, the Prius because its the cheapest hybrid, and the Rabbit because its a small car with power (I had other choices, but my dad didn’t agree, so I gotta go with the money!). I don’t mind buying Certified Pre Owned, especially with the Prius. So please help me choose!!! Let me know your opinion or some pros and cons!!
Need help narrowing car search b/t Toyota, Dodge, and Volkswagen.?
29
May
Bubba B
May 29, 2010 at 10:01 pm
Dodge Caliber
David
May 29, 2010 at 10:47 pm
Consider the problems the big three auto plants are going through, I’d say buy the Dodge, American made car to help support the jobs in America.
velcropap
May 29, 2010 at 11:07 pm
dodge
Kenny
May 29, 2010 at 11:41 pm
I would stay away from the Prius because when (not if) the hybrid battery pack dies and needs to be replaced, it will cost $7000 to replace and only a Toyota dealership can do it.
The Dodge Caliber is a junk car. Terrible body design and a cheap interior. Parts are a little pricey for it.
The VW Rabbit is a decent car. I don’t know why you think it has a lot of power though. It only has 170 horsepower. It’s not bad, but you want win any races with it… unless you are racing a Prius and a Caliber.
I’m not really a fan of any of your choices, but the Rabbit is the best of the worst in that group.
Ashley D
May 30, 2010 at 12:17 am
prius has has the best gas mileage. i cant think of even one single bad thing about it
dodges in general dont last very long.
chris2EM
May 30, 2010 at 1:12 am
The Caliber is a piece of junk. It’s ugly, poorly rated, poorly designed and will drop in value like a rock. Most Calibers I see are rental cars. If you want a decent small car, don’t buy anything from Chrysler or Dodge. The Prius and Rabbit are much nicer cars and will hold more value. If you want an American brand car, go with a Ford Focus or wait for the all new 2011 Ford Fiesta (It’ll be on sale early next year).
John
May 30, 2010 at 1:50 am
okay, i don’t like any of them, but i will pro/con them for you.
Dodge: PRO ~ the price is unbeatable, with chysler going under u can find a decently good equiped caliber in ur price range. CON ~ chrysler has a history of bad design and poor reliability, the caliber isn’t a very exciting car and is pretty unrefined.
Toyota: PRO ~ toyota has a great track record for quality and reliability and the prius has great gas mileage. CON ~ the car takes fuel economy over performance so it is as much fun to drive as a rock. not to mention it looks kinda weird.
Volkswagon: PRO ~ The most fun vehicle in this group and with german engineering, fun is put back into the equation. It also looks pretty good. CON ~ volkswagon (and really, almost all german makes) has a pretty bad reliability record.
I would suggest something like a toyota yaris or honda fit.
Moses
May 30, 2010 at 2:35 am
Well lets start off with an opinion. American cars, sadly to say, are bad- especially in the field of reliability and maintenance, WHICH is why they needed bailout!!! I would never take a dodge, even if i was paid to.
Next of all, i would not deem Volkswagen unreliable, but due to them being foreign, they are a pain to fix, and they are quite expensive to do so.
Finally, I know several people with a Toyota Prius. Closest to me, would be my aunt and uncle. Their 2004 Prius is running strong with over 60,000 miles, and no major maintenance; GET THIS- Still on the original brakes AND THEY STILL FEEL LIKE NEW! – (The prius is equipped with an Engine Brake which slows the car down, reducing demand on brakes.) With the prius, you don’t even need to change the oil as often, because the gas motor is not always running. Not to mention that they also AVERAGE around 50 mpg. If you do a lot of city driving, it is also a great car for that reason. Up till about 15 MPH, (depending upon how hard you put the pedal down), it runs on solely electric power. It is also great if you drive in hot weather, the A/C runs off of battery power, not off the motor. The car also stores cooled air inside a “Thermos”, keeping the air cool for an hour or two (give or take) while the engine is off.
All around, the prius is a comfortable, reliable, quiet, fuel-efficient and probably the best car for you.
The prius is the smarter choice. It may not be the coolest looking car, but it is better for the environment, and cheaper on gas.