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If all you care about is saving money over the term of ownership, buy a used, small displacement motorcycle and you're done. Nothing can touch it.
Or if you insist on a car, a $2k Honda Civic or something similar.
I bought a Prius because I had some size requirements for my family that only a midsize wagon or small SUV could hit. My Prius can hold a 911 long hood, 2 RSR bumpers, headlights, a ducktail, a toolbox and a box of random parts easily. Or two mountain bikes. Or 5 people. Or a 7 foot tall Christmas tree. So I was looking at the Prius, or maybe an Audi/VW wagon or something like a Honda CRV. I also wanted something new, not used.
So for comparable vehicles, it was at the low end price-wise and blew everything else away in mileage and resale value. The only thing close was a VW TDI, but since our Prius is used as 99% for short trips around town, it gets way better mileage than the TDI and no diesel fuel hassles.
The engineer in me also likes how the Prius takes waste heat from braking and engine idling which would otherwise be dissipated and coverts that to useful stored energy.
I couldn't care less about saving the planet. The planet is just fine, it doesn't need my help. I'd happily buy a non-hybrid that does what I need better than a Prius, as soon as one exists. If I missed a better car for my needs, let me know what it is.
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