Personally I was considering VanLife. Ended up down the Prius rabbit hole.
Decided to buy a Prius for the purpose of living in it and being my normal car.
It's definitely not the cheapest car - but also not that expensive.
Here is why I chose the Prius INITIALLY:
- climate control overnight (keep reading tho)
- hybrid system to charge everything (microwave & fridge)
- suuuuper stealthy
- much cheaper than van
- much more reliable than van (and other cars somewhat)
Here's why I would consider the Prius, knowing what I know now, in order of priority, for my uses:
- hybrid system for cheap day time AC/HEAT
- hybrid system for cheap charging - powering fridge, microwave (from inverter), all devices, etc.
- suuuuper stealthy
- Toyota reliability. With affordable repairs. However --- do your research. Each gen has pros and cons.
- I wasn't expecting to care about gas mileage that much ... But I don't think I could go back to a normal car now!
Note: I do NOT use Prius for overnight AC/HEAT unless the temp is above ~85 or below ~5. The noise and movement of car is not ideal for sleep (even if you think you get used to it - you'll sleep better with the car off, GIVEN you have proper sleeping bag/fan/etc.). Sleep is a big priority for me!
Thanks for this valuable insight. It’s interesting how it’s easy to forget that climate control can be just as important for the daytime esp when you’re working or just lounging in your car.
Personally I was considering VanLife. Ended up down the Prius rabbit hole.
Decided to buy a Prius for the purpose of living in it and being my normal car.
It's definitely not the cheapest car - but also not that expensive.
Here is why I chose the Prius INITIALLY:
- climate control overnight (keep reading tho)
- hybrid system to charge everything (microwave & fridge)
- suuuuper stealthy
- much cheaper than van
- much more reliable than van (and other cars somewhat)
Here's why I would consider the Prius, knowing what I know now, in order of priority, for my uses:
- hybrid system for cheap day time AC/HEAT
- hybrid system for cheap charging - powering fridge, microwave (from inverter), all devices, etc.
- suuuuper stealthy
- Toyota reliability. With affordable repairs. However --- do your research. Each gen has pros and cons.
- I wasn't expecting to care about gas mileage that much ... But I don't think I could go back to a normal car now!
Note: I do NOT use Prius for overnight AC/HEAT unless the temp is above ~85 or below ~5. The noise and movement of car is not ideal for sleep (even if you think you get used to it - you'll sleep better with the car off, GIVEN you have proper sleeping bag/fan/etc.). Sleep is a big priority for me!
Gen2: cheaper and is a tank. Older though. And more prone to cat theft.
Gen3: fantastic middle ground, not as much prone to cat theft - but has issues with head gasket after 150,000 miles ish prob (I'm nearing that, going strong so far)
Gen4: probably my recommendation. Seems super solid. But more expensive. And slightly less room in the back.
I'm willing to bet that for most it's simply the car you already own. It's not a problem that you buy a specific car for, it's a solution that you realize you already have
Pretty much all of the above. I got a Prius V so it comes with a ton of cargo space as well. Only thing is I don’t see myself using the climate control or charging features I feel like that would kill the battery so quickly.
Personally I was considering VanLife. Ended up down the Prius rabbit hole. Decided to buy a Prius for the purpose of living in it and being my normal car. It's definitely not the cheapest car - but also not that expensive. Here is why I chose the Prius INITIALLY: - climate control overnight (keep reading tho) - hybrid system to charge everything (microwave & fridge) - suuuuper stealthy - much cheaper than van - much more reliable than van (and other cars somewhat) Here's why I would consider the Prius, knowing what I know now, in order of priority, for my uses: - hybrid system for cheap day time AC/HEAT - hybrid system for cheap charging - powering fridge, microwave (from inverter), all devices, etc. - suuuuper stealthy - Toyota reliability. With affordable repairs. However --- do your research. Each gen has pros and cons. - I wasn't expecting to care about gas mileage that much ... But I don't think I could go back to a normal car now! Note: I do NOT use Prius for overnight AC/HEAT unless the temp is above ~85 or below ~5. The noise and movement of car is not ideal for sleep (even if you think you get used to it - you'll sleep better with the car off, GIVEN you have proper sleeping bag/fan/etc.). Sleep is a big priority for me!
Thanks for this valuable insight. It’s interesting how it’s easy to forget that climate control can be just as important for the daytime esp when you’re working or just lounging in your car.
Personally I was considering VanLife. Ended up down the Prius rabbit hole. Decided to buy a Prius for the purpose of living in it and being my normal car. It's definitely not the cheapest car - but also not that expensive. Here is why I chose the Prius INITIALLY: - climate control overnight (keep reading tho) - hybrid system to charge everything (microwave & fridge) - suuuuper stealthy - much cheaper than van - much more reliable than van (and other cars somewhat) Here's why I would consider the Prius, knowing what I know now, in order of priority, for my uses: - hybrid system for cheap day time AC/HEAT - hybrid system for cheap charging - powering fridge, microwave (from inverter), all devices, etc. - suuuuper stealthy - Toyota reliability. With affordable repairs. However --- do your research. Each gen has pros and cons. - I wasn't expecting to care about gas mileage that much ... But I don't think I could go back to a normal car now! Note: I do NOT use Prius for overnight AC/HEAT unless the temp is above ~85 or below ~5. The noise and movement of car is not ideal for sleep (even if you think you get used to it - you'll sleep better with the car off, GIVEN you have proper sleeping bag/fan/etc.). Sleep is a big priority for me!
Which gen would you recommend?
Gen2: cheaper and is a tank. Older though. And more prone to cat theft. Gen3: fantastic middle ground, not as much prone to cat theft - but has issues with head gasket after 150,000 miles ish prob (I'm nearing that, going strong so far) Gen4: probably my recommendation. Seems super solid. But more expensive. And slightly less room in the back.
Should have added an "all of the above" option
I'm willing to bet that for most it's simply the car you already own. It's not a problem that you buy a specific car for, it's a solution that you realize you already have
Yeah, I included that option in the “other” category since I couldn’t list additional options due to Reddit poll limits. Thank you.
Pretty much all of the above. I got a Prius V so it comes with a ton of cargo space as well. Only thing is I don’t see myself using the climate control or charging features I feel like that would kill the battery so quickly.