1 Mile Commute?

[Julian30]

I've just heard I've been successful in my application for a new job which is great!

However, as I recently only bought my late '08 Prius (for my 30 mile commute) and from December my commute is going to be 1.1 (yes, just over 1 mile) each way I'm now wondering if keeping the Prius is worthwhile and if I do the most economical way to do so.

Don't get me wrong, I love it etc and I will use it (around) 50% of the time to commute due to weather and/or time issues but as it's a 2008 it doesn't have ECO and in the 3-4 minute journey the engine is barely going to warm up which means my fuel consumption is going to be horrible.

Does anybody have any bright ideas? (and I don't have the money to buy a PIP)

[Grumpy Cabbie]

Don't bother with the heater? That's mainly what keeps the engine running. You could flog the car and buy an electric one like a Leaf or a i-miev. Not as crazy as it sounds as they have a preheat option (the Leaf does for sure) and your car will be toasty and warm when you get in it first thing in the morning.

Otherwise walk or bike it?

[Julian30]

Don't bother with the heater? That's mainly what keeps the engine running. You could flog the car and buy an electric one like a Leaf or a i-miev. Not as crazy as it sounds as they have a preheat option (the Leaf does for sure) and your car will be toasty and warm when you get in it first thing in the morning.

Otherwise walk or bike it?

Sorry, should have said, live in a flat and my garage doesn't have mains supply so plug-ins not practical (even if I had the money!).

Definitely won't run the heater, thanks for that. Will be walking it when weather decent etc but in this country I reckon that's only half the time if I'm lucky!

[Grumpy Cabbie]

For the other time just use your car. Just give it a longer run on a weekend and maybe run some injector cleaner or use branded fuel.

Personally I'm all for using less fuel etc but with the least inconvenience to me. If it's 4c and raining horizontally, I'm driving :)

[MEP's Yaris GS]

I'd keep the Prius, it isn't going to be worse than any other ICE Petrol on cold start up loop on a journey like that, or you could just Walk / cycle and leave it at home :)

[korat102]

Pah, get some decent waterproofs and walk!

Seriously though, with journeys like that, you'd better add some longer distance ones once a week at least, all that moisture collecting in places you don't want it will cause expensive problems otherwise. Cars that never get a chance to warm up just don't last long.

[Julian30]

I will be using the car for some 3 mile journeys once or twice a week and 200 miles once every 3-4 weeks so hopefully no 'harm' will be done apart from my fuel economy.

[Chris Dance]

Suggest walk to work but keep your Prius unless you can afford to P/E it for the Nissan leaf. We do not do much mileage, shopping trips mainly but the economy and comfort of the Prius is hard to beat on long journeys. Also the Prius is good for transporting stuff to the dump or transporting furniture etc.

[PeteB]

...with journeys like that, you'd better add some longer distance ones once a week at least, all that moisture collecting in places you don't want it will cause expensive problems otherwise. Cars that never get a chance to warm up just don't last long.

Certainly tally's with my experience on my 2nd Gen 1 (2002) Prius - when it was 4 years old with about 80k on the clock, the brakes were just 5% worn, and I thought they'd outlast the car (and possibly me!). However, after nearly 30 years in IT, I joined London's first green minicab firm at their launch and became a Prius minicab driver for a year, after which I moved into an office job with the firm.

During that year, whilst I clocked up 46,000 miles in the firm's Gen 2 Prius, mine sat on the drive and got used once a week if it was lucky. The brakes rusted something terrible, and before it reached 100k the other 95% was worn away by the cycle of rusting discs, and noisily grinding pads on the few times it got driven.

After having new pads and discs all round, when I sold the car at over 9 years old with 163k on the clock, the replacements were hardly worn, as the car had gone back into regular use again.

The a/c compressor also died during that time and got replaced under an extended warranty (eventually!). That shouldn't affect Gen 2/3 Prius though, as they have all electric a/c compressors unlike the original which was belt driven from the engine. Apparently the later design is not so susceptible to seals drying out, but I'd still use the a/c as often as possible.

[Julian30]

Makes sense, guess I'll have to see what happens once I start the new job.