Should I buy?

[Carrie]

This is Carrie. I have my car purchase narrowed down to 2016 CMax Hybrid, 62,000 miles vs. 2015 Toyota Prius, same mileage. The only advantage to the CMax is it's more fun to drive. My brother owned the CMax Hybrid and he is dead set against it. He had nothing but trouble. There was a knocking sound, he said the engine was loud. Did he have a lemon, or is this a problem? Thanks!

 

[C-MaxA2]

'The only advantage to the CMax is it's more fun to drive.'   Well, #1 that's a biggie.  

 

#2 - in my experience (own 2 C-Maxs; drove my brother's Prius for several hours and have ridden in it for 10-12 hours). I found:  1- the C-max is much quieter. It was a noise cancelling system that really works, 2- the seats / inside cabin are far more comfortable and there's a lot more room, 3- it's way faster when you need to GO like on a highway ramp, through a roundabout, etc.  The Prius mileage is better but not so much better that it makes up for the lack of comfort, speed, etc. 

 

Your brother's car doesn't sound like either of our C-Maxs.  If you floor it you'll hear the engine but it's moving you, not just sitting there like in a Prius (and your mind is screaming 'GO, GO, Go' as the trucks bear down on you).

 

2016 is a good year (and a year newer than the Prius).  It's also made in this country.    Good luck.

[fbov]

Did your brother own this 2016 C-Max? I would recommend against buying his car. If not, what year and trim level did he have? He may have had a lemon. 

 

Early model years did have some issues. By 2016, the worst had been addressed, right down to the human interface. I drove a 2013 to 66K miles, and the only reliability issue was brakes rusting from lack of use. Some folks down South are still on their original brake pads. 

 

Toyota makes a very well engineered and reliable car. They also make a car that no one, not even Consumer Reports, can get to use fuel, and CR knows how to make hybrid gas guzzlers. The C-Max is a sports car by comparison, nimble and fast. You have a choice the Prius doesn' t offer: go fast or get 60 mpg. 

 

Otherwise, I'll second @C-MaxA2 comments. This car is a mild mannered reporter who can turn into Superman at the drop of a throttle. 

 

If you have time, and a geeky side to feed, Weber State takes both Ford and Prius hybrid transaxles apart. You will quickly see the difference in design philosophy that drives their differing performance: Toyota uses small motors. Theirs is a "helper" EV system, not one capable of moving the car alone.  

 

Stay well,

Frank

[bigqueue]

7 hours ago, Carrie said:

This is Carrie. I have my car purchase narrowed down to 2016 CMax Hybrid, 62,000 miles vs. 2015 Toyota Prius, same mileage. The only advantage to the CMax is it's more fun to drive. My brother owned the CMax Hybrid and he is dead set against it. He had nothing but trouble. There was a knocking sound, he said the engine was loud. Did he have a lemon, or is this a problem? Thanks!

 

 

2016 was the first year that the CMAX actually had very good reliability.....at least with respect to the transmission, which is a high cost fix. I have a 2016 and have had it for about 7 or 8 months now and it has been great. My big complaint is the radio / audio system.....and particularly bluetooth pairing.....it is unreliable and you had better get used to pulling the fuse to get it back.

 

I don't know much about the Prius. If you buy the CMAX, drive it into the ground because the trade-in values are not so high. It is an abandoned car line and the Prius is not.....so if you ever plan on trading, go with the Prius.....in fact, you should be able to get the CMAX for a far better price than the PRIUS even as they sit today.

 

 

[takingittothemax]

23 hours ago, Carrie said:

This is Carrie. I have my car purchase narrowed down to 2016 CMax Hybrid, 62,000 miles vs. 2015 Toyota Prius, same mileage. The only advantage to the CMax is it's more fun to drive. My brother owned the CMax Hybrid and he is dead set against it. He had nothing but trouble. There was a knocking sound, he said the engine was loud. Did he have a lemon, or is this a problem? Thanks!

 

 

As I see it, there are three advantages of the C-Max:

 

1/ More fun to drive, better handling, more power

2/ More interior space and storage

3/ Nicer interior and more equipment than that Prius vintage

 

Disadvantages:

1/ You don't have to try hard to get good MPG in a Prius, you do in a C-Max

2/ Resale will always better with a Prius.

[AZFJ60]

I'll chime in.  I just bought 2 C-Maxes, a '14 Hybrid, and a '13 Energi.  I'm keeping the Energi.  I've owned nothing but Toyota/Lexus for 20+ years.  I sought out the C-Max because I actually FIT in the thing, AND can see out the windshield.  I'm not overly tall at 6'4", but I sold my '06 HIghlander Hybrid because my eyes were right at the top of the windshield, and the mirror blocked a significant portion of my view.  Plus, it didn't get stellar MPG, and I didn't need the 3rd row.  I have a Land Cruiser for towing and cargo duties. 

 

Having said all that, am I some sort of Ford convert?  Hardly.  Do. The. Math. - on total cost of ownership.  I routinely drive my Toyotas to approaching 300K miles, and do long, and even cross/round the country drives in them.  However, you pay up front for that reliability.  You pay A LOT up front for that.  It's kind of like buying an extended warranty, it's just baked into the purchase price.  Fords DO have some significant depreciation as they approach and pass factory warranty age/mileage.  The savings in gas between a C-Max at 38 MPG and a Prius at 50 MPG is $222 per year in favor of the Prius (at 15K miles and $2.35/gal).  That's eighteen bucks per month.  Like, lunch money difference, once or twice per month.  A non-factor, in my opinion.  The Ford has the comfort, driveability, (in my case the visibility) and feature advantage.  The Toyota has the reliability and resale advantage.  All money being equal, you will buy a much older, less well appointed, less enjoyable to drive, and higher mileage Prius compared to the C-Max.  I fully expect my C-Max to be in the shop much more than my Toyota ever was, but have budgeted for it, and compensated by negotiating a lower purchase price.  Time will tell.  It's only been a few weeks, but I enjoy driving a much newer car.  I went from 14 years old, 180K, to 7 years old, 105K, plug-in technology, and still pocketed $1,400 on the deal.

[AZFJ60]

On 8/23/2020 at 9:53 AM, Carrie said:

This is Carrie. I have my car purchase narrowed down to 2016 CMax Hybrid, 62,000 miles vs. 2015 Toyota Prius, same mileage. The only advantage to the CMax is it's more fun to drive. My brother owned the CMax Hybrid and he is dead set against it. He had nothing but trouble. There was a knocking sound, he said the engine was loud. Did he have a lemon, or is this a problem? Thanks!

 

Can you share with us the price difference in these 2 options?  I would expect the Prius to be much more expensive up front.  And you are looking at some big depreciation in the C-Max in about 3 years as you near end of warranty.  I've been trolling the used C-Max market, and they seem to be about 2500-3000 lower for every model year (there is variation, of course), and decent drop when they hit 100K and transmission warranty expires.  Toyotas tend to have more gradual depreciation curves. 

[grege]

I'd drive both.  Generally, the cmax is a much better handling and driving vehicle, but build quality is more variable; I own two cmaxes and despise Ford's poor quality-build on both although I way prefer the way those drive compared to the prius when we tested both.  We haven't had anything catastrophic go wrong with either (yet).  Whichever one you prefer, have a trusted mechanic give it a thorough inspection for peace of mind.  2016 and newer cmaxes are the better builds. 

 

Greg