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hchgen1 vs priusgen1 reliability and other pros and cons

Created May 31, 2009, at 12:55 am by jasonandjen

my wife and i are getting a used car within a month now and are debating between the civic hybrid (03-05) or the prius (01-03). of course the final decision may come down to what kind of deal i can find on what, but we're wondering about the long term consequences of owning either car. i know the prius was one of the most reliable cars ever built, but that was really considered for during its first 100k miles. from 100k-200k, it seems troublesome and worry filled from what i read online. cvt failures and battery replacements seem to never make it to 200k. of course im sure that the guys whose gen 1 runs fine aren't chiming in and therefore only problems get posted, but im not sure.

one advantage i like about the civic hybrid is if the battery were to die, i'd still have a running car, basicly forever if i wanted. the prius wont run without a battery, correct? can you guys help me compare some of the pros and cons of each car, mainly from a reliability standpoint. add to my list, and or scrutinize it. right now im leaning towards hch.

hch pros
battery replacement is optional upon failure
battery possibly lasts longer due to lower drain levels
anybody can swap an engine or tranny for me, no specialty work involved

prius pros
full hybrid, stop and go traffic jams on all electric power (huge for us but not enough to get a less economical car for it)
slightly better mileage
slightly better acceleration, especially 0-30mph

seems most of what we like about the prius are in its features, and what i like about the hch is its cheaper to own. am i right?