Achievement Unlocked: DD#1 bought her first car.
It's actually her third car in 10 years. Her first car was a cheapie '98 Impreza wagon we bought for her in 2008, that she bent after about a year. It was replaced by the Bugeye (which effectively I found and bought for her using her money) that she's been driving since late 2009. But this one is the first where all on her own she did the research, she did the test drives, she located the one she wanted, she arranged the financing, and she closed the deal.
It's a 2013 C-Max SEL with the 302A package, which includes nav and upgraded audio, backup camera, and the foot-activated power liftgate. Ice Storm Metallic (her preferred color) over Medium Light Stone leather interior (also her preferred color, and depsite her protests about not wanting leather, it took her about 3 minutes to decide that yeah it's pretty nice) with heated seats. It also has the seemingly rare fixed panoramic moonroof, which is pretty nice from inside.
This is not the repo car discussed above. It's a 1-owner car with a great service history that lived its life in extreme southern DE / tidewater MD area, though she bought it from a dealer in Fredericksburg, VA yesterday after we took the train down from Wilmington to check it out in person. It does have about 64,000 miles on it, but it's nearly a creampuff. There is one tiny tiny scuff on the bottom corner of the front fascia, and one minor scratch on an interior trim panel near the hatch area. But honestly both exterior and interior are clean as a whistle and the seats barely look sat in. Despite slightly higher than average mileage it's a really nice car.
She paid $12,000 + $500 "fee" + tax for it. Considering the trim level, options, and condition, it seems like a solid deal.
We drove it home about 160 miles, mostly on I-95, ranging from stop-n-go around DC to 75 mph cruising. The info system was showing a lifetime average of 40.4 mpg, which went up to 40.7 by the time we got home. Compared to the Impreza, it should save her about $50 a month on gas, and it's just a so much nicer place to be every day.
As others said, it's very normal-car to drive, but the instant feedback on what the hybrid system is doing is kind of fascinating. She's already shooting for 100% braking regen efficiency on every stop. It's got plenty of pep for what it is and while it is obviously not a light car, it doesn't handle badly at all. It's not an Energi, so it is about 250-300 lbs lighter and has more hatch space.
Hybrids are new territory for us. I really appreciate all the information and suggestions everybody gave above!
