<prompt> Human: My partner and I moved recently, and during the move sold our 2nd car; it was in poor shape anyway. The vehicle we kept is a 12-year-old Mazda Protege in fair shape it works mostly, but isnt too pretty and will require expensive repairs if we continue to drive it at the current frequency. Our combined income is 85Kyear. We also have about 50K in debts some student loans and whatnot. But weve been able to shift the budget and have about 500month to pay for a new car.The car we are looking at is a Prius C. There is a current deal going on for 0 APR for 60 months and some cash back.My partner also has a suspended license, and there will be costs for reinstatement. Public transportation would be an attractive option but it would add 1.5 hours each way to the commute 30 minute commute driving vs. 2 hour commute using public transportation. Furthermore, since we live 1400 miles from family and intend to visit reasonably often holidays and whatnot, it seems somewhat more cost effective to drive than to fly 600-800 to fly vs. 200 to drive.Insurance would have me as primary driver, and we expect the cost to be between 100 and 150. The Prius C would also lower our gas spending since it is more efficient.Given all of this, does it make sense to get the new car or is this a bad call?Edit: Adding...We put 4640 in the Family Checking each month to pay the following:Rent: 1900 though we might look for a cheaper place next yearCurrent car insurance: 180Internet: 90Utilities: 150Netflix: 9Savings: 200Paying off debt: 800  <response>: A Corolla gets 42 MPG on the highway versus 46 on the Prius C, yet costs 1,680 less MSRP. Assuming a gallon of gas is 3 and you drive 10k miles per year, itll take 27 years for you to make up the price difference in the two vehicles.It only takes 4 years with city driving, though, since the Prius really shines in stop and go traffic.I have no idea what sort of personal subsidies or tax rebates you can get for buying a hybrid, though. That could change the math. 