Is the 2010 Prius and later a good, reliable car to own?

My friend owns a 2013 Prius C. She got it brand new as a gift from her parents and she says she only pays $15-20 a month for gas.

She also says it's reliable and that it apparently rarely needs repairs. She said that she hasn't changed the oil in about a year and it still runs smoothly she says.

She also notes that it has a very strong performance considering it has around 120 horsepower at 5000 RPM.

I really don't know a lot about cars. Ask me about human anatomy and I will let my nursing school knowledge go to work, but cars? I don't know jack. I was honestly thinking of getting a Honda Civic like everybody else.

Added (1). I don't really care about performance. So long as the car can drive at least a little over 70mph on the highway without breaking it's engine, I'm good. I don't need something with super-handling (what does handling mean btw) or goes 200mph and 1000 horse power.

I'm looking for point A to point B type of car.

The Prius is a great car, but your friend should consider changing the oil. The Honda Civic is also a great car. The Hondas and Toyotas are generally all good.

"She said she hasn't changed the oil in about a year and it still runs smoothly

You could run the same oil for 5 years and it won't have any noticeable effect to a teenage girl, but it CAN easily gum up and damage your engine. That's not smart in any car.

Most modern cars will go 2 years without repairs or issues. No matter how bad the car is. (Unless of course it is a Dodge, in which case you can expect to leave the bumper in the parking lot of the dealer and have the transmission quit the next morning)

Any modern car will last you the few years you'll have it before you throw it away in favor of your next 40,000 dollar purchase.

So for all your concerns, yes it is a reliable decent car made by a highly reputable company.

But you could go for an older (2005-ish) Honda Civic and drive it for the rest of your life for a few thousand dollars if you take care of it and change the oil every once in a while (As in more than once a year)

Honestly when hybrids break they cost a small fortune if you don't change the generators water pump and it over heats it costs $5k to fix in most cases. Buy a Honda or a Toyota they get od fuel economy stay away from hybrids if you plan on keeping it for +90k miles

A hybrid whenever it breaks is going to be expensive.

You don't expect a late model Toyota to need any serious repairs while it's new. It SHOULD get an oil change occasionally, and will need some other routine stuff as the miles and age increase.

If you neglect the maintenance and never change the oil, then you will eventually have issues.

But my Toyota is a 07 model. Last service it needed an oil change / filter and couple of new wiper blades. That was it for the year. Needs a couple of tires soon, but again that's routine stuff.

First major repairs a Prius should need is a new battery, but they are rated for at least 10 years. So you need to consider that if you buy an older one.

The Prius is a hybrid. It has a small gas engine and huge electric motor. The batteries get charged by the braking action as well as the gas engine. It's a very good vehicle as long as everything is working.

Cars, like people, age. And with age comes problems. The Prius your friend drives needs maintenance (oil changes for one). Soon it will need a variety of "organ transplants" related to the batteries, the fans that cool the batteries and whole bunch of high dollar advanced components that make it all work.

I'd go with your plan and buy the Honda. They're much simpler and likely cheaper in the long run. KEEP the maintenance up to date.