I personally don't think so especially in new york. I don't even think it's worth the money here where I live and we have 110+ summers. the ac will cool a 150+ interior down to tolerable temperature in about 15 minutes. tinted windows also help keep the interior temperature down. the solar package has remote ac but no heating. with remote start you can have both ac and heating. it can be added to any trim. now if you value sunroof more than anything then yeah, the solar package is worth it.
Depends if you like a lot a sunlight in the cap My wife does so we got it The sunroof is noise when the roof is open The solar panel does keep the car fresher with the windows closed
Thanks for the input. Yea, I'm just gonna stick with my original plan, and leave out the solar (even though I do like sunroofs). But I AM getting the remote start, & heated leather seats! Also, are tinted windows standard on a 2010 IV???
Toyota doesn't have factory tinted windows on passenger cars, only on trucks, vans, and SUVs. The Prius has AS2 green tint on side windows and top hatch. Only the rear lower hatch is AS3 gray tint. You'd have to get them tinted at a tint shop. Ceramic tint is the best tint for solar heat rejection and also the most expensive. They run at least $400 for cheap Johnsons all the way up to $600 for Huper Opteks. You can try Suntek CarbonXP for half the price with almost the same heat rejection.
Please, Please, PLEASE!!! DO NOT get the remote start!!!!! You are buying this car for improved MPG You have even asked whether the larger tires would affect MPG The remote start WILL: Waste gas COST YOU MPG Pollute the atmosphere even though the Prius is cleaner than most. Burning a gallon of gas in a Prius produces the EXACT same amount of CO2 as burning it in an H2. Cost you hundreds of $$ up front which you can used for something else. Depending where you live: Break the 'no idling' laws Get an engine block heater instead. Plug it in to a timer on cold nights and the block will be closer to operating temp when you start it up in the morning. Costs a LOT less and doesn't waste gas while you finish your coffee. Plus, as noted previously, the car will run long enough to get the engine block up to temp then shut off. Given the Gen III has a heat recovery system to help warm the block, it won't be running a very long time. If you think the remote start will let you get going quicker, you are mistaken. The Prius ALWAYS starts out in Electric. It will use the electric motor MORE when the car is cold than when it is warm. This lets the engine warm up with light load. Unless you go from driveway to 50 MPH immediately, the engine will warm up BETTER while you are moving than sitting in the driveway and you won't be wasting gas. It doesn't matter if it is 80F outside or -20F outside, starting out in a Prius is the same: foot on the brake, push the power button, 3-4 seconds later the car is in 'Ready' state (BUT the engine has not yet started), put it in gear and go. The engine will kick on WHILE you are moving. In that time (when it is cold out), your Avalanche has just turned over and is idling rough. I'm sure you know the feeling and how long it takes to idle smoothly at various ambient temps. You WILL be amazed at the Prius' winter starting. It is NOTHING like any vehicle you have driven in the past.
This is true. I don't use remote start on my Tacoma anymore because it reduces FE by as much as 31%. When I use remote start, I average 15mpg. After I stopped using remote start, my FE increased to 22mpg. I dont know how it is for the Prius b/c the engine starts and stops.
Thanks for the insight! I only use the R/S on my Av when it's iced up too thick to scrape. My FE seems to have remained the same whether I use it or not. I notice no big difference.
Remember some math here though... If your avalanche would get 21mpg with no remote start, and you got 20mpg, that is a 5% drop. If you were to get 50mpg in the Prius, you would expect 47.5mpg. Negligable mpg differences in a crappy car equate to a much bigger difference in a car where everything is optimized. Having used a remote start in my civic, I got about a 10% hit in FE. That would equate to 45mpg instead of 50mpg.
Also some very good points, thank you. I rarely use the R/S on the Av. Like said, I only use it when the windows are iced-up pretty good. I also use it if it's like 10 degrees outside. I actually also coast quite a bit in the Av, which adds to my FE. Thanks again for the help, I really appreciate it. Ben
rarely using it will not affect the mileage that much. I was using it for every start up. In the morning I would let it idle for 5-10 minutes. If I haven't driven the vehicle for a few hours, I remote start it up and let it idle for 5-10 minutes. It was killing my mileage. I used to get 180-190 miles to a tank. Every fill up was about 12-13 gallons. Now that I dont use remote start anymore I can easily get over 300 miles to a tank.
Yea, I hardly ever use the R/S. It's nice to have though, for those nasty mornings... R/S AND the heated seats, are nice features. I guess the move now is for me to wait a few more days (near the end of the month), and tell the dealers what I'd be willing to pay for the car???
Hi All, I'm hearing that GREAT deals are rampant these days, so I actually took off today to visit my 2 dealer finalists. I'm still looking at the IV, and I have another question or two that I hope someone here can answer for me before I go to the 2 dealerships today. What is the difference between: V.I.P. RS3200 Plus Security System V5 and this alarm system that comes standard: Remote Anti-Theft Alarm System??? Should I delete the first one from my requested options wish list, before I negotiate my deal, or is it worth the extra $359/$241 (pricing is from Edmunds)?? Is the NAV package worth it, or should I just bypass it and continue to use my Garmin GPS? Thanks again for all of your help. BigBen
I just got back from one dealer and told him to please give me his best price, and he offered me this car at $27,132. I didn't take it of course. If his price was more reasonable, I'd have signed today. There's another dealer's Sales Manager that wasn't in today, so I'll visit him Friday or Saturday. Man, I just hate negotiating sometimes! Any ideas what I should be able to get it for here on Long Island??? Thank You, Ben MSRPThe "Sticker" Price Invoice PriceWhat the Dealer Paid True Market ValueWhat Others are Paying Base Model Vehicle(Price does not include optional features) $26,600 $24,762 $24,865 Regional Adjustment — — -$176 Selected Options $987 $662 $662 Remote Engine Start V4 $529 $380 $380 Lower Door Molding BM $209 $125 $125 Carpet Floor/Cargo Mats CF $200 $127 $127 Cargo Organizer 9H $49 $30 $30 Color Adjustment(Classic Silver Metallic) — — $0 Destination Charge $760 $760 $760 Total(Excluding tax and licensing) $28,347 $26,184 $26,111
Ben, here on LI they'll give you a sky high price unless you mention an offer from another dealership. Using Truecar for your configuration, Huntington advertises it for $26,134 and if you're willing to travel to New Rochelle they list it at $25,449
damn, I thought you would have bought your car by now. I believe that the V.I.P. RS3200 covers doors and hatch and sounds the horn if it goes off and the standard Remote Anti-Theft Alarm System only covers hot wiring but no horn alert.
My guess is a glass breakage sensor. The factory alarm doesn't have it and it's the only thing I can think off that's usually added on top of the factory Toyota alarm. I don't think Toyota has a tilt sensor in any of its alarm systems.
Thanks fellas. My work schedule has been nuts for the past few months, 14-17 hours a day (Thank God we're busy). I still think I should be able to get a lower price than the $27+ offered yesterday. I'll be visiting the other dealer's Sales Manager either tomorrow or on Sunday.
Last night we visited the dealership that I want to buy the Prius from, and here's their latest offer: Metallic Silver Prius IV with Remote Start, Body Side Molding, Lower Body Molding, Alloy Wheel Locks, Floor & Cargo Matts, 2 Years Maintenance, 60 Months @ 0% Financing with $0 Down - $26,995 + Tax. Gee, I was SURE I could get it for less than that. I guess I was wrong about that, because he said that it is just about his cost! I was ready to buy the car last night if I could have gotten a better price, but maybe I'm off base??? Does anyone have any thoughts/ideas on THIS deal??? Thanks again for all of your help and guidance, BigBen
For all the extras on there, it sounds like a fair price. All the Prius bashing has settled down, and everyone has forgotten Toyota's fake woes. So prices and mood is back to normal. They money you are wasting driving your Chevy around is cutting into any potential savings over $1k. How low do you expect them to go? It is a brand new very loaded vehicle. If you want the car, buy it!
Considering it's 0% financing for 5 years (that alone is a few thousand dollars in savings) and 2 years maintenance, that's pretty good. Then again, we don't get that kind of deals in Canada (smaller car buying population). Most sell at MSRP (depending on province).
