I have a 2005 prius that has 99K miles on it. I LOVE IT. I want a new car not need one since my Prius is just fine. BUT I am a home care nurse and work out of my car. I am thinking about getting a 2011 IV with solar and nav. OR should I wait for a plug in? I drive all day so I am not sure if the plug in is a good idea. I like the solar idea, I am tired of getting into a hot car all the time. And need the bluetooth phone. Any advise?
If the big issue is the hot car consider an after-market remote start on your current car that would allow you to run the A/C for a while before you leave each home. It will hit your mileage, of course, but it's cheaper than a new car. The value of the plug-in would depend on how many miles you typically drive each day, how much time and how many miles between visits and at what speed. It all depends on you. We also don't know how much it will cost but it's almost certain to be a net cost to you. If you get the plug-in, I don't believe you'll be able to get solar. In any case, even if you go for the 2011, wait if you can! I suggest that because the Japanese production problems have boosted efficient car prices right now. I'd suspect that in a couple of months you'll be able to get a better deal as better Prius supply is available. Anyway, if you haven't done so yet, go and test drive a 2011 Prius. There are differences to your 2005 you might not like and it's possible that the 2012 Prius will resolve some of the less popular features.
Welcome! Nice area of PA - I used to make monthly visits to Kennett Square in the mid-90s when I managed a team of software folks that worked in an office there. Since you say that you "work out of my car", I assume you visit a number of clients per day. (We have a pair of home care aids who split the week to assist my wife (TBI in 1996). One of them is with her all day while I'm at work.) I would think a plug-in would give you a morning boost of juice, but you may be unlikely to find a plug to use during the day. You're schedule may also change frequently as your patient mix changes, so a mid-day plug-in location you find may only be convenient for a few weeks. I agree with you that the solar roof option would be attractive given your use. (It would be nearly useless for me currently, as I park in a garage at home and a garage at work.) I read somewhere here that all 2012 Toyota hybrids will have some type of generated noise when running in EV mode. This is a feature you may want as you likely visit different residential neighborhoods with kids. Good luck in your search.
Cars are money pits, and depreciation is enormous. Lacking more substantial reasons (e.g. operating costs or functional needs), I would never trade in a car that young with that few miles.
I recommend vent shades...then you can leave the windows cracked, but the cracks will be covered up. And you can also get a bluetooth add-on for your factory stereo. They may not be as...clean of a solution as getting a new car, but if those are the only things the old car isn't doing for you, why change it?
You can get WeatherTech window deflector and leave the windows cracked open. It will cost you $100 so it is not cheap. To get Bluetooth, you could upgrade to 2-DIN head unit with Navigation, Bluetooth, DVD, iPod, etc. This will cost you about $1,000 with installation fee. Those two upgrades will keep you going for another 5 years. BTW, how many miles do you have on it? How far is your commute? If it is not that far and you can charge it at the destination, the plugin would work great for you. If it is far and mostly highway driving, the upcoming Prius c would make more sense for you.
In these uncertain times, it would seem prudent to go for the upgrades mentioned above rather than shelling out for a new car. You have to do the math on the payments and figure it for yourself. As to the plug-in idea, I have no comment.
I had the same debate too. However, I ended up believing what "ItsNotAboutTheMoney" said: I really think that ends up being true. I bet the PHV, if you can get one, will probably end up not making straight financial sense (but be really cool). That said, I got a 2011 Prius IV (last week) and, because I opted for leather / nav / solar, it's doesn't make straight financial sense either. My concern with the PHV was really that I wasn't sure I'd be able to get one and I wasn't sure what options it would have. I didn't want to wait six months to not get one (since our current car needed replacing). I don't think you'd end up being disappointed with a 2011 Gen III, but I haven't had it long enough for my opinion to be overly valid. I do love mine though!
I'd wait. You said you love the car, and I don't see anything that would otherwise cause the "Change Owner" lamp to illuminate. GOOD LUCK!
LOL However, some of us drivers have internal "Change Car" lamps that illuminate far too often. I think mine's on a darn blinker.
