2010 to 2014 Prius, plug in or not

I'm 2.7 miles from work, one way. I fill up my tank once every six months. I use my Sony Rewards Visa card points to acquire a $25.00 BP gift card. So, essentially I pay nothing for gas. 10 miles one way, and a place to charge at work is a no brainer! go for it.!

 

I voted "of course" but naturally that depends on price.
If you can get it for $2,500 over the Prius3 sounds like your commute and charging capability will close that gap in a few years easy. Just did my taxes and the $2,500 tax back on the PiP was simple filing online

 

I don't know how old you are, but think about your future.

Save your money and invest it. If you're young and poor, you can work. The worst is being old and poor.

In the EV mode, resistance heaters like those that heat the seats will quickly drain the battery and cause the ICE to kick in.

Even if you're and experienced Master Electrician, like I am, it will still cost you in the purchase price of the charger and the electricity in charging.

The "zero percent" loan is built in the higher price for the car.

 

I agree with priuskitty.
fits your commute really well! Go for it!

 

There are lots of needs and desires you have to weigh when considering this purchase. I would imagine one of those would be financial. From a purely financial perspective you should keep what you have. In almost all cases it's always the best option to just keep driving what you currently own. But as I said before, there are other factors to weigh. We are obviously all big fans of the PiP here, but that doesn't mean our advice one way or the other for this kind of decision is sound. Prioritize and weigh all the factors with your family and decide what's best for you guys. Good luck!

 

Hey Luke,

I started with trading in my 2010 advanced for the 2013 PIP. The reason for this was to take advantage of new battery technology and plug in option. As of right now I would recommend you wait for the 2015 4th generation to come out. Newer technology, extended EV miles and more options hopefully. The longer you wait the better it will get. 0% financing will be back. Just my thought. Take care and good luck.

 

Potorap, has a good point!

 

Your commute is ideal for PiP. You won't save money but with the incentives help and a good opportunity to upgrade.

 

Not true. Maybe running both seat heaters on High would have an effect, but one seat heater on Low has a negligible effect on range. And Low is plenty warm enough.

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Never trade a vehicle; it's a terrible financial move.

Wait for the new generation of plug-in to come out, and then wait a year after that to make sure the bugs get worked out. Then buy the car with 0% financing and sell your 2010 Prius private party for a couple grand more than the stealership will offer.

So, I'd wait at least 2 years, if not 3 to purchase. How many miles are on your car now?

 

+1
I've tried running both seat heaters to keep the EV batt from charging- they just don't draw enough current to put a dent in the PIP's larger battery.
And even running the AC in the PIP for 25 min only drains maybe 1 mile EV range.

 

The last statement is highly dependent on many variables. I think it would have to be pretty mild out to drain EV range at that rate.

 

I'm sure if you couldn't swing it financially you wouldn't even be considering the upgrade. So if your good with the outlay- go for it!

You have almost the perfect commute for the PIP. After the brutal months of Dec-Feb are over you'll probably be able to go to work and back home (assuming you'll recharge for 3hrs on 120vac at work) without ever running the engine. Even when you take longer trips- the PIP gets wonderful gas mileage. My commute is 28 mi each way- in the warmer months I can get up to 115 mpg on each leg.

Outside temp at maybe 85-90 deg, AC set to 76 deg, fan set to speed I or II.

 

2010 to 2014 within the same model generation is just not enough of a jump IMHO - PiP or not.

 

"In the EV mode, resistance heaters like those that heat the seats will quickly drain the battery and cause the ICE to kick in."

you must have a lemon !
In a tough New England winter I've been using just the seat warmers (wifey's on high!) and I've seen no difference on my daily drives vs slightly warmer and no heated seats. No ICE kicking in either...

re the original poster - he said he's got a lot of miles and wanted to keep his vehicles under 200k
So he's replacing the car, its not a question of banking the $ instead and becoming a millionaire.
He didn't say what his weekend routine was but based on his work route charging both ways it looks like he'd be putting at least 10,000EV miles on per year.
Sure it'd be nice to wait til the next PiP with its 20mile? range but based on his work commute - he doesn't need that to go gas free now

 

In the sun, no. In the shade, possibly.

 

I was looking to see if you lived in CA and wanted to get one of the few remaining HOV green tags, then the answer would be easy...get the PiP and as soon as possible. In OH case it is trade-off of personal values...I tend to like the idea of waiting for the next gen PiP but I am not you.

 

If you can get it for roughly the price of a regular 3, which many of us have, it's worth considering. Otherwise, while your commute is perfect for the PiP, it's also got to be pretty good in the regular model, so it won't pay back very well.

That said driving electric is a benefit in and of itself that has some value, in my opinion.

 

I know I've already said my opinion on here. But I feel people are only considering the new Gen3 versus a PiP. If that is really your two choices, then it is a no brainer to go with a PiP. But people need to be at least talking about/mentioning the keep your 2010 option.