2010 to 2014 Prius, plug in or not

Unfortunately, Toyota doesn't offer the solar roof vent on the PiP. They figure the ability to remotely turn on the A/C for 10 minutes when the car is charging will substitute for the venting. Not so much.

BTW, the 11 solar panels on my house create more grid power than my charge uses. And I didn't pay a cent for a charger, a 110-V extension cord from my basement dedicated outlet is plenty to charge in 3 hours. I set the car to start charging at 5am.

 

I agree. Every EV mile means that much less "due maintenance" on the traditional ICE components of a PHEV. Of course, a pure EV has zero maintenance of a traditional drivetrain. OP, if you are getting the itch of a new(er) car, perhaps your circumstances are appropriate to consider a pure EV such as a Nissan Leaf.

 

Exactly why my son and I didn't go for a Leaf last Spring. However, after driving it we both realized, laughing, that a well-made EV means no tune-ups, no transmission oil or oil filter changes, no gas rusting the inside of the tank, no spark plug maintenance, no head gasket leaks, no valve adjustments, no leaking piston rings, no any of that stuff... just an eventual traction battery cell exchange (maybe) and eventual brake pad & fluid changes. What a lot of headaches to get rid of! Our conclusion: the world needs many more Teslas

BTW we ended up bying a 2013 Ford Fusion Energi plug-in. It has 22 - 25 EV miles and an average, confirmed by us on a 7k cross-country Summer trip, of 43 MPG overall.

 

I just did that in December last year. I had a 2010 IV with sunroof, which I hated to give up, but I wanted the plug-in and I am very happy with my 2014 plug-in advanced. Had it for almost 2 months now and am loving the plug-in. Have not had to buy gas since I bought it. I am retired and drive only short distances to the grocery , church and such. All my trips are within EV range. It is so much fun to drive in EV too. JUST LOVE IT!!!!!
Plus on the highway when I drove it home from Maryland to Ohio I got a welcome suprise of higher highway mileage. I got 51 mpg driving my 2010 to Maryland and I got 56 MPG driving my new plug-in home.

 

What is your secondary vehicle? I'd buy a used Leaf to replace that, and keep your current Prius for longer trips. I've seen Leaf's listed for $15k recently on CL. Your commute would be free since you can charge at work, and zero maintenance will save money and headaches.

 

Like I said before, I did exactly what you are thinking about, traded my 2010 IV in on a 2014 plug-in advanced.

I disagree with those who say wait. When the next gen comes out everyone will want one and the price will be higher I would bet. Also when first introduced the next gen is always in high demand and the incentives tend to go away for 2 years or more depending on the economy. Now is a good time as the zero percent financing is a no brainer and the $1000 credit for financing is an incentive that will most surely be removed when the next gen is introduced. Additionally the $2500 tax credit may be gone by then. It is only good for 200,000 cars nationwide and then it is gone. Plus and this is an intangable, but if you can afford it, remember, YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE!

The old wait for the next generation, wait , wait, the next generation is always out there, how long do you want to wait?

200,000 miles, your battery pack is out of warranty a long time ago!!!

 

YOU MAY ONLY LIVE ONCE, but living the last 20 years of your life POOR might be worst than dying.

For over 40 years, I drove cheap and used cars. Now, I can buy NEW. And, it was worth the sacrifice.

I'm retired and over 60 years old. A friend of mine near the same age as I am, had Porches and very expensive cars over the past 30 years, never saved a penny, never worried about money, now has to retire with heart disease and disability.

He has a 12 year old car with no collision insurance, that he recently crashed and had to pay $3,800 out of pocket to repair.

He is getting ready to file for bankruptcy. The stress of being in debt and worrying about is contributed to his heart disease.


Being debt free is GREAT!

 

How any body can comment on wether a person they don't know can or can not afford a new car is rediculous. The only advice you can give is, if you like your PIP or not and maybe comment on the type of driving the purchaser will do to save gas and money. Personly I lease a new car every 3 years, haven't driven a old car in the last 25 years, but as they say, sauezch his own!

 

I am not responding to a financial question about the OP's ability to pay. He ask a question about what would I do and I told him what I did in the same situation not including his finances. He did not give me his financial details so I have to assume that he can afford it.If his 2010 has almost 200,000 miles on it he is close to high maintenance costs anyway. And you will probably shit when I tell you i traded my 2010 in with only 16,000 miles on it.Whatever anyway. Cars depreciate so much every year
and I say again "YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE" if you can afford it and want it go for it!!!!!
I am debt free and retired at 66 yrs old, thank you. Except for financing the 2014 prius plug-in in order to get the a$1000 discount.

 

That isn't likely. If larger or better batteries would fit easily, it would already have them. Or to put it another way, they already upgraded the batteries from the prototypes, which used two separate packs.

 

I don't know if an extender kit is available for the PIP, but it would be too expensive and take up too much cargo space for most people. BTW, the PIP can do up to 62MPH in EV mode. Even the regular Prius can run on electricity only at speeds much greater than 25MPH. That's just the speed at which the 'official' EV Mode disengages.

 

The PIP has a much larger power bar in EV mode. Yu can get out of it, but not easily by accident, like the regular Prius.