Hoping to buy 2021 Prius Prime as my first car today! What do you think of this quote?

Where does one apply...

 

I think Uber Driver Discount, like other Toyota offers, is regional. You can ask your dealer, but I do not see the Uber offer on the New England Offer page. It is listed in the Greater NY region offers.
Compare those two offers:
Greater NY Prius Prime Offers: Find a Toyota Prius Prime | Toyota Dealer | Buy A Toyota
New England Prius Prime Offers: All Offers | Local Toyota Offers | BuyAToyota.com/NewEngland | Buy A Toyota

 

Thanks Sal, I guess I won't have to worry about getting my rear seat car mats dirty, or finding a new place to stash my donut spare

These offers are pretty good, I hope they hold out until June, I have to keep my '18 for 3 years or pay back the MA incentive check, not sure about the Fed, but I'm sure it's something similar. Somehow I think the demand for the Prii will be increasing over the coming months...

 

Well, unlike many state incentives which have a minimum length of ownership requirement, usually 36 months, the current federal tax code for the plug-in electric vehicle credit does not have an explicit clause requiring the minimum length of ownership. There is a vague "recapture" clause included in the code, so I think IRS can ask for the return of the credit under certain circumstances. That being said, there are many who have traded in PP annually and got the credit year after year. I sold my 2020 PP after only 10 mo but will be asking for the credit for this year's tax return. They may turn it down, but worth asking.

See this thread: Will IRS recapture the tax credit for alternative-fuel vehicles sold early? | PriusChat

 

Thanks Sal K, good to know.
I will probably trade for another Prius in June or later when 3 years has gone by

 

Do you guys use Android Auto? It requires you to hook up your phone each time with a USB cable. It would be a lot more useful if it were Wi-Fi.

Yes, I find BSM truly indispensable. Don't forget that you also get the rear cross-traffic alert and parking proximity sensors. It's too bad that these features are now standard on Prius but not on Prius Prime. HUD is a nice touch but certainly not a must. You get quite a few other goodies such as rain-sensing wipers, fog lights, accent lights, JBL amplifier and speakers, HomeLink mirror, and remote A/C. Of course, you also get the XLE features such as auto-on lights, charging-cable lock, Qi charging, and three-door smart key. They say the Limited also has a heavy tonneau cover instead of a light one, but I couldn't tell the difference.

 

Amen!

 

It is a nice list of "niceties" - but beyond the BSM, there's nothing we really desire - at least not $6k worth of desiring.
A Prime LE, after rebates, tax credits, etc - is priced below not only the lowest level Prius, but also below Carollas and other "economy" cars. That to me is the value sweet spot. We're getting a much better vehicle for a really good price.

 

In low tax states like Florida you get nothing. Please take advantage of all those incentives if you live in a high tax state.

Buy two!

 

Yeah, but I had apparently the same one in my 2020 Prius Prime XLE; yet, according to specs on the the Toyota website, the LE and XLE have the lightweight and the Limited has the heavyweight one. Perhaps it's a typo in the specs?

Note that you aren't really losing that $6k unless you keep the car for a long time. A newer used Limited will cost about $6k more than a used LE of the same model year, mileage, and condition; so, you will recapture most of the $6k (except for the sales tax) when you sell or trade in the car.

 

Or someone buying a limited wanted the light weight cover.

 

I often find the added cost of the features found in the higher trim of the same model does not hold the value when selling. For example, the KBB trade-in value of the 2020 PP LE vs Limited with the same 15K miles and excellent condition gives $22,064 for LE vs $25,328 for Limited. The difference is the depreciation of 21% of the original price for the LE compared to 25% for the Limited.

 

It is hard to put a value on a feature that saves you from an unfortunate incident. More than once the rear cross traffic alert has saved me when backing out of the Costco parking lot when parked between two large SUVs and someone is driving through with no intention of stopping.

 

On my Mazda3 I have this functionality, with the blindspots, it's well worth it for that car. On my Prius prime 2020 I kind of miss it along with BSM. But beyond that, I'm not really missing it too much. Don't forget the toyota econnect functionality is different between the cars. You get things like charging rate, etc. on the higher end model that you don't get on the base. All the base gives you for information is mileage and tire pressure.

 

It can't be. The tonneau cover is a factory item.

 

Hmm, the depreciation will be less if you trade in early or with lower miles. Also, the Limited probably has a higher dealer discount when you purchase it than the LE.

 

Exactly! Driving without BSM is in ways like driving without ABS/ESC. You don't get into an accident until you get into one. Rear cross-traffic alert is certainly useful, too.

 

Your numbers may be different from mine since KBB adjust the used car value based on the regional market. But that's the number I got using KBB used car value site. It is almost always true for any cars I have plugged in. That is one of the reason that purchasing a higher trim used car is more of a bargain than buying a brand new. I purchased 4 years old Pathfinder Hybrid Platinum trim a couple of years ago. When I was looking for this model, same year similar milage lower-trim Pathfinder Hybrid were all selling at a similar price, making this loaded vehicle more of value for me. But certainly, a person who purchased it brand new and traded in 4 years later had lost more on the car.