Prius Prime - official prices paid thread

perhaps the market has cooled with higher interest rates

 

agreed

 

I believe the market has cooled in anticipation of the 2023 model. Interest rates have not helped but 6% from Toyota is not the end of the world.

 

I just got a call from the dealer I bought my 2021 XLE from back in late 2020. They said they don’t have a lot of used cars in good condition and wanted mine specifically. (I take it in -to s closer dealer- for routine maintenance.)
Seems they have a lot of new primes just in.
They don’t even know I have less than 16k miles on it, lol.
Blue with moonstone interior, door guards, etc.
I said I wasn’t interested because I have the exact model and color. Plus my interest rate is 2.4 and they touted 3.99.
Eh.
Plus, would I even qualify for another federal rebate next year?

 

2024?

which dealer has a lot of new primes in stock? most places are plum out

 

Come to CA.

my local Toy Sunnyvale had a bunch of 22PP. perhaps too much holding out for good prices.

And yes, the market (for PP) is still really hot, LOL.


EV-

 

I think they meant they new cars on hand but not primes. I looked on their site and they had no Prius models. Grieco in RI.

 

So 2022 PP will no longer be eligible for the federal $4502 tax credit starting 2023? How about 2023 model?

 

No. It's not assembled in NA.

 

possibly available on a lease though

 

Historically, I have never seen Toyota put out attractive lease deals like Hyundai, Honda, or Nissan has done on their EVs in the past. But, yeah, if the lease company is willing to pass on the credit to the consumer. My feeling is that they will not. But we will see.

 

if inventory stays tight, you will probably be right

 

I'm starting to see a lot more used PP's in my car searches lately. Not sure why...but I'm assuming it has something to do with PP's coming off lease at the end of 2022, as some of the posts here seem to corroborate.

Therefore, I'm starting to research what a "decent price" would be for one of these. For example, I'm seeing a certified 2017 Prime Premium ( with the humungo screen ) with 63,000 miles for around 25K. And it is actually somewhat close to me. The price tracking on cars.com shows that the price was as high as 32K in November, 2022. I have seen a few others near these prices as well.

Is this a "decent deal"? If anything, my research indicates prices are at least starting to come back down to a reasonable level...but I'm no guru when it comes to PP's.

BTW - I really like the 2023 Prius but I'm afraid that for the options I would want, it is WAY more than I want to pay...even for the non-plugin model.

 

Yeah, the used PP price must be starting to come down. Still, $25K for an out-of-the-warranty 2017 PP Preium is very high, considering that I paid only $23K OTD after the $4500 tax credit when it was new back in 2017.

Besides the 11.6" screen, the Premium trim came with Softex seats, both options, I disliked so much that I decided to trade it in for a new 2020 PP LE trim with the smaller screen and cloth seats. Oh, you probably know this already, but the 2017 PP is a 4 seater. The same size as the rear seat but the center console can not be folded to make it a middle seat. Also, the 2017 PP had very hard-to-reach switch positions for the heated seats. Both are fixed on later-year models.

Yeah, the 2023 Prius (and Prius Prime) look cool. But I don't see spending north of $30K for it when I know it will not serve all the transportation needs we currently have. If we really decide to buy a second car in addition to our current Escape PHEV, it will be a cheap BEV like Bolt or a cheap small pickup track like Maverick. If Toyota decides to sell the Hilux BEV in the US, and it stays more affordable than bz series, then that is what I want. But I don't think that is going to happen.

Toyota Hilux EV Concept Debuts To Preview Potential Zero-Emissions Truck

 

Yeah...in hindsight, many got an almost "too good to be true" deal on PP's back then.

And yep...The Maverick is on the shortlist as well. However, I'm not sold on the long term reliability of it.

 

Agreed. I am not sold on Ford's reliability period. That's why my plan now is to keep the current Escape PHEV for 3 years, and hopeing there will be more affordable BEV or PHEV SUVs in three years.

In general, keeping a car for the long term is more economical. But as long as BEVs and PHEVs are incentivized, the initial 3 years of depreciation are already paid for. For me the last 4 car purchases in the 5+ years, it has been cheaper to switch cars every few years. But I know this strategy will not work forever. I want the last car I purchase to be a reliable long hauler. Ford is probably not the one for that role, I suspect.

 

I agree..to a point. We acquired our Prius V in 2018 for $8500. Admittedly, it needed some work...but we have more than gotten our money's worth out of if. However, it 'has issues' now and I want to replace it. We acquired the Prius C in 2021 for around $9000 ( via craigslist )...and that was very lucky because we needed a vehicle ASAP because our 2010 liftback was totaled when some dingleberry rear ended it. Luckily, insurance reimbursed us very well for the 2010 and was just before vehicle prices really started to take off ( although they were already quite high...which is why I looked into Craigslist ). Moral of the story? No car payment is a lot better than any car payment.

So I'm "expecting" deals like this...and will likely never find them unless the auto market completely crashes. And I can't fathom the ultra high car payments people have these days....nope...no thanks. I just can't stomach paying north of 30K ( after licence and fees ) for even a basic 2023 Prius.

Tangent alert : Expectation is a big thing to consider. We also splurged on a European river cruise for our big anniversary...because they had a free international air deal. We also took a 'ghetto' ( non balcony ) room. All in all it was a *great* deal ( for international travel )...but if we ever do it again, the expectation is there that we will get free international airfare. If we don't, we ain't going again. . Similar conundrum I'm in shopping for a used car these days.

 

This recent study puts the PP on the top of the list of used cars with the biggest price increases from Dec 21 to Dec 22 - over 22%.
Tesla Leads The Charge as Used Car Prices Finally Begin to Tumble - iSeeCars.com

 

Yeah, finding good value in a used car is tricky. If I am handy and willing to spend more time and effort on DIY repair, then I may have been able to find some bargains in the past. But now that is though. As @Marine Ray linked an article showing, the average used car price is now $33,582 even though it is down 3% from last year. It is way too high for average-income households. My first hybrid car was a used 2008 HCH purchased in 2012 for ~$16K. It was at least $3k cheaper than the equivalent mile and year Prius. It served us very well. If my son did not total it, it may be still running strong. My last used car purchase was a 2014 Pathfinder Hybrid purchased in 2019 for ~$18K. It was the most expensive initial MSRP car I have ever owned. I think the original MSRP was $45K. But, after 4 years of ownership, the 9 years old car was starting to show signs of age. And if I have to spend thousands of dollars and hours of time to maintain and repair an old car, I'd rather not keep it. So I got rid of it along with my last PP while I can still get some money for it in the current seller's market.

All and all, my objective has been always trying to keep my monthly car budget which is (initial purchase cost plus) + (all operational cost) - (the value of the car at the end when sold or traded) / (months of operation) to be less than $300/mo. So far, only twice I have been able to accomplish this with 20 PP and 21 PP. The previous most economical car was a 2008 HCH with a $344/mo true cost to own and operate. I am not sure if I can get as economical usage out of our current 22 Escape PHEV, but since it is now serving the roles of two cars, if its cost is less than $600/mo, then it is a success. My projection is that I can easily beat that goal.