Shopping for a Prius c. Two, Three or Four?

my previous car had one. while they're nice to have, i certainly wouldn't say it's something i'll miss. the c lets plenty of light in without another window on the roof

 

How much does a C2 cost by your local dealer? Any surplus fee? Thank you.

 

Our car was 21,000 on sticker. No side mouldings but carpet mats and rear bumper protector, the 11 model.I got them down to 20,300, round numbers, and then had the heated leather seats added, 1189.00. Also got them to throw in the side mouldings before I signed the deal. The salesman acted like I had whipped him in our 5 minutes of visiting, but I knew better. They are making money on these cars or they would not sell them. Never had a moon roof, don't want one now. I studied these cars and read everything I could on this forum. The model 2 was the best bang for our buck, so I wrote him a check for 21,600. 1500 taxes in Mo. on top of that. Did that as soon as we got home, and had called the insurance man the day before to make sure we were covered. Bought new wheels before I ever paid for the car. I do not do hubcaps. 460.00 for the wheels. I am adding in my head, 24.5 or there abouts. I had planned to buy the Sonic turbo Hatch. Same price. I got the best of the two, no doubt.
Dan
life is good with the C 2 for us

 

It sounds like you've already decided, but I'll weigh in anyway. I bought a level 2 a few months ago and it has been great for me. Here's how I'd assess what I'm missing:

• Smart Key system. This would have been convenient since I usually have my hands full of something when I go to the car. However, I'd value this convenience at two or three hundred dollars, not the thousand+ jump to a level 3.
• Entune system. I'd rather have a simple audio link to the car (Bluetooth) and keep all the intelligence on my smartphone. The phone apps already work better than the in-dash system and will keep getting better over the life of the car. Remember that any Internet-dependent Entune features require a smartphone and a data plan anyway, so all it's adding is a bigger screen and an arguably worse user interface.
• Moonroof. I bought this as an upgrade for a previous car, and while it was cool to have, I always kind of wondered what it was good for. Open, closed, half-open ... I found myself using it because it was there, not because it really did anything.
• Heated seats. If I lived in a colder climate and had an early morning commute, I could see this being a little treat every day, but I can easily live without it.
• Leather seats. I'm a vegan, so this isn't an option.

Other things like wheel designs don't matter to me, but it sounds like that kind of thing could be added separately for less cost.
If you have a limited budget, you might consider that an optional extended warranty and/or prepaid service agreement are comparable to the cost of a trim level upgrade. This might be a good alternative if, like me, you want to avoid the surprises of repair costs in the future.
You also asked about the CVT ... in my experience (I also drove a Civic Hybrid for eight years before this car) it's like an automatic but without the sometimes jarring gear shifts. It accelerates smoothly up to any speed. Driving other cars now seems clunky by comparison.

 

I bought the 4, traded in my 2000 RAV 4 with Cruise Control, so I did want that. Its my first new car, and I want to keep it for a long time, so I thought that the Softex looked nice and would wear well. Moon roof was not required, but it does help vent off the heat when I am starting my drive home. Fog Lights were a must for me, since I live in a foggy area.
So far I love it, have no regrets, and am even learning to appreciate Entune somewhat.