I'm wanting tips from those who have driven 2008 as well as Plug-In Priuses

My current pleasure to have one of each, both blue.

1: No maintenance problems with the 08 (60k miles) and no maintenance problems with the PiP (about 3k miles)
2: I am a "taller person" and have never felt the need to extend the rails on either. They are both equally comfortable. (Or, to be sure, uncomfortable. A lot of people are unhappy about the lack of adjustability, but I'm not one of them.)
3: Not sure what "better for camping" means to you. They both have plenty of electricity, a boon for camping and many other activities.

One suggestion: I have found that the display in the '08 is far superior to the poorly placed, dim, low resolution display in the PiP base version. If he uses the navigation system, make sure he tries driving the PiP on a sunny day and claims contentment with the display.

Richard

 

you've come to the right place. i gave my 08 to my daughter and bought my pip a year ago. there are no major differences in maintenance because there is so little maintenance on these cars anyway. if anything, the pip (and gen III's in general) require less. sorry, can't answer number two since i'm only 5'8". you may want to investigate difference between base with manual seat and advanced with power seat. i'm not a camper, but it should be about the same as far as i can see. all the best with your decision!

 

I went from an 07 Gen II to a 2012 PiP Advanced. Other than the @#$%^flying bridge between the front seats, the PiP Adv is a much better, more comfortable car. Power seats, good lumbar adjustment, and I really like the Softex cover.

 

I went from an 08 to a PHV. The new one is better in every way except the center console. Just do it.

 

1. No maintenance issues.

2. Yes but the steering wheel doesn't telescope out very far. I'm 6'3"

3. Pretty much the same although the GenIII is slightly larger. The extra power and larger battery usage makes traveling in the mountains a little easier.

Make sure he test drives the car in Normal Mode or Power Mode. The GenII throttle response is somewhere between those two. If you put it in Eco Mode it will feel very sluggish compared to the GenII.

 

Note that the PIP navigation screen is smaller than the 08 and slower than the 08.

 

Except in the case of the PIP Advanced no?

 

We have the PIP Advanced and we think the Navigation system is definitely slower than our 2006 Nav system. My guess is that the system is handling even more functionality (e.g., sat radio, encore, more data on the DVD...) than before which more than offsets their advertised "faster response than before".

We also think the center console layout has lost its functional benefits / convenience for the sake of looking more "cool" - Much rather have the more open console in the 2006.

In terms of space (for camping or whatever), the PIP has a little less all around. We use to put more odds and ends in the spare tire wheel well and the tray that was on top of it - Now we have a narrow deep pocket at the tailgate. Other little spaces are also gone: door pockets in 06 were much bigger / convenient (could hold map sideways). I also mentioned the center console.

 

Good point about the undertray storage in the hatch. I used to fit a lot of junk in there in my GenII and GenIII.

 

I'm sure that a lightly used GenII will be a better overall purchase.

Mostly, the used GenII will cost far less over its lifetime and still deliver 45-50mpg.

The EV range on a PiP is pretty well established. It's between 12-14 miles. Unless you live in range of work or can plug in at work, EV range shouldn't be a big part of the decision. EVen then, if your electricity rates are high, then you may not see much of a financial benefit.

Right now, you get a PiP if you're intrigued by the new technology or you live within its limited EV range. Otherwise, it's an expensive car that might reduce your carbon footprint slightly - and that would depend greatly on how your electricity is generated.

 

you do realize you can get a non pip gen III?