F8L and I have both gone from a Gen II to a Gen III to a Plug-in Prius and now a Volt, lol. I'd love to see him get a Tesla so I could hear more about one from someone else I know (Evan already has one) because that's one car I won't be getting anytime soon.
We still have our Prius but I sold my E36 BMW, gave our minivan to our son and bought a Volt in July. my wife drives the Prius and it serves her well. No regrets so far. I can do my 37 mile round trip commute purely electric 9 months of the year. With the current round of cold snaps I'm burning around a gallon a week. The test drive was flat out exhilarating and I decided I was ready to treat myself.
I too want to get a Volt and have for almost a year but I would lease due to the constantly changing technology. I continue to go back and forth seeing as my commute is 18 miles one way and I have the ability to charge at work albeit on 110 and only for an hour or 2 only. I am pro-EV but need to abilty to carry my chocolate lab around and to drive longer distances than the current EV's minus the Tesla.
I've had my volt for 3 years and love it. But really, I don't pull out the 110v cord anymore unless I can get a good 4+ hours of charging in, In only one hour you'd barely pick up enough range to notice. I use it at work most every day for about 8 hrs of charging, but if I know I have an appointment out of the office and won't be charging all day I don't bother for the time I am there.
I'm an online subscriber and get the annual survey request every year. Pretty tedious to go through every individual survey category. It's good that they let you do one category at a time and come back later to finish. I thought they sent them to all subscribers.
Yeah, at my work we have a ton of 14-50 and Tesla HPWC and 110s but no J1772. I did think about getting a modified EVSE from EVSE upgrade and the 14-50 adapter to charge at work.
Gee, if GM builds a better truck than Ford, GM would be the sales leader for 37 years - but its' not. DBCassidy OP - the Prius has been 100% reliable - need I say more? DBCassidy
FWIW I like the Volt a lot. IMHO Toyota got the cost/benefit balance just about right on the PIP, but the federal tax incentive really changed the landscape. At $40k it seemed like the Volt was going to be DOA. Now that you can get one for ~$30k after incentives, its pretty tempting for anyone looking at the Prius or PIP that doesn't really need the extra room and has a driving routine that takes good advantage of the EV range. I'd still have some heartburn about long term reliability, but so far they seem to be doing pretty well. As far as trading, as others have said it would be very hard to justify financially. Given the Prius's already very low long term operating/ownership costs its really tough to make up the difference. Same goes for the PIP really, it would look fantastic compared to most other vehicles available of its size but compared to the standard Prius its got a much tougher hill to climb on the financial justification front. Of course the finances are just one part of the final equation... Rob
Sales leader for many years does not indicate that its a better truck, design and cost play a big part of a purchase. Toyota Tundra sales are no where near that of Ford or GM, but I would bet its a way better truck......
I wouldn't make that bet. The tail gate usually has a 200 to 300 pound load rating. I helped a friend wrestle a 600 pound boiler into a GM or Ford bed without consideration of the tailgate. Many that use this things work don't. When first released, the tailgate would buckle on this generation of the Tundra. For the F-150 Ecoboost promotion, Ford ran it against the competitors in some challenges. They used trucks from local rental agencies for this. They, um, broke the Tundra on a rough terrain course. Where the others had no problem, the Tundra frame flexed, allowing the cab and bed to smash into each other. IIRC, it was around $6000 in damages. The Hilux has a rough and tumble reputation, and I like the Tacoma and previous gen Tundra. It appears this generation was designed for the cowboy wannabe without a care for fuel economy. In fairness to Toyota, that is what most pick up truck buyers are, and the fuel economy only hurts because this was the time when the others started working on improving theirs. I believe they have fixed the issues, but Toyota is following when it comes to full size trucks. With the others, the models became bloated years ago. The gen1 Tundra and perhaps the T100 were the smallest in the segment. The gen2 became the largest and one of the thirstiest. Meanwhile, the others had been working on competing with the gen1's fuel economy. The aluminum body is the big news for the new F-150, which is overshadowing that they have finally listened to consumers and lowered the truck's beltline to make the bed usable without having to climb into it, as they once were in the past.
I don't want to get rid of my Prius. Kept me awake at night worrying about it. I used to be a Toyota hater (very bad experience with a Camry), but I love the Prius. So I've come up with a solution... I'll trade my Kia Sedona van for the Volt. Lately, the van has only been used as a dog taxi. Now I'll have the option of using the Volt for my 40 mile commute to work (recharging at work is 7 cents/kwh, recharging at home 9 cents/kwh), and the Prius for longer trips. I realize the economics of two fuel efficient cars for a single driver doesn't make sense. But I'm allowing myself that luxury in my old age.
No Tesla for me until I hit the lotto. I have to pay down this Volt. I've got 21k on the Volt now and have averaged a lifetime mpg of 91 (not MPGe). My commute is terrible for great mileage but now that I live closer to work I've been EV only for the last two weeks and it's awesome. Sometimes the financials don't make sense but how many people use that as their only criteria for purchasing a new car? From a purely financial standpoint I should have kept my 2012 Prius Three. From a purely enjoyment standpoint I love the Volt. If I were starting fresh I would lease a new Volt or pick up a used one that just came off lease. A few friends in my work complex did just that. They got amazing cars for cheap.
I was wondering just the other day when F8L was going to buy another car. Hasn't it been at least 6 months now since he got the Volt? Isn't he overdue?
It'll be a long time before I buy a new one. I moved out and into a nice apartment. I'll be saving for a house. The darn car payment ruins my debt to income ratio. Hahaha On the bright side, I don't have to pay for charging at the apartment and my work charges very little.
I finally decided to trade the Prius for the Volt. I hope I didn't make a mistake. I'll let you know how it goes.
I've had the car since Saturday. Except for a small scratch on the passenger side rocker panel (probably in transport), this car is perfect. The dealer will replace the panel today. It's a wonderful car. I'm glad to see that the US is making a comeback against imports.
Enjoy the new car! A month ago, I traded my 2007 Prius (113,000 miles) for a 2014 Volt. Both are great cars. I found the Prius a bit more practical, and very useful when renovating my house (which I'm done with now). The Volt is a more fun drive, but I miss certain aspects of the Prius (cargo space, shift-knob, not having to bother with the Park button, etc.) My round trip commute is 40 miles, which is perfect for the Volt (I get about 45 miles / charge). For those longer drive's (100+ miles), we have my wife's 2010 Prius. I'd also like to mention the users here at PriusChat are so cool. Very objective. You should see what people say about Prii, or about the guy who traded in his Volt for a PiP on the GM-Volt forum. There seems to be a weird inferiority complex going on over there.
