In a moment of weakness, I found myself considering a used 2012 white PiP. I think the urge is gone for the moment, but some nice looking 2012 PiPs out there around 35k miles Toyota certified used. Our local dealer has one ad for $19.9k real beauty - I don't know if you can bargain on used cars, but looks like some dealers might be as low as $19k for a similar used PiP. With our crazy high annual car taxes in north Virginia based on NADA car values, buying used PiPs like this makes some financial sense. But maybe we need a "v", so we have not sorted that out yet. Any ideas what death of a Li batt is going to look like? Will they die suddenly like a NiMH? or just fade into the sunset? Would we have to replace the whole battery like a NiMH? or just a cell? What would it cost?
If the Leafs are any indication.. they seem to just degrade over time.. but I think everyone knew that.. its just how much degradation over what period of time that we dont know yet. But the PiP seems to be holding up well. John claims no degradation at all. In my case (2 years and 8 months), I havent really noticed anything. But I know my driving style is constantly being refined and I'm better at hypermiling now than I was 2+ years ago. Something else to consider.. if a PiP gets 12 EV miles on average.. and it loses 10% of its capacity.. you may notice if you're constantly driving the same route.. but if not, you'll probably never notice. IIRC, the PiP battery is 4 battery sub-packs that make up the whole battery pack. So worst case, I would think you would just replace one sub-pack. I'd tell you the current MSRP of a sub-pack, but you may hurt yourself when you laugh so hard you fall out of your chair (here's a sub-pack part number, G95084-9055). Good thing the battery pack is warrantied for a long time, even if VA isnt CARB (so 8/100k?)
I think there's more room to deal on a used than new. For what its worth my dealer finally sold my 2013 PiP for 22k - which is what they gave me in trade. I think these will continue to drop with expected improvement in range coming but if you still have the urge I'd offer 18.8 and walk out if they don't accept
I have high confidence in the longevity of these PiP packs, maybe too much. They're too conservatively protected to think otherwise. Speaking from experience (I work for a dealer) it is very dependent upon dealer as to how much room there is to negotiate. We're in the middle of no where and price to sell so folks are willing to make the drive. That leaves less room, if any to work. Back near morgantown city limits most dealers are 2k higher on a comp car, but obviously will negotiate. 6 of one half dozen of another
The burning couches I actually find to be a fun tradition, when done in a non-riotous manner. If you'd ever had the opportunity to sit on these couches, prior to ignition, you'd most certainly pass it up. The rest of the BS that went on downtown was unacceptable, even if completely overblown by media outlets from outside W.Va borders.
my daughter has the distinct honor - and despite a WVU population of over 30,000 I'll bet she's the only one - t0 have transferred from Keene State to WVU ! out of the frying pan into the fire although it sounds as though Keene was more dangerous...
I think that the PiP outside of certain areas (most notably Southern California and other areas they can use HOV/carpool lane stickers for one person) probably won't sell too well unless they're dirt cheap because of the perception that it only gets 11 ev miles (nevermind it also gets 50 mpg in hybrid mode), so people will figure that's not enough for their commute to justify the cost. Not to mention the Federal tax credit of $2500 that the first owner got to claim which will hurt their resale unless the seller drops the asking price by at least that much as well. For others still, the lack of a spare tire may scare them off, even if they probably won't ever use it. With the next gen prius and plug-in prius coming out within a year and a half or so, prices on the first PiPs (many of which may also be nearing the end of their lease) should start to drop even more, especially if Gen 2 PiP is available nationwide, unlike the first one which was only available in 15 states, mainly east/west coast states. If you wait a few more months, the price may drop even further, especially once Toyota officially releases info on the gen 4 prius, as well as the gen 2 pip a few months after that. I don't think it's a bad car. But those perceptions may hurt its resale value, and it may be one reason Toyota chose not to go nationwide with them in the first place, even though they sold fairly well in the areas they were limited in, judging from the sales of plug-ins and ev's monthly charts.
I think Toyota was/is also afraid that people will enjoy plugging the car in and want to get an electric as their next car. I would have probably never considered an EV until I got my PiP for HOV stickers. After a few months of plugging in I wish I had taken a more serious look at the RAV4EV or a Volt, although for my specific needs a PiP actually works out better for the time being. wjtracy: I recommend you taking a look at your specific needs and test drive both the Volt and the Prius Plug-in. If you don't drive more than 30 or 40 miles a day and your electricity costs aren't overpriced, the Volt will allow you to go without gas for a long period of time, and likely be more sporty to drive. On the other hand, if you have a long commute with many long trips and need the additional space, the Prius Plug-in will get noticeably better gas mileage and feel more spacious. The Volt prices will be dropping quickly with the flood of Volt owners coming off their leases and the Gen 2 being announced in a few months.
...I think Volt is fine car but I need space for 3 child car seats, so maybe v is closer to my direction, also plugging in is not a big need for me...but it almost seems a used PiP is good buy
I got a great deal on my used PiP last September. It was actually a dealer demo car, so it was only ever owned by the dealership and arrived to me in showroom condition. Shipped it across country, but saved a ton of money.
