Hi everyone, I've been looking at a Prius for a while now and as a result of a new job position I will be relocating and buying a new car. Thus I have narrowed the list down and the 2015 Prius made the shortlist. Background: -Current situation is as follows: I'm from CA and will be moving to Boston (actually in the burbs in Marlborough) in a few days. I will be back in CA in 1-2 years. -I currently drive a 2005 G35 Coupe 6MT (I'm the first and only owner still, this car will stay in CA with my dad). -Looking for something more practical and definitely more fuel efficient as a commuting car. I want it to be as reliable as possible and hope to keep it at least 10+ years. -Other cars I'm considering are the Subaru Impreza/Crosstrek or the Outback. Mainly for the AWD and the Outback has incredible cargo capacity. Questions: 1. My main concern is how the cold weather will affect the long term reliability/functionality of the Prius? I've heard it really has no effect and the battery will do fine. Also, I've been told that after every snow season I should go and get the underbody cleaned from all the snow to prevent rust. If 1-2 winters in Massachsetts will ruin the cars long term reliability I may consider buying a beater then getting my Prius when I get back to CA. 2. Driving in the snow. Coming from CA I have never driven in real snow (I've been through big bear and that's about it). I've read on multiple threads that the prius is fine in the snow as long as you drive smart and have snow tires. How hard is driving the prius in the snow for someone who has never driven in real snow? I'm sure it won't handle like the Subaru but will it be manageable? 3. I will be coming back to CA in 2 years, how well does the Solar Roof cool down a car? I've read mixed reviews, my main concern is has anyone had any issues with this not functioning or the system needing repairs? I don't handle heat well and the thought of having the vents start and AC going seems really appealing to me. It's also a jump from the Two to the Three and then $1500, haven't considered this too much but just wanted to research a bit more. 4. I'm old school, I don't doubt the reliability of the Prius, but would you recommend getting the extended warranty? I have some doubts about the battery holding it's charge well after some time, but will this really take away from the mpgs? 5. The price is right for me. I'm looking at 20,200 (truecar) when buying in Massachusetts. Does this seem pretty standard for a Prius Two? Thanks again! Hope to join the family soon!
20k is about cheap as you can get a new prius 2 for. I'm in So Cal and got the 2015 Prius Persona new for 22300 and I haggled a lot. Don't get the warranty.
Thanks law for the reply! Enjoy your persona! Do you mind me asking, what sold you on the Persona? Also, where in socal are you? I'm in OC and just went to the Irvine and RSM dealers to check them out
I'm in San Dimas but purchased the car in Santa Monica. To be honest I wanted a prius for mpg and reliability and was going pull trigger on prius 2 because just wanted it to be cheap as possible and would have consider used but I knew I can get new car for used price. Then my gf last second said she needs navigation and leather so that's how we ended up with Persona. I first email all dealers in So Cal from Santa Monica to Palm Springs to San Diego then the ones that gave me good pricing I haggle over email/phone. Long time ago I used to haggle in person dealer to dealer but as you can assume they're assholes, but back then things weren't so prominent on internet like it is now.
can you wait until you get here? the marlboro dealer is the best, and held the priuschat gathering last fall. might want to compare pricing with cali. not sure about the warranty though. i wouldn't bother with warranty, but that's a personal decision that may or may not help you sleep at night. they are pretty good in the snow, but if you absolutely, positively have to be somewhere in the middle of a blizzard, you may want to go with a set of snows.
Bisco thanks for the reply! I plan on buying the car in Marlborough as the sales tax is lower than CA. Know anyone who has a connection to the dealer I could talk to? I hate dealing with the stealerships but I know it's part of the drill.
you could try pm'ing danny, the owner of priuschat, he made all the arrangements for the prius gathering with them. and make sure you're covered on the 10/150 warranty when you get back to cali. it's actually acton toyota, in littlteton.
No that included the 2,000 rebate. The cost of the loan is $800 over 5 years so it was worth it to take rebate over 0% since it was one or the other. 22,300 includes the 2,000 rebate from Toyota. 4,199 dealer discount with it.
0% financing usually only applies when a higher price is paid for the car. It's always smart to get a cash price quote as well as check Edmunds and TrueCar to see what the dealer cost is and what others are paying for the same options.
That was the plan actually then they gave me issues so finance manager at dealer found us a better rate at Wells Fargo. Back when I purchased the car there was only 2,000 rebate or 0% + 500 now I think its 0% + 1,000. Depending what your credit is like and how much you pay depends which deal saves you more in the long run.
I went off the window sticker that came from the factory. I don't trust dealers one bit. I know their job is to make money off me. I'm talking about not being able to find the price I paid for the car on true car's graph. New 2015 Toyota Prius Price Quote w/ MSRP and Invoice
For two years, I'd lease. No worries about salt and rust coming back to CA. No worries about transporting the car. Probably $1000 to ship across the country. If you purchase now you'd have 9 year old model despite being a 2 year old car when you move back because the Gen 3 has been out since 2010. A brand new Prius is coming out next year for 2016. You don't want to buy that either because first year models tend to have bugs worked out in subsequent years. Yup, I'd lease a 2015 today and purchase a 2017 later.
I had the option of 0% APR or the rebate. Maybe the rebate would have saved me money in the long run, but the 0% financing was much simpler than screwing with banks to get the "best" rate I could find.
As Bisco has implied, since MA is a CARB state, you should still be covered by CARB warranty when you get back to CA
