Prius Plugin Regrets

Discussion in 'Gen 1 Prius Plug-in 2012-2015' started by swimsrf, Jul 10, 2015.

?

Should I take the car back or try to trade for another one?

  1. Yes

    2 vote(s)
    7.7%

  2. No

    24 vote(s)
    92.3%
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  1. swimsrf

    swimsrf New Member

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    Hello. New to this forum.I just bought a Prius plugin three weeks ago, and I'm having major regrets. I ultimately ended up buying the plugin because
    1) my daily commute is usually short < 10 miles, and I thought I could mostly go EV within that distance
    2) Toyota's are comfortable and familiar to me as I had a Celica I loved for 13 years
    3) Toyota's record of reliability
    4) The price was one of the most reasonable of the plugins/EV's

    It's a very comfortable and very nice car, but I can't seem to shake the feeling that I just really bought an overpriced Prius. I feel like the EV mode was very much over sold, and in order to accomplish just 8 miles of around with EV mode, I have to drive like a grandmother, watching as all the other car drivers around me pass me by. Like EVERY CAR passes by. I'm constantly looking at the remaining miles, and doing things like sweating with no a/c on or coasting to avoid using too much power. And then the constant charging to try to keep this going. UGH. It's a royal pain. It would be so much better if I didn't even bother - but then I'd just be driving a regular Prius.

    I purchased the car on June 21, and I'm seriously thinking about going back to the dealer and seeing what they can do. However, there's not much they can do for me if my beef is that it's not enough of an EV, and I am considering the Volt (and I really hate Chevy's) or maybe a Leaf, and dealing with some range anxiety. Why not? I clearly already have range anxiety - in a sense.
     
    #1 swimsrf, Jul 10, 2015
    Last edited: Jul 10, 2015
  2. Greg_M

    Greg_M Member

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    Welcome to the forum!

    Your mpg is going to be higher with the plug-in over the regular prius even when in hybrid mode. Of coarse if you're only driving 20 miles a day then that really doesn't make a difference. I get 12 miles in my base plug-in and 9-10 in my advanced with the A/C on.

    Give it some time. You're going to get really great mpg without driving it like a grandpa. With the little miles you drive it's not much difference in cost. Enjoy the car.
     
    #2 Greg_M, Jul 10, 2015
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  3. gallde

    gallde Active Member

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    Don't sweat! The A/C doesn't use enough power to drop your range much on an EV commute. And, don't hold back when the traffic is faster than 65, just let the ICE come on if needed. your commute is perfect for the PIP range, like mine is. Yes, sometimes I play the game of trying to get there without the ICE starting, but if it does, no big deal. There are some pretty good hills on my commute, and I still average >100 MPG over a tankful even with the occasional starts. On gas alone, on long expressway trips like Tarrytown to East Hampton I get 65 MPG. If I had to drag around a big Volt-size battery, I'd get maybe 55 MPG on gas.
     
    #3 gallde, Jul 10, 2015
  4. Greg_M

    Greg_M Member

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    A/C drops my range by just over 1 mile.
     
    #4 Greg_M, Jul 10, 2015
  5. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    As far as over-priced, that depends on how much you paid. Some in Ca. got some sweet deals on PiP.
    Toyota has sold a ton of PiPs in Ca. and the reason probably is the HOV green stickers for the most part.
    So basically you got a Prius with HOV capability and is a plug-in "lite".
    Sounds like you are a closet Volt fan, but also the next PiP design coming soon (year or two) may be more to your liking.
     
    #5 wjtracy, Jul 10, 2015
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  6. iplug

    iplug Senior Member

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    What did you pay and where did you buy?
     
    #6 iplug, Jul 10, 2015
  7. Zythryn

    Zythryn Senior Member

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    It really depends on what you want out of a car.
    If you are looking for a plugin vehicle who's strength is excellent fuel efficiency, you have the best car on the planet.
    If you are looking for the drive experience of electric, and want that all the time with no compromises, you way want a Volt, or better yet if the range meets your requirements, a Leaf.

    As for getting out of the PiP purchase, the sooner you check the better. Even if you aren't sure if you are going to return it, you should know your options.
    Most dealers have a three day return. In MN, it is required by law actually. Some dealers offer 30 day returns.
     
    #7 Zythryn, Jul 10, 2015
  8. swimsrf

    swimsrf New Member

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    I paid $28k with the Base Package, and I'm Los Angeles.

    And if I'm a Volt fan, I'm really in the closet, because I think it is SUCH an ugly car. :eek:

    I just spoke to a friend of mine who used to work at a competitor of Kelly Blue Book, and is a car enthusiast. He drove a Leaf for a few years, but the range was always an issue. It seems that my best bet is to wait for the lower-priced Tesla to come out or the Leaf with double the range. With that in mind, it's probably not going to be until 2017, so at least I should have two or three years with this vehicle.

    I was originally going to lease an EV or plugin, but the rebates and incentives I'm receiving from California and my employer were just too good to pass up.

    The MPG advantage is a comfort, but I bought the car because I thought I could drive those 20 miles a day on EV without too much effort. o_O
     
    #8 swimsrf, Jul 10, 2015
  9. Zythryn

    Zythryn Senior Member

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    I totally get that.
    The second Gen of all of these cars is due out over the next 2-3 years.
    Your options then should be pretty impressive.
     
    #9 Zythryn, Jul 10, 2015
  10. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    I am curious about employer incentives for PiP? A guy near me got one, said it gave him best parking spot at work.

    As far as $28k, I guess that's not bad but not cheapest we've heard if I assume that does not include taxes and tags.
     
    #10 wjtracy, Jul 10, 2015
  11. priuskitty

    priuskitty PIP FAN

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    As for me, I have no regrets. I'm 2.7 miles from work. I fill up my gas tank every six months. I like this car so much I traded my 2012 PIP for a brand new 2015 PIP. Cut my payments about forty bucks and shortened my loan from the original 71 months to 61 months and got the new loan for 0% interest.. After three years the EV range went down a bit. (9.6 miles) now it's back up to 13.1 on the new PIP.
     
    #11 priuskitty, Jul 10, 2015
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  12. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    LOL o/p, that was very funny. thanks, i needed that.:p
     
    #12 bisco, Jul 10, 2015
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  13. swimsrf

    swimsrf New Member

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    Yeah. This time I bought a car through Costco's Auto Program, which is supposed to be a no-haggle experience. I hate haggling, but after all is said and done, I probably should have done that.

    Haggling seems to work better.

    I did get the 0% interest loan, at least.
     
    #13 swimsrf, Jul 11, 2015
  14. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    You should have no problems selling that car with carpool stickers in a couple months. There are no more pips being produced
     
    #14 JC91006, Jul 11, 2015
  15. Jan Treur

    Jan Treur Active Member

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    Probably you refer to the EV range indicator here, which as a default rule just cuts off 10% of the indicated remaining range. In reality the loss in range is much less, maybe even less than 3%.
     
    #15 Jan Treur, Jul 11, 2015
  16. Greg_M

    Greg_M Member

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    No, I'm talking about actual miles which actually run pretty close to the guess-o-meter. I make a specific trip with A/C and I come up short on ev miles but without A/C I have ev left over. The difference varies but it's around a mile or so.
     
    #16 Greg_M, Jul 11, 2015
  17. cproaudio

    cproaudio Speedlock Overrider

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    Did you test drive one before you bought it? Did you do your research before you bought it? Truecar would have probably offer a better deal than Costco without any haggles.
     
    #17 cproaudio, Jul 11, 2015
  18. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    That depends on what you paid. Over the past year, many buyers have been getting very good deals on the PiP, at a very surprisingly low premium over the non-PiP.
     
    #18 fuzzy1, Jul 11, 2015
  19. giora

    giora Senior Member

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    Barely making 8 miles round trip on EV? With a new car and driving like a grandmother? In the summer and no a/c? Come on!
     
    #19 giora, Jul 11, 2015
  20. IanIanIanIan

    IanIanIanIan Member

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    The PiP is not an EV. It is a range extended hybrid. It was never intended to be otherwise.

    Just forget about looking at the EV miles, even turn off the display. Just charge the car overnight then get in and drive it.

    You will be amazed how frugal it is and how unstressed the driving will be.
     
    #20 IanIanIanIan, Jul 11, 2015
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