Had my mind set on a used Prius--2013/2014 somewhere in the neighborhood of $12K-$13K give or take with a goal of finding one with less than 40K in miles. Then i started reading about some of the discounts on the Volt (local group buy in Boston) and determined that I could buy a 2017 Volt (with MSRP of $33.5K) for around $26K. Come tax time next year I'd be looking at $10K in tax credits on the Volt resulting in an after-tax price of $16K. So, Three Year Prius with say 40K miles for $13K OR, 2017 Volt for $16K?
yes-- guess i do need to take the volt for a spin before I think any further about it. any opinion on the volt overall--from a reliability perspective? that is the one unknown for me---the prius reliablity is certainly a positive for me.
First of all, are you going to have a tax liability of $10,000 to write off the Volt, in the first place? Remember, these aren't refundable tax credits, it can only reduce your Tax liability to Zero, so if you only owe the Government like $4,000 in taxes, that's all you're going to get back (not sure how Massachusetts rebates work...). Second, Boston electricity prices are expenses, nearly twice the rate of what I pay down here in Texas, it will cost you more to pay in electricity to drive your Volt, than what you'll pay in gas to drive your Prius (too lazy to do the math, google it yourself). Third, the Prius is bigger and has more cargo room, if that's important to you... I say go with the Volt if you can deduct most or all of that $10K from your taxes, besides, gas prices rises eventually, so you'll hedge your bets.
No, I'm not going to talk you off of it. For some uses, it is a better choice. If that includes you, then go for it. And talk to F8L, a long-time member here. He hasn't been very active since getting his own Volt (you may need to ping him with a private message), but he went through the Gen2 and Gen3 Liftbacks and PiP before getting there. I am expecting him to eventually continue on to a Tesla, but an not aware of that happening yet.
Yep have the tax liability for the full boat. I have two small kids so i will really have to take one for a drive to check out the feel and the space. Thanks!
I had a test drive in a Volt "around the block". The front seats are more comfy than the Gen 3 Prius. There were no issues playing my music from my USB drive. Nav screen did not look remarkable but I don't know how their system works compared to Toyota's or to Garmin's. Cargo area is definitely smaller than the Prius. I could not fit in the back seat. There was no leg room and I would have had to bend down to have the back of my head rest against the hatch glass. I have a personal bias against GM so I'm not quite ready to eat my own vomit by buying another car from them. But they do appear to have managed to build a decent car.
Prepare a dummy 2017 return on the 2016 form. When the hybrid tax credit was available on the Gen 2 Prius the "common" causes of not being able to take the full credit were the Child Tax Credit and the Child & Dependent Care Tax Credit.
The main thing is Prius is great family car with lots of space...just oodles of space in a used Gen3. Volt is more of a high quality commuting car great for one or two riders in front. We have 3 car seats across in our Gen2. and often have a big stroller and other junk in back hatch. It'll be harder in a Volt. How about used Plug-In Prius PiP? You won't find more space in a plug-in ever again maybe (smaller battery).
Yep, worked at H&R Block for a couple years, those two count for a lot. You have to make quite a bit in order to get the full tax credit, probably a big reason why the Volt hasn't quite taken off as once estimated.
well the former Gen2 hybrid tax credit was a tax mess...it put everyone into AMT equations that reduced most everyone's credit. The later C4C and Plug_in tax credits since then have been designed to not force AMT on the buyers.
The gen i volt is as reliable as a Prius, the 2016 gen ii came out Average with a Mexican engine. The 2017 volt had a lot of internal software updates, was updated to an American engine and appears to be very reliable but it hasn't been around long enough to get good data. Remember that the 2017 volt came out in February of last year, a 2018 may be around the corner if you wait a few months. The Volt is one of the more reliable cars on the market with the most reliable battery to date. (Zero degradation) Most volt owners change the oil once every two years and replace tires and that is about it Good Luck
Went to check out the Volt in person--(wasn't able to drive it for some reason?) --but I can say the interior is just way too small for me (with a 2 and a 4 year old). Ain't no stroller fitting in that trunk, never mind a couple bags of groceries. Back to the Prius I go. Thanks all.
I drive 4 adults and more than a few sacks of groceries in my gen i volt. In terms of strollers I had a wheelchair in the back of mine, depends if your stroller actually folds
Hmm--yeah i can actually see it being easier to fit adults in that car...but with kids come just a bunch of other stuff. Not much area it seemed to fit much else besides bodies (or carseats). Surprised you can fit a wheelchair...Most strollers fold, but I would have to think even the length would be a struggle in the back cargo.
See? No fanboy help required. You talked yourself out of getting what would have been the wrong car - for you.
