Prius Prime as 2nd car?

correct.

 

With a BEV, there would be even less maintenance. If I were going to be keeping a traditional car or hybrid as back up, I would skip the PHEV and go for the BEV for the daily driver. Why bother dealing with two engines when you don't need too?

 

Yep, as an example my Fiat 500e basically only listed inspections, tire rotations and cabin air filter replacement prior to 10 years / 10,000 miles.

I’m not really complaining about the scheduled maintenance in the Prime because it is currently my only car. It does seem a bit wasteful when I take it into the service department early next month with an estimated 700 miles out of 2700 miles in hybrid mode.

 

The Fiat 500e was a lease. Turned it in just after getting the Prime.

Agree the cargo space in the Prime is a little tight because of the slope of the rear window.

 

Yikes where to start? In our driveway is a Prime,Model 3 and a Leaf. I vote thumbs down on older Leafs. Range on ours on a good day is 85. Commute is 20 miles each way. Charge time to recoup those 40 miles is 12 hrs on 110v. It takes a lot of thought before you jump in and go run errands, kids, shopping etc. Gotta plan on making it there and back with a cushion for side stops and traffic and recharging for the next day. Range anxiety isn’t a problem with either the Tesla or the Prime.
Quality of the three vehicles is comparable. None of these vehicles have been trouble free. We have had the Prime for a year. It has had the AC compressor replaced, the driver and the passenger seats replaced. The 2015 Leaf has had recalls for airbag problems and ongoing front suspension issues. The Tesla’s charging port door has a mind of its own and is to be repaired soon and the trunk lid needs adjusting, otherwise the fit and finish on the Tesla are fine. I expected issues with both the Prime and Tesla as they are first year models.
Funny you should mention insurance....the Prime is $50 more per year than both the Tesla or the Leaf.

 

Tesla should probably be compared to BMW and Mercedes in terms of issues.

Used, most of the depreciation already happened, and with the various incentives out there for new, all plug ins will have steep depreciation for the near future without even accounting for technical improvements.

Your location opens up other options for used, shorter range BEVs. The 500e was mentioned already, but there is also the Spark EV, Soul BEV, Focus EV, smart ED, iMiEV, plus some I likely missed. The smart is the only one I'd be wary off, and that is because it is the only one in the US that had a battery leasing option, so you'll have to ask if any you look at are under that program.

 

They also have a forum so you might try: Inside EVs | Electric Vehicle News, Reviews, and Reports

Of course there is also: Chevrolet Bolt EV Forum - Welcome to the Chevy Bolt Forum

Good luck!

Bob Wilson

 

Adding a prime to the Lexus IS only a 30% increase. The advance has all the same features as the Lexus except the bottle cooler.

Also you well look more conservative at work driving a prime.

 

What were the symptoms of the AC compressor failing?

And were the seat problems fabric or mechanical?

Inquiring minds want to know!

 

A PHEV would be great for you. I have a very similar situation and use an OutBack for family hauling, long trips etc. while I only use about 2-3 tanks per year in my plug-in Energi. The Prime's hatch design will also work great for the costco trips. Do it.

 

Yes, it's my daily driver. The energi has much more room and at the time of purchase more features. The volt has, of course, way more range and stronger EV performance so I think of it as more of a sporty GT 2+2 type car. Great for a single commuter but cramped because it's a smaller platform than the Energi and the larger battery intrudes on space. I traded it for the Energi specifically because of room.

The Prime and Energi are very similar in EV performance and range but the newer gen. Prime has better space/management and fuel economy but only 4 seats. Give and take. The good news is we (you) now have many more choices today!

 

Are you asking if an additional car purchase will save you money on 70 miles a week of commuting ?

This should not be toooo hard:
70*52 = 3640 miles a year
= 3640/12 = 300 gallons a year
= ~ $800 a year for fuel.

I would be embarrassed to consume so much fuel a year, but the cost is trivial compared to another car.

I´m curious,
How much did you spend to buy your land barge ?

 

Sorry, been offline for some time...(enjoying the M3)

The AC issue was an overly robust noise when starting the car. Kind of like winding up sound under the hood..I’m not sure that has solved the issue but have not revisited it lately.
The driver seat recline was either off track or stripped. It was replaced.
The passenger seat side bolster was broken and replaced.

Other than those issues, it a fabulous vehicle especially fun to drive on electric. It’s getting a full front self healing film protector next week.

 

Here is the spreadsheet you are looking for. It was posted by someone here on one of Prime thread, but I can't remember where I got it from. It is located on shared Google Drive. I made copy of the link so I can reference to it time to time. If anyone knows where I found this spreadsheet, please let me know so I can give proper credit to the person who created it.