Trying to Decide: 2018 Prius Two or Prius Three?

We are going to be buying our 4th Prius soon. Previously had a 2006, currently have a 2009 and a 2014 (all purchased new). We'll sell/trade-in the 2009. The 2014 is a level three(3). At the time of purchase it cost about $1,500 more than the level two(2). If memory serves me correctly, the level three had improvements (versus the level two) of: Smart Key on three doors, rear view camera, integrated navigation system, Entune system. For only $1,500 it wasn't a difficult choice and level threes were readily available, equipped the way we wanted and numerous enough to produce competitive bidding.

The 2018 level three costs about $2,000 more than the level two. The level three has the main advantages of Smart Key on three doors, integrated navigation with 7 inch screen, /Entune Premium Audio. We have always liked the Smart Key on three doors. While we like the navigation screen on and sometimes use it, we also bring a Garmin GPS along because the integrated nav maps are getting older and we could buy a new Garmin for each time we would have to update the maps at the dealership. We have not made much use of the Entune system. Further complicating our decision is that in our state the Prius Level Two is readily available all over the state with the equipment we are willing to pay for as well as color schemes; the Prius Level Three is not readily available across the state. This lack of availability makes the competitive bidding process less likely.

This is not about whether we can afford certain levels of the Prius, it is about whether the level three is worth $2,000 more than the level two. We appreciate that only we can really decide this, but any thoughts about the level three versus the level two would be valued by us. (Sorry for the long post)

 

Thank you for the detailed reply. We have really enjoyed the 3-dr SKS. The question is whether some of the other features of the level three make the $2040 difference justifiable. I’m hoping others will comment on their experience with the integrated navigation, Entune etc. Don’t know if I should repost in the gen 4 forum to get more replies? Thanks again for all you do on this site!

 

I’m familiar with setting all doors to unlock with the driver’s door and as my wife and talked about it, that may take some of the pain out of not having 3 door SKS. As you have driven the level Two any additional thoughts about it versus level Three? Appreciate your perspective. Thanks!

I would appreciate you moving this to the Gen 4 for me. Thank you.

 

Thank you for your further reply. Your very long "test drive" is providing you (and others) with some excellent information. You are certainly correct that Toyota trim levels can require compromise. You are right about there being more Two's around, at least my in my state of Wisconsin. It has been suggested that the Two & Two Eco may have less insulation. How have you found cabin noise? Do you know which tire brand is on your Two?

 

Is it possible that “”base grade” is a reference to the One?

The addition of the safety package plus features has been a real inducement for me to get a new Prius now (and get rid of our 2009 Prius). All the safety features combined in the Two and above levels (except Two Eco) are really amazing and a great value.

Knowing what is now available at each trim level would you make the same choice i.e. the Two?

As much as we enjoy the 3-door SKS (have it in both our Prii) I need to find other features we really value to get the Three or above unless I can find an approach to lessen the price gap.

I don’t have experience with what you suggest. Last Prius (2014 Three) was purchased via email bidding (19 dealers participated) with multiple rounds until I felt I had a “market price” and I was pleased with results. Got the car/features we wanted. But this time the situation is somewhat different with the Two versus higher levels. Will have to think about your suggestion. Thanks

 

Well, we've made decision regarding the 2018 Prius Two versus Prius Three. While, overall, we thought we would be satisfied with the Two, we didn't want to "step back" from the Prius Three (2014) we have now. I appreciate the helpful thoughts received here. Now I am in the midst of negotiating for the Three. As I've done in the past, I use the Internet to gather information about the dealers' inventories and then contact them by email specificing what exactly I want (which I know most have) and the pricing offer structure. On our 2014 Three 19 of 21 Toyota dealers contacted, participated. I did multiple rounds. This time I'm limiting the search to eight dealers (6 have the exact car). I'm hoping that is enough to establish a market. We'll see how it goes.

 

We bought a 2018 Prius Three (with all Weather Floor Liners/Cargo Tray Plus) in Hypersonic Red with black cloth interior. MSRP for this vehicle was $28,273. We paid a cash price (which includes possible dealer fees-this dealer had none) of $25,599. This price does NOT reflect a trade-in (our 2009 Prius), nor the Toyota $500 customer cash rebate. It also does NOT include taxes and a state title fee. A 9.5% discount off MSRP is not impressive but acceptable. As mentioned in a previous post above, I did a limited, email process (only 8 dealers) and tried to use the end of the month time period as leverage. But I didn't handle the timing issue well. Sent out emails day before Memorial Day so I had four business days to work with. But Memorial Day wasn't helpful. As a result, I only did one round (I normally do two) and took the best offer and reached out to the dealer I wanted and had them just beat that offer. Could I have gotten a better price with more time and effort? No doubt. But my primary goal is to try to establish the dealer market during a given period of time so that I have a sense of what a reasonable price will be. I have long given up the notion of getting the "best deal". We will never know what the dealer is making on any given sale (there are so many different incentives for dealers). And I don't care what the dealer makes. I care that I'm at least getting a fairly reasonable price given the reality of the current market.
I did waste a lot of time having to clarify the dealer offers. This was in spite of me being absolutely clear what exactly I wanted (which I knew most of them had) and what they should and should not include in their offer price. Next time I will follow the official Motor Vehicle Purchase Contract (Wisconsin's name) and ask them to provide a detailed "out the door" price. (Which may not reflect the actual price if I later choose to trade-in a vehicle). But it will provide a better "apples to apples" offer comparison. The Prius Three is filled with safety features and seems better, albeit on very limited experience, to be quieter, better riding, and bit improved on handling. Now, we need to read through the manuals etc. to learn more about the car!