I'm replacing a 10 year old 2nd Gen Prius that bit the dust with its ABS module failure. I have the option to get a 2015 Ford Fusion Energi (with less than 40K miles) for about $22K out the door. I'm a bit excited about it because it is feature-rich. We've always been baseline, entry level car folks and this has a lot of cool stuff even though it's 3 years old. I can also get a new 2018 Prius Two for about $25.5K out the door (with attractive .9% financing). Or I've considered a going back to a practical ICE engine like a 2018 Civic LX for about $22K (1.9% fin.). It claims to have 31/40mpg. I know that once you start getting over 30 that the fuel savings on getting a hybrid/plug-in are diminishing. I hate buying cars. Fusions seem to be well-liked but I'm a bit gunshy on making my first non-Honda/Toyota purchase. I'm getting more car with the Fusion, but I don't want to neglect other factors, like safety. Thoughts?
I have a Prius C and a Ford Fusion Hybrid. I love them both......for different reasons. The Fusion is our "highway" car and it still gets good mileage.....for a car that size. The C is ideal for scooting around town; it fits in places that the Fusion won't......and gets even better mileage.
Have you looked at Prius Prime? With all the incentives available the OTD price becomes less than 24k (not counting the full $4502 federal tax credit).
I have no complaints about the Fords I've owned, and that seems to be a good deal. Trunk space is the only concern I'd have with the Energi. New Titaniums run about $35k MSRP.
I haven't looked at the Prime. If you know, can you explain the tax credit works? And what are the incentives? I'll go to a dealer site now and see what I see.
if you pay $4,500. or more in federal taxes, you get a check back. if you owe it when you do your taxes, you take it right off the top, or a combination of both if you owe less. there should be cali incentives as well. all the best with your decision, they are all great cars. test drive each for comfort.
A friend just told me that the fed credit is phases out based on income. I did not see that. Can anyone confirm?
The State offers a $1,500 rebate for buying Prius Prime and if your household income is less than or equal to 300 percent of the federal poverty level you are eligible for an increased rebate amount of additional $2,000. Check the eligibility guidelines below Eligibility guidelines | Clean Vehicle Rebate Project Also your Power company offers you another rebate. In my case it is SCE and they offer $450 rebate. Here in Palmdale, the Air Quality Management District offers $1,000 rebate if you buy the car local. If not they will give you $500. HOV sticker is another incentive available. Look at this link for incentives available in your area. Drive Clean
That only applies to California's own cash incentives. The federal tax credit can only be used for one year though, so you can't get the full amount if you owe less. The Fusion Energi may be eligible for the HOV stickers, but I don't know how those are handled with older cars.
