Car most traded in for a Chevy Volt is a Toyota Prius?

Your same stage of development and sales (link above) hit the nail on the head.

In NY as well. Great long term investment for fleet managers that do the long term math. After 20K I've only had to rotate tires. Oil change will be at 2 years but not because of my oil life but because of the recommendation. I've enjoyed some long weekend trips in the Volt in the few month. (Example here: 70 MPH and 42+ MPG - quite happy with performance+MPGs | PriusChat )

Several articles on NYPD:
new york police chevy volt - Google Search

 

John,

I believe you should look in the mirror and ask if the above question.

Also, do you approve this message?

DBCassidy

 

Chysler took the bailout money too. Chrysler paid all the bailout money back and is starting to recover. (see 60 minutes episode). Ford did't take any bailout money, as they were able to realign themselves to the current marketplace. Good for Chrysler and to Ford.

DBCassidy

 

Do you have any ideas about how much money Toyota received during the Japanese economic downturn? Not just the indirect funds from having the YEN held at 110, but direct monies as well?

 

What manufacturer doesn't receive monies? Government Motors leads the pack. I did not have to bail out Toyota. But Government Motors is a problem child. Investors see it this way. If not, the why hasn't the stock price climbed?

DBCassidy

 

We are better off with having the GM problems, the 250,000 jobs and and a chance to fix the problems vs not so strong work by Federal government in preserving the company and the jobs. It's what good government is supposed to do.

As for the stories here of "costs" of cars and Volt owners trading out for Prius, as the one story admitted no such stat exists and the costs were bogus accounting. The Volt is a good car vs Prius plug in, GM's problems are not related to the Volt.

 

You really don't understand how anything works do you?

 

Well I can't technically be counted as trading in a Prius as it was an 08 HyCam that I only had for a month but as of this weekend I'll count myself as a former 2010 Prius owner who upgraded to a Volt.

I know you'll never move the haters/fanboys from their positions; they're too heavily invested by this point but the world moves on and so should we. Heck, I know some film fanboys who still swear digital will never be superior. LOL

After two years of owning traditional hybrids, being able to drive at all legal speeds in silent and smooth fashion and at any level of acceleration I choose with instant 100% torque from the start is so, so liberating. No pulse/glide antics, no right lane slow poking, no harsh ICE spin ups or unnecessary warm ups, no burning gas. All on $1.25/day. YMMV

 

hi john,
very interesting that you have both a prius and a volt! i myself personally love toyotas/lexus' i own a 07 prius now for about a year.. of course i love it, but getting a taste of gas saving, i have my eyes on a volt.
how do you like/compare the volt vs. a prius? i mean the $ differences are between the two? $12-15k vs. $30-40k?
performance/reliability/savings etc?
i drive about 50 miles a day and i get about 45 mpg in the prius.. still very happy compared to what i used to drive i love the space, handling, everything pretty much about it...
i am just curious if it is worth "upgrading" to the volt, or if i should keep the prius and possibly buy a plug in kit for it...

 

I found the Volt much more comfortable. I got the Volt on a 36 month lease for $12/day, no cash upfront, more than an 07 Prius would cost. but less than a 2012. I still have the 07, the daughter drives it, but last weekend she asked about trading the 07 Prius in towards another Volt. She is living away from home now and doesn't want the maintenance overhead of the Prius, like oil changes and fueling. I may trade her for an extended trial but I don't think I would ever see the Volt again. She gets free electricity at night from her electric company.

You could expect to get by without any gasoline on a 50 mile commute. You would have to get a partial charge sometime during the day, either in your own garage, a public charging station, or maybe at work. You would only be saving a little over a gallon of gas per day compared to the Prius, but still that adds up to almost $100/month worth. The Volt will cost you some on your electric bill, typically about $35/month, but much less in some places if you can get off-peak rates at night. I pay $25 for 6 months of unlimited charging on an EV subscription.

 

Lots of prius owners on gm-volt.com threads talk about the Prius ...

Here is a recent one but there have been several in the past with the same "result":
Volt vs Prius
(see "Similar Threads" at the bottom of that thread for more)

 

And lets' not forget that this is an election year.

DBCassidy

 

i actually went to a chevy dealership today and was able to test out/check out the volt. a really nice car indeed and i had a great time test driving it.
it had a few things i liked over the prius and few things i disliked.

pros:
handling and driving feel for sure is a different car/category. it has that "new car" feel over the lighter, more body rolled prius. also the acceleration as many know is def better than the prius. the key word is INITIAL acceleration though. after a couple seconds it flattens out and feels almost the same as a prius in acceleration.
lots of gauges/numbers very cool.. exterior styling looks really nice!

cons:
the interior- as much as i like the new technology and design etc. it just wasn't me.. it felt a little more cramped and uncomfortable as well (at least in the driver seat). it sat lower, the steering wasn't as easy as the prius (prius you can drive with one pinky almost). the back seat was tighter/smaller (a bit) and the Pillars were bigger and more blind spots. i've had a 700hp toyota supra before, so i understand performance stand point. i was hoping for a more comfortable car as a daily driver, and the volt has the sportiness over the prius but the comforts is a loss.

over all, as much as i would LOVE to own a volt... the price difference and the pros for me doesn't out weigh the cons (if you can even call it that). if i could own a volt, i would in a heart beat! as i got back in my prius, it did feel a lot lighter (not necessarily a good or bad thing), and just felt easier more comfortable to drive.

if there was a good/reputable plug in kit that allowed the prius to charge/perform similar to the volt, i would probably go that route. i can't quite justify getting a brand new volt at $40k... if it came down in price at closer to $20k it'd be more comparable.
i know new can't compared to used car... but the prius is relatively pretty reliable.. if i get a used cheap prius 04-06 @ $8k-10k and drop another $1000-2000 to refurbished worn parts, just brush it up a bit. another $5-10k on a plug in kit (which should get 20-40 miles electric?). ill look to spend/invest TOTAL $15-17k not bad..

 

i actually went to a chevy dealership today and was able to test out/check out the volt. a really nice car indeed and i had a great time test driving it.
it had a few things i liked over the prius and few things i disliked.

pros:
handling and driving feel for sure is a different car/category. it has that "new car" feel over the lighter, more body rolled prius. also the acceleration as many know is def better than the prius. the key word is INITIAL acceleration though. after a couple seconds it flattens out and feels almost the same as a prius in acceleration.
lots of gauges/numbers very cool.. exterior styling looks really nice! on star/remote start etc, super cool!

cons:
the interior- as much as i like the new technology and design etc. it just wasn't me.. it felt a little more cramped and uncomfortable as well (at least in the driver seat). it sat lower, the steering wasn't as easy as the prius (prius you can drive with one pinky almost). the back seat was tighter/smaller (a bit) and the Pillars were bigger and more blind spots. i've had a 700hp toyota supra before, so i understand performance stand point. i was hoping for a more comfortable car as a daily driver, and the volt has the sportiness over the prius but the comforts is a loss.

over all, the prius feels like a more comfortable daily driver to me. as much as i would LOVE to own a volt... the price difference and the pros for me doesn't out weigh the cons (if you can even call it that). if i could own a volt, i would in a heart beat! as i got back in my prius, it did feel a lot lighter (not necessarily a good or bad thing), and just felt easier more comfortable to drive.

if there was a good/reputable plug in kit that allowed the prius to charge/perform similar to the volt, i would probably go that route. i can't quite justify getting a brand new volt at $40k... if it came down in price at closer to $20k it'd be more comparable.
i know new can't compared to used car... but the prius is relatively pretty reliable.. if i get a used cheap prius 04-06 @ $8k-10k and drop another $1000-2000 to refurbished worn parts, just brush it up a bit. another $5-10k on a plug in kit (which should get 20-40 miles electric?). ill look to spend/invest TOTAL $15-17k not bad..

 

Check out this thread, it might be just the vehicle you are looking for.
Question... How to Navigate your chat site? | PriusChat

If you could get a 10 year old volt it might be less than the $15-17K you are targeting, time will tell. A 3 year old off-lease Volt with 30-50,000 miles should hit the street in the $20-24K range. That might be the value point you are comfortable with.

How tall are you? I find the Prius drivers seat a bit uncomfortable because my head is at the top of the windscreen, and I am 6'. The lower seating position available on the Volt allows my head to sit at the middle of the windscreen with more visibility. Did you adjust the seat level on your test drive? also, did you adjust the steering wheel to your seating position? I overlooked these adjustments on my initial test drive but whoever drove before me must have been a similar size. When my car was delivered to my house the seating was set for a much smaller person and I had to find all the manual adjustments. If your head isn't positioned at the middle of the windscreen, visibility can be severely impacted and comfort suffers because you are constantly moving around to gain visibility.

 

The back seat definitely is small. And of course there is no 5th seat in the Volt.
My wife and I find the Volt mech more comfortable than our gen II Prii were. However that is a subjective point so I applaud you for doing the test drive, that is the best way to tell.

Make sure your expectations for plug in kits are reasonable. Most/all kits simply improve the Prius native efficiency. They will not give you the pure EV driving experience. If that isn't important in your mind, not an issue. Just something to be aware of.

 

gotcha, thanks guys. again, i applaud most people on here also for being mature and relatively unbiased about the review and opinions. even so, it is still an opinion and they differ for everyone. but the more opinions given/read, for sure it is better for a prospective buyer/interested party.
i'm not that tall, i think 5'11" i did adjust my seating positions before driving off. it wasn't THAT bad as it may come off, i'm just directly comparing to my 07 prius. volt is more sporty, no doubt about it. hence the lowered stance and seating. just as a daily driver, comfort wise i give it to the prius.
i don't know if you guys have driven the older boxy scion Xb? my brother had one for a while and that was really easy to drive (with the tall head room and big winshield). prius isn't that much, but it's more in lines of a scion comfort level.

yeah, i've found out that almost all plug in kits for the prius are blended mode. what's worse is they seem to be diminishing??? hymotion? plug in supply? enginer? i'm sure they are still around (some are discontinued?) but the reviews, marketing/sales has really not been too publicized??? which leads me to think there may be something wrong or a drawback to the added kits...

the 8kw prius sounds nice, something i would definitely do/be interested in. 3 year old volt has got another 1-2 years, so i'm sure they are still away from my price range (for now hehe).

 

If you really are interested in a Volt, you should ping Charles at Stingray Chevrolet in Tampa ([email protected]) . They are one of the higher volume Volt dealers and you might be able to find the price you are looking for indirectly through a lease and purchase, or straight out purchase of a 2012 (if any are left). Don't let the MSRP scare you off.

Also, there is one of the 2011 dealer demo units sitting in Michigan available for $24K. These seem to be fully loaded units but GM made the dealers hold them for awhile.
2011 Chevrolet Volt for sale in Lake Orion - 1G1RC6E44BU099343 - Wally Edgar Chevrolet

Oops ! it's sold now. that was quick.

 

Or you can get a Prius PHV. They are doing $2,000 to $3,500 cash bonus plus 0% APR, ends 11/6. You can make local city short drives in EV and 50 MPG on those long highway drives. You can also do EV boost and get high MPGs (75-100+). Plug in 3 hours for a full charge with a regular 110v plug and there is no need for a L2 charger.

Plugin conversions for Gen2 won't give the 50 kW of power from the battery like the Gen3 official PHV.

 

Add me to the list of former Prius owners (2006, 2010) who traded for a (2013) Volt. I've had it for less than two weeks and have yet to buy (or even use) any gas. I doubt the same would have been true with a PiP.

FWIW, I tried to trade for a C-Max (the founder of GM-Volt.com recently did exactly that with his Volt due to the increased space of the C-Max over the Volt) but the Ford dealers wouldn't deal.