Prime vs PIP

Welcome!

Your question is probably too personal for someone else to be sure of giving the best answer for you. Here are some things I'd consider. They may or may not be factors for you.

1. 2012 PiP is going out of warranty soon on the hybrid system. Lots of warranty left on a new Prime.
2. 2012 PiP from New York will probably have plenty of rust by now. My '13 came from New Hampshire and I got it in 2015. It already had quite a bit of corrosion but nothing in cosmetic or structural areas that I've seen.
3. On the other hand, no car payments is a sweet place to be.
4. Think about your commute distance and other typical driving. If it's out of range of the PiP but in range of the Prime, maybe the Prime is worth it to you. But even if it is, the PiP will still save you a ton of gas compared to your Gen 2.
5. The PiP you mentioned sounds like a base model. Look for controls on the steering wheel for the dynamic radar cruise control. That's advanced only.

 

I agree exactly with Jerry...I would go for youngest PiP I could get.

Your desires are not well enough described for me to make a recommendation, I mean I am with PiP for 5 seats and cargo space, you say that is not important. But most would say Prime..I am odd man out.

But be careful when you say Prime cargo space is good as Gen2. Don't go with published space numbers because somewhere around Gen3 introduction, EPA allowed liftbacks to inflate cargo space quotes. Besides that, Gen2 has an under floor 2.5-ft3. Prime has no uinderfloor and probaly at least a couple ft3 less in the boot.

 

Nope.
But this is ME and not YOU.

I do my own maintenance.
I have a spare car (three cars, two drivers.)
I have a three mile commute.
I have a place to work on a car.
I live where gas is generally much cheaper than....ah....'other' places ($1.71 today and dropping.)

But mostly?
I like being car payment free!
If you're on the front half of your life, you might want to consider getting off of the hamster-wheel cycle of buy-trade-buy-trade where your car payments and loan lengths (and insurance payments!) grow and grow all of your working life.


Your call.
Relatively few people who buy "advanced" Primes are motivated by frugality....but I still maintain that PipA > PrimeA for most people!!

Good Luck!

 

welcome!
if you can live with the smaller hatch space (yes, it has a floor raised 3" above gen 2) then i would go with prime.
and you should be able to net out around 24k after fed tax credit if you shop around.
if the 25+ miles of ev works better for you than 10 from pip, for a long term investment, i think you would be better off.
prime has many improvements in mpg, heat pump and more, the deals won't last forever.

 

One other thing to keep in mind would be the safety advances of the Prime over the PiP. PiP is already super safe, but Prime is up another notch. I have no idea what dollar value to put on that, though.

Back to the cargo space issue, neither the Prime or PiP has any under deck space worth mentioning. And with the Prime and all Gen 4 models, you surrender the second glove compartment. The one you get barely holds the owners manual. With either one, you'll lose the extra drawer under the console and that little slot under the radio.

 

cant compare the Prime with the PIP. I have a 2014 PIP and my wife just got the 2018 Prime Advanced. In my opinion the Prime is far more refined than the PIP. Better safety technology, longer battery range and the Prime on EV mode is very fun to drive.

 

STOP MAKING ME JEALOUS!!

 

If you are willing to travel road island and NJ after tax break can net you a Prime for $17500-$23000

That makes the math a little different and you get a new car warranty.

If I were buying a PIP the only must have option would be heated seats and newer is better.

https://www.cars.com/vehicledetail/detail/754285252/overview/

I would likely push miles versus age to be honest and negotiate, PIPs are already long in the tooth so to say, so appearance means something

Good Luck

 

Sadly in the area I live, our 2013 PiP still seems like magic to some people. Sometimes I show them where the plug goes and they act like they've never heard of a plug in before.

 

For what it’s worth...
People ask in my 1999 Honda Insight is a new electric car.

I had a few folks think my 1981 Comutacar was a Smart car and that thing is bloody old with a wood grain interior.

I guess if the external paint job looks decent some folks must be stuck in a time warp,
I had one guy telling me his 1969 Impala wasn’t an old car.

 

People keep asking me what I do when the battery runs out.

 

Agree totally, luggage space is horrible on the prime, that and NO SPARE!, I know I have one.

What do they do when their cell phone runs out? oh, that’s right, start the engine.

 

Well, actually, I don't start it. The car starts it. I just keep doing what I was doing.