Why get PIP, no cost savings.

Hehe, we're going to have that conversation again? Size. It's the closest in comparison in terms of size. There is no car with the exact dimensions as a Prius. The closest Toyota in terms of size is a Matrix or Corolla.

Didn't you compare buying a PiP to a PiPA prior to purchase? Both vehicles come with vastly different options. You have to ignore the extra options the PiPA has over the base especially options you don't care for when doing cost calculations. Otherwise the PiPA is the better car. But we place value higher on our priorities than the extra options the PiPA has. Therefore, the PiP base is the better car for me which is why I bought it over the PiPA.

Same for a Corolla and a Prius. They come with vastly different options. I ignore the extra options on the Prius because value trumps comfort for me. So when JMD says the Prius is better because it is high tech, no doubt it is better than the Corolla. But is the Prius better than the Corolla because you save money on gas? You must live in a place with lots of rebates and low electricity costs.

 

Sometimes you just need to go with innovation for the sake of innovation

 

exactly.

 

funny, if you go thru op's threads over the years, nothing but agony. bad mpg's on his gen III, actually bought a pip even tho he didn't understand the value, and his last post, he wants to trade it infor a lexus.

 

You're right of course. Thanks for pointing out folks irrational purchases.
Speaking of break even - you ought to add a few other items to the list of "I really don't get why people buy ...". When is the break even for a;
Dually pickup
Harley
Corvette
F16
Nuke weapons
SUV
32 hot rod
etc.

You don't understand ... the somewhat expensive Lexus break-even must be really low, because that's what it's all about ... the breakeven.
.

 

We bought the plug in Prius for reasons other than pure economics, but I have to say it paid big dividends during the recent gas crunch here in NYC ...our neighbors were envious .

 

I got my PiP for $25.2k, about the same as a regular Prius similarly equipped. So, any saving from using electricity and displacing short trips is a bonus. I love short trips now because driving all in EV mode is so cool!

 

I appreciate your question, Dark_Prius. Because I drive lots of highway miles, my EV to HV ratio is about 5% to 95%. So I am NOT the right kind of driver for a PiP.

But at the end of October I got tired of spending $100+ per week on gasoline. My 2010 Tacoma 2 WD was getting 24 -25 MPG on the highway, which is the best a pickup truck will do. It had 90k miles on it so when I started looking for vehicles (this is my 5th straight Toyota purchase) fuel efficiency was a BIG deal. It came down to saving a couple hundred bucks a month (on gas) in a Prius.

I absolutely would have gone with the straight Prius because of my driving habits, but at the time I was shopping I got the PiP:
- at 0% for 60 months with no money down
- with $5000 off
- with a $2500 rebate, applied to the purchase price
- and a $2500 Tax Credit

All that combined made PiP work for me. Clearly there are people who get outrageous gas savings from a PiP.
I really miss my little pickup though.
If I ever take a desk job ten miles from home I'll have the right car for it!

 

1000 mile update!
EV/HV: 71%\29%
Computer estimated MPG 138 (lifetime)
Cost after tax credit $25,200

As winter advanced my estimated EV range dropped from ~13 miles down to 9 miles. Yet my MPG has steadily increased over the past few months. 90% of our trips are 12 miles or less RT. I expect to save ~$900 per year in gas at current prices ($3.75). Estimated annual cost of charging PIP = $0 (using excess solar generation and free charging at work).

 

Estimated annual cost of charging PIP = $0 (using excess solar generation and free charging at work).

Nice! Wish I was set-up as nice as you are! Thats Great!

 

That alone is not reason enough. EV-BOOST is still available at high speeds. You still get the benefit of the extra electricity, even when the engine is running. RPM is substantially lower, resulting in very high MPG.

In other words, the purity of EV driving doesn't matter as much as some would expect. HV augmented by a large battery results in an extremely efficient results too.

For me, even driving 9 miles of the 70 mph highway just a few blocks from my house reveals a clear benefit... despite the engine running all but first few moments of the drive. I see MPG well in excess of what a regular Prius would deliver.

Now if you also said that you drove long distances daily, that's a different matter. What have you been averaging?

 

I drive 106 miles rounds trip mostly highway commute. Charging only at home when I first got the car gave me an average 20% EV ratio. This included weekend errands that were all EV. But even without that I would bottom out at 11 EV miles / 106 miles = 10% EV ratio.

$100 a week / 5 days / $4 a gallon gas x 25 mpg = 125 miles commute. Hmmmm... I guess you can get a 5% EV ratio without doing anything wrong. Your 40 mpg is quite disappointing. That 30 mpg for your second fuel up has got to be a typo, right?

 

filling up every 2-3 days…i'd kill myself

 

That 30 mpg for your second fuel up has got to be a typo, right?[/quote]
I don't think so. It was a long rural trip on a cold day, with a good 150 miles at speeds +80 mph. Another good chunk of the miles that day were in a snowstorm (at considerably slower speeds).

 

I got the car at the beginning of November, so it started getting cold soon thereafter. But it has 7300 miles and has used 160 gallons. So about 45 MPG. But I'm not complaining. It's 20 MPG better than I got in the Tacoma, even though the Tacoma was better suited to hauling a load of manure.

 

Yup, you're definitely in the long-distance crowd. Over 30,000 miles per year isn't exactly what joe-consumer ever has to deal with. That's double the average. Fortunately, Prius handles it well. The plug still helps too.

 

At home I have solar power and don't pay for recharging at work and my commute is about 2 1/2 to 3 miles in one direction. I charge on weekends I can drive the next two days with solar power if I'm only going to work and back. My fuel or electric cost is near zero driving this car.This car is perfect for my needs plenty of room I can accommodate my family of five when needed and get nominally 55 or miles per gallon no matter what. What other automobile sold in America can do the same? short answer none.

 

It's this kind of stuff that causes one to vomit.

 

I am sorry you feel that way. Would you care to expand on why my remarks make you unhappy?