Decision: Prime or not?

When are you deciding?

 

I have an 18 mile commute (one-way) and charge for free at work and near my home on weekends. Averaging over 100 MPG while charging about 4 times per week. I swap to HV when driving at high speeds btw.

I know that a lot of other Prime owners on this board have some even crazier MPG numbers.

 

Get A Prime and don't look back. I work with Toyota and while the 4th gen prius is nice with tech etc, the Perks and Look of the Prime are way better. (in my humble opinion). Not to mention carpool lane sticker, CA rebate, and you will be shocked at how many charging stations there are. Don't just look at charge point, look at charge hub app, plug share app. And many malls, theaters, etc have free charging. And with a 4 seater vs 5 Seater, you won't have to lug tons of friends around either = ). Prime is the way to go.

 

Seems like almost all the discussion and indecision revolve 'round the Prime. I would get the regular Prius, make do with the incredibly good mpg it offers. And get a level with the spare.

Totally chauvinistic: consider a later year 3rd gen too?

 

Yes. What you have withheld has nothing to do with how much of the credit you quality for. In a previous thread Mark57 had a great idea when he suggested that if you used TurboTax for your 2016 taxes, use the software to run a simulated calculation for 2017 as it should give you a ballpark idea how much of the credit you will get. If you don't use Turbotax, then just download a 1040 form from the IRS website and run your estimated 2017 numbers through it. On the 1040 the credit is entered on line 54.

 

Thanks Since2002.


That thread example is here.

 

Since you are going to be keeping the car for the next 10 years, I'd buy the Prime (I sort of wish I waited). Of course you could also go for a 2016 gen 4 like mine. I'd suggest the Four trim with the Advanced Tech package and Premium Convenience package. The safety features are lifesaving. But you could also get a new 2017 Prius One and save a lot but still get the all the safety features except blind spot monitoring. You really can't go wrong.

 

Given it's almost fall, would you want to hold out for the 2018 model? I wonder if there will be any changes/improvements?

 

you'll have to wait till November if past rollouts is any indication.

 

As a student, you may be interested in doing Uber or Lyft... well, with the Prius Prime, that's not allowed Uber/Lyft will ban you. Why? because Uber/Lyft requires an ability to have 4 passengers... guess what, Prime only seats 3 passengers plus driver! Not allowed

 

There won't be any changes made to the Prime or the Regular Prius for 2018. I work for Toyota, so consider that an inside scoop = )

Be on the look out for the New Camry (already out), lots of changes to the Corolla, Prius C, possible Prius V, and 1 or 2 more. This fall is all about the Camry for sure. And don't worry, I'm not a dealer, so I won't try to sell you any of the above. I'll just keep you informed when I can. Lots of stuff is embargoed, so I can't say too much about some of the other vehicles.

 

I am a teacher in the Peralta school district. They are committed to alternative energy resources and have installed photovoltaic panels on rooftops and parking lots, and offer free charging stations on their campus' Laney college has free charging stations. Merritt college where you're studying has the largest of the photovoltaic farms. So go for it, buy the prime, and plug it in while you're at school.

 

they're

 

Looks like I have not given input so far.
Well the plug-in Prime I think sells well in CA for two reasons, for those who opt for the plug-in: (1) free HOV lane , and (2) for those who are committed for reasons of personal conviction that plug-in is the eco-superior choice. It is also stylish and gives nice drive quality of EV. Inexpensive due to subsidies. Flexible as you do not have to plug-in a Prime at all, if you do not want to.

However you have a big Plug-in battery that eliminates your spare tire and a big chunk of cargo space, and you lose a seat in the rear for Passenger # 5.

Because I always look for a family car with oodles of space for kids and stuff, I would go for a regular Prius. Your case is a little harder to call...you do not seem like a die-hard Plug-in advocate but you are (I assume single?) and so cargo space may or may not be important to you.

Ps- You could consider the prior Prius Plug-in PiP, which has retained almost all of the cargo space of the Gen3 . I do think PiP might lose free HOV in Jan -2019 in CA.

 

I would definitely check out PlugShare and see all of the charging stations in your area. Here is an example I will give you from today.

I was driving around and needed to run to the Mall really quickly today. The mall was surprisingly packed! And there wasn't a parking spot in sight.....except........there were 8 OPEN EV spots! So I quickly pulled up, and it happened to be a charge point spot as well! So I pulled out my charge point card and charged my car for free while I shopped. Now again, some days, I only need to run into a store or mall very quickly, so the fact that I can usually find an EV parking spot much easier than regular spots is a game changer for me. The convenience and perks with the prime outweigh the regular prius (in my humble opinion).

If you dont have kids or need that 5th seat ( I don't), I think the Prime is the way to go. Not to mention I just got my $1,500 rebate check in the mail today! Again, I had a 2010 Prius and loved it! But after the Prime, I'll never go back to the regular prius, because it feels so nice to drive around town running errands etc and never hear that gas engine turn on. (again, all my humble opinion). I also have the blizzard pearl which I like because it tends to always "look clean" even if it's a bit dirty.