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Don't pass up this Prius Prime? Need advice :)

Discussion in 'Prime Main Forum (2017-2022)' started by dokihara, Dec 14, 2017.

  1. dokihara

    dokihara Junior Member

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    We're in the market for a new car. We live in urban Honolulu, with a daily city commute of about 2 miles each way. Malls, Grocery stores, etc. are all less than 5mi away. HI has a law where parking lots over a certain size require EV charging stalls, so they are literally everywhere. We currently have a paid off 2007 Acura TSX which has no mechanical problems but I just had to recharge the A/C so that may be going out. It's also 10 years old with 87,000mi. TSX requires 92 octane and gets 17-20mpg city so we spend about $150-200/mo on gas @$3.70/gal. Our condo does NOT have a charging station or 120V power available, so we cannot charge overnight. Hence PHEV over pure EV.

    On a whim, I was looking up PHEV and came across the Prime and our local Toyota dealership had one in stock! I immediately put a $500 reservation on the car. Super white, black interior, Plus model. They are charging MSRP ($27,915). They will not budge on the price since people are literally lining up to buy this car. It's on the way from the factory still, but they are trying to make sure we drive-off before 12/31 for the tax credits. We can walk away at any time.

    We test drove the advanced and it was super comfortable. I know the seating trim will be different, and the screen is smaller (I actually hate the big screen on the Premium+). Acceleration was comparable to the TSX believe it or not actually better at the low end. Handling was a LOT smoother as well, either due to an aging suspension or because the TSX is tuned more aggressively.

    My biggest gripe after test drive was the infotainment system sucks. Really wish it supported CarPlay. But we have iPhones and as long as it can play music and do navigation honestly it's fine.

    They are offering us $4200 for our TSX which is slightly below Kelly median pricing ($4500). Is this a good deal? Is the Prime right for us? Thanks for reading!
     
    #1 dokihara, Dec 14, 2017
    Last edited: Dec 14, 2017
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  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    welcome!
    hard for us mainlanders to say, but it seems like a great deal in hawaii, and you seem to love the car, so i would go for it.

    any state tax credit?
     
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  3. dokihara

    dokihara Junior Member

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    Thanks! I just wanted to make sure it was a right fit. We've never owned an electric or hybrid. Looking forward to saving a ton on gas $$$$.

    Forgot to mention, MSRP is $27,100 + $815 destination ($27,915). We have only ONE Toyota dealership in the entire state, so they are mandated by the state attorney general's office to charge no more than MSRP. They do have sales on other cars, but not on the Prime.
     
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  4. Mark57

    Mark57 2021 Tesla Model 3 LR AWD

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    It certainly sounds like the car fits your environment. It's unfortunate that you can't charge at home.
     
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  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    cali doesn't discount much on prime either.
    any idea how much the public chargers cost?
     
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  6. jaqueh

    jaqueh Active Member

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    Aren’t electricity rates fairly expensive as well? I don’t think we have a lot of users from but as long as there’re some good state incentives that’ll help this purchase out, I’d say go for it! It’s an awesome car, the only downside with the plus model is not having 3 door smart key entry.
     
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  7. dokihara

    dokihara Junior Member

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    No state tax credit, but free metered parking statewide with EV license plate, HOV lane with single passenger, and like I mentioned, free EV charging stalls in almost every major parking area. We can get 25mi of juice while we shop at Target, Walmart, Costco, Malls, etc.

    They are FREE!!!

    What is 3 door smart key entry?
     
    #7 dokihara, Dec 14, 2017
    Last edited by a moderator: Dec 14, 2017
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  8. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    one issue i recall is service. they can be very slow due to being the only game in town, and hybrid shoppes are few and far between, iirc.
     
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  9. jaqueh

    jaqueh Active Member

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    Really? That’s pretty awesome! A big gripe I have with this car and public charging is that it can only handle 3.3kW, not the full 6.6kW capable on level 2. So, a car with the same battery capacity will charge in less than half the time that the prime is capable of.
     
  10. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    free electrons? wow, get a leaf or such!
     
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  11. dokihara

    dokihara Junior Member

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    I did hear that it takes a bit to schedule a service appointment (up to a month). But it does come with 2 years of scheduled maintenance for free, which is a nice perk!
     
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  12. jaqueh

    jaqueh Active Member

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    It is being able to open the passenger door or trunk without pressing any buttons on the key fob. Only available on the top trims even though my base 2007 Prius didn’t have that limitation.
     
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  13. dokihara

    dokihara Junior Member

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    With 240V it still charges in about 2-2.5 hours though right?
     
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  14. dokihara

    dokihara Junior Member

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    I'd be too afraid of not having access to a charger at home to drive a pure electric.
     
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  15. jaqueh

    jaqueh Active Member

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    Yeah but if you get a comparable car with a better charger it can either charge in 1 hour or have double the range in 2 hours
     
  16. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    if you have 60 miles on a leaf, you'd never have to worry about charging at home. what is the longest drive you have ever taken?
     
  17. dokihara

    dokihara Junior Member

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    Ah, well we have never had that before (always have to push a button to open the doors or trunk) so I'm sure we won't be too upset lol
     
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  18. dokihara

    dokihara Junior Member

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    If the EV tax credit is extended, we could wait for the Hyundai Ioniq PHEV, but I'm not sure that car is any better. The others are above our budget.
     
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  19. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    ...some people are rushing to buy before 12/31 in case the tax credits go away, but there is some hope that the tax credits will stay for the future.
     
  20. dokihara

    dokihara Junior Member

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    On the weekend we commute to a neighboring city for dinner @ the in-laws. It's about 20 miles each way.
     
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