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Prius c One vs Prius c Two

Discussion in 'Prius c Main Forum' started by thursdaychild121, Apr 12, 2012.

  1. thursdaychild121

    thursdaychild121 New Member

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    Hello all!

    I want to preface this by saying I found out about the Prius c about a week ago and I have to say I'm in love! I almost wish I was getting a new car for myself, lol.

    Anyway, my fiance right now has a punishing commute of about 115 miles round-trip every day, but since he's a teacher, in the summer it will be nonexistent. He's currently driving a 1999 Honda Accord that his parents have graciously been lending him since September. Originally our plan was to wait until this September to buy him a car, but with rising fuel costs and the fact that... well, he's 25 and we're getting married in November and frankly I don't want to depend on his parents for anything anymore has led me to think that we should look for a car for him sooner. For a long time, we've been set on a Honda Fit, but then I was browsing around and came across the Prius c. When I found out that the Prius c One is only about $1k base price more expensive than the Honda Fit sport we were looking at, we were both sold. We're both young professionals with no children and this will be his first new car, and we're hoping to get 10+ years out of it (assuming his current commute does not change over 10 years, which we hope it will, he'll put on 250k miles in 10 years just from commuting).

    My reason for being here is because I want to know if the Prius c One is really that much "worse" than the Prius c Two. My fiance does not like cruise control, and from what I've read in my lurking here, the rear windshield wiper is a joke. I've seen some people complain about the upholstery in the One, but I drive a 2008 Hyundai Accent hatchback (manual transmission) which has about the cheapest upholstery you can get, lol, so I don't know if it will be a problem for him/us. My biggest concerns are the lack of cargo area light and the cargo area shade. Is it even possible to get those things added?

    Any input from Prius c One/Two owners would be fantastic! We won't be in a position to buy until probably the end of next month at the earliest, since we want to be sure he'll be offered a job again for next school year before we make this big purchase. I figure, though, it's not too early to start researching!
     
  2. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    I grew up near Seattle so I regard rear window wipers as a safety item. Cruise Control will be nice on trips. (my part of the country is one of the very few where CC saves gas in a Prius) the split rear seat is nice. But all of these are secondary to the non removable rear head rests which block your rearward vision.

    I would get the two for both rear vision items.

    Or a nice Gen 2 Prius may be cheaper yet and get similar highway mileage, but much worse in the city.
     
  3. secondspassed

    secondspassed Member

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    Regarding the cargo cover, you actually would have to replace the side cargo panels in order to install one in the C1. It's not compatible out of the factory. Weird, I know, but something to consider.
     
  4. moezer2112

    moezer2112 Futurist

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    I thought we had it nailed down that the prius c one without rear window washer blade was in Puerto Rico and probably a different version. US mainland owners were indicating their Ones had the rear blade. Anyone know differently?

    Regarding your current age and lot in life, my advice would be:
    Because you two are just starting out, I wouldn't feel bad at all about getting the prius c trim one. it'll still be a sweet ride compared to the old accord and the hyundai. you've (probably) got years ahead and alot of hard work to do before you will have money for luxury tastes and refined automobile desires. if you're getting a loan for the car, don't accrue more debt for unnecesary features in your first new car.

    I could go on a longer dissertation than anyone would want to hear about getting out of debt as young as possible, living in front of your finances instead of spending your life behind them in debt. But I'll just leave it at that.

    Toyota offers the One for people just like you who are just starting out.
     
  5. prius1driver

    prius1driver New Member

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    I picked up a C1. Cargo cover isn't an issue. I tinted the rear windows to 20% anyway. It actually creates more room for the cargo w/o the cover. That said, it's just my personal opinion and I am not sure if you like the tint or not.

    The C1 upholstery is perfectly acceptable, but C2/3 are better in term of quality. Cruise control would be nice to have but I can live without it for 1k+ in the saving account.
     
  6. kkim

    kkim Active Member

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    I vote level 2. I would have a hard time living without a lot of the stuff that comes on the 2 that is omitted in the 1... but that's just me. :)

    Are you aware of the differences between the two levels? The height adjustable driver's seat was the selling point, for me, as the minimum level at which to start.
     
  7. Neilb9

    Neilb9 Million Mile Driver

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    We researched all the Prius c models and the Two made the most sense for us. We are very conservative spenders and the Two offered the best value for us. Don't turn up your nose at the cruise-control. It can actually help you get better mileage. In addition, the newly designed seats could really make a difference on a 115 mi. round trip everyday.
     
  8. PreciousPups4U

    PreciousPups4U New Member

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    Purchased a One, would maybe have upgraded to the Two, but there were none available. I would like to have the height adjustable seat, the split rear seat and the cargo light, but none of those things were deal breakers for me. I knew I would not miss the cargo cover as I never use the one that came with our other cars and I seldom use cruise control on our other cars so not a big deal for me. Love the bluetooth feature (comes on all levels) and yes there is a rear wiper on the One. Either one will be a substantial upgrade from your other cars.
     
  9. outhouse

    outhouse Member

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    my 1 has rear wiper, and a cargo mat, the interior seat fabric was the same as the two.

    wish I had the CC but im working on that.
     
  10. thursdaychild121

    thursdaychild121 New Member

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    Sorry, must have missed that in my lurking! I'm sure we'll get a better idea of the One vs the Two when we go and physically look at and test drive the cars. I'm just avoiding it right now because I hate salespeople and we're not ready to buy yet anyway.

    Oh, I totally agree with you on the whole money thing. You're talking to someone who paid off $18k in student loan debt within 18 months of graduating college and bought my car used for $8400 all told cash (got a good deal if I do say so myself, it was only 2 years old and had just under 19k miles on it... then again how easily could they have sold a powder blue manual transmission Hyundai? lol). So you're preaching to the choir here. :)

    But yes, the One did seem really, really nice in comparison to the cars we have driven in the past. I mean, bluetooth capabilities even in the base model? That'd be awesome for him on the long drive. We only want to take out a four year car loan, so even $1k less on the One would mean a lower car payment over the life of the loan.

    Re: the height adjustable seat - he's 6'2 and I'm 5'8 so I don't know if that'd be a problem. I guess the main concerns right now are how badly the rear headrests will affect his visibility (even though he always looks over his shoulder to check the lanes before moving over on the highway) and the lack of armrest. For me, that wouldn't be a problem since I've been driving stick for 7 years since I got my license at 17, but I think it may be something he could live without.

    Thank you all for your input!
     
  11. alfon

    alfon Senior Member

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    Prius C two for me if I was to buy one. My wife would
    probably want the three model.

    The Prius C one does not have cruise control and
    that is a must for me.

    Back in the fall of 1993 I purchased a brand new off the
    show room floor a Honda Civic VX hatchback. This is
    the very rare model that go an EPA back then
    of 56 mpg highway or so. It was a true 50 mpg +
    car that lasted well over 250,000 miles.

    At the time my girlfriend and our two kids took a drive
    from Portland Oregon to LA (Disneyland). The VX did
    not have cruise control and it was really hard on my
    leg. I swore than I will only buy another car with cruise control.
     
  12. Ashley7

    Ashley7 Active Member

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    I was considering the One when options were first announced because I was already at the top (and beyond) of my budget, but I really wanted cruise control. And in the end, all the other little differences make me really glad I went for the Two. (I didn't even realize the rear headrests aren't removable in the One. They really block a lot of the rear window, I'm so thankful I can remove them.) In my mind, especially when you're planning to keep the car for a long time, the extra little options in the Two are worth the extra 1k. Just my opinion, though.
     
  13. Prudence_K

    Prudence_K New Member

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    I was set on buying the c3 but test drove a c2 and was completely happy. Decided in the end was really wanting the c3 for the moonroof and that was it. Didn't want to drop $2200 for a moonroof.

    Anyways, I actually didn't realize that the c1's headrests do not come out. For me they seriously impede visibility so I always have them out unless I have passengers in the rear. However, a lot of people just drive with the back seat down anyways. I liked the fact that the c2 has the split back seats because we sometimes do Ikea runs with at least one friend so that helps in taking our packages home.

    A previous poster mentioned the cruise control helping with mpgs and I can attest to this. I never used cruise control in my previous car and have never driven a hybrid before. For me the cruise control helps A LOT because I have a hard time maintaining a constant speed (damn Washington hills).

    I would vote for a c2 because if you are making car payments (or not) $1,000 spread over your loan period isn't that much for the little extras. It really depends what you think when you test drive. Good luck deciding!
     
  14. lockdown36

    lockdown36 New Member

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    Thanks for everyone's input. I was stuck between the 1 and 2 as well.
    I've decided to go with the C2.

    Thanks
     
    carolD likes this.
  15. Wildfire

    Wildfire New Member

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    Go for the 2, but just be sure to use the timing and the fact that you "really only want a 1" to your advantage in negotiating. Especially if you can wait until closer to the end of summer (no summer school, right?), find a dealership that doesn't carry any 1s but that does carry a 2 that you're interested in and push for something appreciably lower than MSRP. If you're really lucky/good, you might be able to split the difference in cost between the two.
     
    minkus likes this.
  16. Silver101

    Silver101 Junior Member

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    I saw some posts saying the rear headrests for the One are not removable. That's not true. The front headrests are not removable, but the rear ones are removable. I just removed them the day I got my Prius C.

    I was deciding between the One and the Two for a long time. I got a good deal for the One, so I bought the One instead. At first I thought I could not live without cruise control, but later I found out it's easier to control your MPG without cruise control. The one thing I miss is the center armrest.
     
    minkus, cwerdna and moezer2112 like this.
  17. donny612

    donny612 "Captain Jack Sparrow"

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    I have a C two and quite frankly I purchased the two for 2 reasons.
    For freeway trips I like to have cruise control and the two has 6 speaker stereo and the better sound is also something important to me. If those items hadn't been important to me I would have purchased the C one just because of the pricing. I actually test drove a C three and enjoyed the keyless and push button starting but navigation and whatnot isn't important to me. So far I've been very pleased with my C two!!
     
  18. prius1driver

    prius1driver New Member

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    I bought a C One and I haven't missed anything. If I want Luxury, I can always drive the other cars but C One is a stud for its intended purpose - a commuter vehicle!
     
  19. andrewa

    andrewa New Member

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    I put a deposit on a Prius C 2, but I am wondering if I should get a Prius C 3, because of the keyless entry.
     
  20. B-rad 13

    B-rad 13 New Member

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    I remove my rear headrest and leave them in the cargo area.
     
    secondspassed likes this.