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Hello... from San Francisco

Discussion in 'Newbie Forum' started by Want A Hybrid, Feb 20, 2013.

  1. Want A Hybrid

    Want A Hybrid New Member

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    Hi folks,

    You don't know me - yet - but I have the feeling that I do know you, well at least some of you, a little bit.

    This is a great place and I thoroughly enjoyed reading you all here at PriusChat.

    I made the decision to get a used Gen3, I secured the cash, I am now "only" waiting for the right vehicle.

    So this leads me to my first question. For the same $18-20k budget, I can see:
    - 2011 models or even 2012 with 40k miles - with the likelihood that they did a lot of highway miles
    - 2010 models with less than 10k miles - with the likelihood that the battery went several days/weeks not being charged

    Which one would you recommend?

    Looking forward for my "new" car... with already plenty of ideas in how to hook up my 3G smartphone + a tablet for a techno-geek fest... stay tuned as I experiment and report back!!

    Thanks!!
     
    #1 Want A Hybrid, Feb 20, 2013
  2. mmmodem

    mmmodem Senior Taste Tester

    Joined:
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    Bay Area, CA
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    Plug-in Base
    If you had a $20k financed budget. I'd say go for a new Prius 2. You can get one for under $22k. Couple that with 0% financing and you end up at almost the same cost to finance $20k on a used car.

    That's the conclusion I arrived at when I was looking a few months ago. We live in Prius country so resale values are extremely high to the point of not being worth it especially with 0% financing available on new.
     
    #2 mmmodem, Feb 20, 2013
  3. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

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    Location:
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    Ohhh, the intrigue.

    Well welcome aboard and good luck on the search. I know there is a perfect GIII out there for you.
     
    #3 spiderman, Feb 20, 2013
  4. Want A Hybrid

    Want A Hybrid New Member

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    HAHAH no, no, there is no intrigue. Sorry for the tease!! :)

    So today I tried a used 2010 Package 3 and it was ok. The problem is I was just driving my friend's 2012 fully loaded TCH. The TCH drives nicer and feels more like a luxury car so when I tested the Prius, I was disappointed, it lacked some punch in SF's hills and it was lacking some stability in the highway at 75mph.

    The TCH on the other hand has no problem with either of these challenges and I could probably get a new 2012 fully loaded for 30-31k vs. the Prius 18k.

    Still figuring it out if the price difference is worth it...The voice of reason tells me Prius, but we all know that car selection is rarely a choice of reason...

    What are your thoughts on that? I know it's like apples and oranges and yes through search I found some threads on this but they deal mainly with older generation Prius vs. TCH
     
    #4 Want A Hybrid, Feb 20, 2013
  5. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

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    Ah yeah, apples and oranges... and 31k vs 18k, yeah big difference. But I hear you on the performance thing. The Prius is not for everyone.

    We would have likely gotten a I4 Camry but as soon as I drove the Prius I knew it would work for me and the fuel economy was bar none, price, comparable. Really like the hatch back.
     
    #5 spiderman, Feb 20, 2013
  6. Want A Hybrid

    Want A Hybrid New Member

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    Agree, the Prius is overall a more convenient vehicle for me (no family). And the truth is, I don't even floor my cars that often at all...

    It's almost like having buying remorse before buying!! HAHAH I must be nuts!! :)
     
    #6 Want A Hybrid, Feb 21, 2013
  7. Want A Hybrid

    Want A Hybrid New Member

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    Hi folks, as an update I just got a TCH 2012 xle fully loaded today. It's gorgeous and I like it a lot! Just drove 100 miles with it, highway, secondary roads, and city for an average of 41.7 mpg. I heard that mpg improves after break-in so I'm a very happy camper.

    I just couldn't find a used Prius that I really liked, so this meant going new and for a marginal difference I got an unbelievable deal on the TCH.

    See you guys around and thanks again for making me want a hybrid vehicle, I really like it!!
     
    #7 Want A Hybrid, Feb 23, 2013
  8. spiderman

    spiderman wretched

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    II
    Congrats! You can still post here. :)
     
    #8 spiderman, Feb 23, 2013
  9. Want A Hybrid

    Want A Hybrid New Member

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    Thanks! I just did and as I progress on my Android 3G wifi hotspot - Nexus 7 - OBD2 bluetooth setup I will keep posting and will take some pictures.
     
    #9 Want A Hybrid, Feb 27, 2013
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