I think I dodged a bullet. Thanks, PriusChat!

OP, I think you should re-read the above post.

Mike

 

It is a lot easier to jump into a rental and drive 500 miles than writing a ~$15000 check on a used 2012 Four.

 

Haven't read this whole thread, but as a Leaf driver, due to the extreme heat in Vegas summers, the battery will be COOKED! It will degrade very rapidly due to heat unless it's a 2015+ w/the "lizard battery" or one that had its battery replaced w/the "lizard battery".

Or, if they luck out and get theirs replaced after losing 4 capacity bars, it should receive the "lizard battery".

Background info below:
Update on Battery Warranty Enhancement for 2011 & 2012 LEAF - My Nissan Leaf Forum (this is on all Leafs 2013+ Leafs... 2011 and 2012s have it too, unless they opted out of the class action lawsuit, possible multiples times, long complicated story)
Update on Nissan LEAF Battery Replacement - My Nissan Leaf Forum
Lost Battery Capacity and Range / Autonomy, Page 2 - My Nissan Leaf Forum

Unfortunately, Nissan has never publicly released ANY details about battery degradation for any year/revision, including the improved "lizard" battery, sometimes referred to by Nissan as the "hot battery", previously.

However, if the OP's driving distance needs between charges are very modest, a Leaf with a very badly degraded battery (say 70% loss) might still be useful for awhile...

I mentioned my used '13 Leaf purchase saga and included links to more at Looking for New Leaf ... - My Nissan Leaf Forum. It was $9,325 + tax and license for '13 Leaf SV w/premium package only and under 24K miles. It's now my daily driver, replaced the '13 Leaf SV I had w/both packages that was returned at end of lease.

 

All I can say is this thread has gone a long way from worrying about 25 mpg on a 7 mi commute in Las Vegas to occasional 500 mi trips.

 

It seems like the bullet did hit OP.

 

For your commute I'd say buy a bicycle or a nice pair of walking shoes.

 

If your commute is that short and you don't do a lot of long distance driving, a new Prius (or any new car really) wouldn't make much economical sense. For those long distance trips, renting a car would be better than taking the Acura, as you don't want the car to break down when you're 50+ miles from the nearest repair shop, especially in a desert.

A used Corolla or Civic would definitely be a better choice from a purely financial standpoint. Sure, the mpg and features aren't nearly as good, but it'll likely cost you thousands less, which can buy a lot of gas, especially at these current "low" prices.

Of course, used Prius are also in roughly the same price range too, due to said "low" gas prices, and because the Gen 4 Prius is right around the corner, prompting a lot of people to simply wait for it. One nice thing about the Prius is that though it has a gas engine, you won't be running it all the time, so you'll put less wear and tear on them vs a gas car where the engine is running all the time, even at a stoplight.

If you had a place to charge it, a used EV would be an even better choice. Lower maintenance costs since there's fewer moving parts in them, and even with degraded range if your commute is that short it won't affect you at all. A Leaf would work great for you except when you need to take a long distance trip. Or you could get a plug-in hybrid such as the Ford Fusion/C-max energi, Plug-in Prius, and the Chevy Volt, and just drive them using gas.

 

For his driving distance and the fact that he lives in Vegas, he's better off with a vehicle with small cabin and a mid to large size engine with powerful AC and heating system. My parents love my Tacoma. It's got a V6 engine with very powerful AC system. I keep a sweater in the truck in the summer for my wife. We get 110f summers here too.