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Looking at a Prius to replace a Leaf.

Discussion in 'Gen 1 Prius Plug-in 2012-2015' started by Tsiah, Dec 23, 2018.

  1. Tsiah

    Tsiah Junior Member

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    My Leaf is a great car, but it's a bit small for the kids now that they've grown as much as they have since we bought it. Looking at a Prius as a replacement. The numbers say an 08 prius has 5.5"more leg room and a 12 has 3.5" more than the Leaf. I've driven both and prefer the interior and overall driving experience of the 12 PiP I drove. I'm debating on the PiP vs a regular Prius as the PiP is about $3000 more and being a more rare car it seems like it may be harder to get used parts for.

    Opinions/thoughts?
     
    #1 Tsiah, Dec 23, 2018
  2. Tsiah

    Tsiah Junior Member

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    More info, I've looked at a few 08-09 models that are $3500-$5000(closer to my get out of debt quick goal) with higher miles (~180,000) and I found a 12 PiP advanced (they claim it is anyway...I need to look into that a little more. It doesn't have leather seats.) With 144k miles for $8,995.

    My commute is 80 miles round trip. I have level 2 charging available at home and free at work.
     
    #2 Tsiah, Dec 23, 2018
    Last edited: Dec 23, 2018
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    while the prius is more rare, there should be plenty of salvage parts available when necessary
     
    #3 bisco, Dec 23, 2018
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  4. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    The Gen2 (2004-2009) Prius has legendary leg room in back seat, but my understanding that was partially because the front seats had short rails so they did go back as far. Gen3 is legendary cargo space/maybe total space for a hybrid that size.
     
    #4 wjtracy, Dec 24, 2018
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  5. Tsiah

    Tsiah Junior Member

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    Are many parts interchangeable between the standard hybrid and the plug-in hybrid?
     
    #5 Tsiah, Dec 24, 2018
  6. iplug

    iplug Senior Member

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    Given your long commute and the short EV range of the PiP, it might make more sense to get a regular Prius, especially if you can save a few grand. Maybe parlay your savings into a future plug-in.

    Yes
     
    #6 iplug, Dec 24, 2018
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  7. Tsiah

    Tsiah Junior Member

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    Kinda my thinking, but I was also thinking with the 50mpg vs 60mpg it could be worth the extra up front investment. I guess the reality is that it would take several years (assuming gas doesn't go to $4+per gallon again.) to save that $3000 in gas.
     
    #7 Tsiah, Dec 24, 2018
  8. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    PiP vs hatchback is a complicated decision.

    PiP gets slightly better mileage thanks to the larger battery even aside from plugging it in. Also, for short errands, you'll use no gas at all. But plugging in is still worth it. I make lots of trips around town that come to 40-50 miles, which is obviously way beyond battery range. These are mostly stop and go with 45-50 mph limits. I get over 70 mpg on those trips almost every time. We recently took a trip that was mostly Interstate, 90 miles each way. Started each direction with a full battery. Got 60 mpg one way and 61 the other way.

    Drawbacks to the PiP are:
    No spare tire. (I usually have one strapped in the back.)
    Almost no under-deck storage.
    Smaller gas tank.

    Advantages are:
    I get 800-1,000 miles out of the smaller tank except on long road trips.
    More bells and whistles even on the base model than the lower trim level hatchbacks.

    All but a few parts are interchangeable with the hatchback. I guess. I've never needed any. ;)
     
    #8 jerrymildred, Dec 24, 2018
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  9. Tsiah

    Tsiah Junior Member

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    Thanks.
    In 17 years of driving, I've never needed a spare tire. *Knock on wood*
    I've had a handful of almost flats but discovered them where I could pull the screw out, plug and refill the tire.
     
    #9 Tsiah, Dec 24, 2018
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  10. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    I've had one blowout that shredded the tire and a few months ago, my wife put a 3/8" carpenter's drill bit through a tire. I don't remember any other times when I HAD to have a spare. Lots of times when it was convenient.
     
    #10 jerrymildred, Dec 24, 2018
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  11. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    Yes, probably 95%
     
    #11 bisco, Dec 24, 2018
  12. john1701a

    john1701a Prius Guru

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    Let's not overlook an obvious PiP advantage... LESS ENGINE USE

    The fact that the engine is used less frequently and started with such a protective process (held to 1500 RPM at first) will give it longer life then a regular Prius.
     
    #12 john1701a, Dec 24, 2018
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  13. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    Excellent point, John! I forgot that one. My odometer shows about 85,300 miles, but I think only about 50,000 are on the ICE.
     
    #13 jerrymildred, Dec 24, 2018
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  14. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    We just got home from one of those trips -- about 45 miles. Full charge when we left home and no charge when we got back. Computer showed 86 mpg. :p
     
    #14 jerrymildred, Dec 24, 2018
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  15. Tsiah

    Tsiah Junior Member

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    We all went to drive the PiP I found. It's definitely more roomy than the Leaf. My wife seems to think something was wrong with the car... That it's noisy in the cabin/the engine is noisy. She's too used to the quiet cabin of the leaf and how quiet and smooth the v6 in the Odyssey is compared to a small 4 cylinder. :p
    We have to sell the Leaf before I can make any move on a Prius anyway. Gonna have to go test drive a few others for comparison.
    One down side is the Prius definitely doesn't get up and move the way the lead can.:D:whistle:
     
    #15 Tsiah, Dec 27, 2018
  16. markabele

    markabele owner of PiP, then Leaf, then Model 3

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    It's too bad you have to sell the Leaf amid such low gas prices. If you waited til gas prices were high again you would get a lot more money for it.
     
    #16 markabele, Dec 27, 2018
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