2014 Plug in Advanced vs 2012 IV purchase

they both look fine, and it's really personal preference of options.

plug in has no spare, and no storage under the hatch floor. the good news is no one has replaced a battery yet.
keep in mind, they are both potentially going to need a head gasket, if not entire engine.

 

I like the PIP a little better, newer and less miles. I disagree with Bisco a little on the head gasket. Both are less than 120K miles, so a proper EGR cleaning/servicing should be in order and that should take care of head gasket concerns for a long time.

 

Try checking the Toyota Owners website for the service history.

The 2014 PiP Advance has already been used for towing for an unknown weight and for an unknown number of times... check wheel bearing probably.

Any accidents on those two?

Based on your post, everything will depend and boils down on your personal preferences and priorities.

If bells and whistles are not your priority, then check the gen4 standard Prius.

But if you can up your budget to probably $17k or $18k, then get the Prius Prime Prium trim level instead. And if you are willing to drive for around 150 miles one way.

Mine is a 2014 PiP Base (S-Grade according to Toyota Owners website). Has around 159k miles on it but it has around 143k miles (or 146k miles.. I dont remember which one) when I bought it. So far it has been great. Only big thing I replaced are the 4 tires since purchasing the car. The rest are on Toyota's recommended maintenance schedule. Still uses the original HV battery and 12v battery. Wheel bearings will be next on scheduled replacement though.

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Gen4 and the Prius Prime can have a "butt ugly" exterior, depending on who you ask, but has way better interior and features than the gen3 and gen1 plugin.

Gen4 and Prius Prime is pretty much much worth it if you can find a good deal.

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I actually have a 2014 PiP "Technology", which is the Canadian equivalent of Advanced in the US. It is a great car, and as others have mentioned, the decisions seems very close based on what you describe. I do agree that lack of moonroof availability is disappointing for me (as I miss having one in one of my prior vehicles), but the plug-in capability was more important to me. Another factor not mentioned here is whether the PiP still gets HOV lane privileges (not sure if CA still allows that?), but that was a BIG factor for me in Toronto. I think the cost difference will close somewhat with the PiP if you plug in very often, but of course it is a very small battery.

As someone mentioned above, the hitch is intriguing if you are an outdoorsy type as it would be handy for a bike rack, but there is the risk of unknown on whether a prior owner towed heavy things with it. I would certainly try to have the PiP inspected by a different hybrid specialist if you can. Also the lack of spare is a consideration with the PiP, if you plan to go to remote areas.

I think it basically comes down to how important the moonroof and rims are to you vs having plugin capability. Personally, I would lean toward the PiP as long as there are no mechanical surprises with an inspection (but that's me), I think you should be good with either one.

That being said though, the Prime is also quite a leap forward over either Gen 3 if you have the budget to step up to that, you could probably find a used 2017 or 2018 vehicle for a decent price, particularly if you are willing to concede higher mileage (which is generally not as hard on a newer vehicle, since it was likely a high ratio of highway miles...)

Good luck with your decision!