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2010 Prius III vs 2014 Plug-in Prius

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by Edsel Adams, Dec 10, 2018.

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  1. 2010 Prius III for $10,250

    1 vote(s)
    9.1%
  2. 2014 Plug-in Prius for $14,500

    10 vote(s)
    90.9%
  1. Edsel Adams

    Edsel Adams Junior Member

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    Apopogies if this is the wrong place to ask opinions on this question. If it needs to be moved I’ll understand.

    Our 2009 Prius was recently murdered while sleeping (totalled by a hit-and-driver while parked on the street). We are in significant but not desparate need of replacing it asap. Toward that goal we are having a 2014 Plug-in Prius brought into our local Carmax. It is $14,500 with 80,000 miles and has new tires provided by CarMax.

    AAA has found a 2010 Prius III with 90,000 miles - no info on the tires. Price approx $10,250

    Is one of these cars the obviously better or worse choice?

    Many thanks!
     
  2. bobzchemist

    bobzchemist Active Member

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    If you can at all afford it, I'd strongly suggest paying the extra 4k for the 2014, at least if this will be a long-term car. The combo of 10,000 fewer miles, and 4 years newer, and new tires, and a Plug-in, and from CarMax, all for only $4,250 more would make it a very easy choice, at least to me. Even if I do think the 2010 is overpriced, the 2014 is simply a much better deal. Even if the mileage was the same, and the cars had identical tires, the 2014 would still be the better deal.

    However, if this is just a stop-gap car until you can afford a new one, the calculations are different.
     
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  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    go for the plug in. the 2010's are hit or miss for head gasket failure around 100k.

    but be aware, you lose the spare tire and under hatch storage.

    also, the plug in came in two flavors, base an advanced. sometimes the dealers don't know, and you can score big.
     
  4. Edsel Adams

    Edsel Adams Junior Member

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    Thank you bobzchemist! Your response is a direct answer to my question; that is very much appreciated.

    The situation is somewhat in between stopgap car and longterm car. I was otherwise planning to upgrade the interior of the 2009 and have its exterior paint repaired with the intent of keeping it another 75K to 100K miles. In that scenario it would look relatively new but have been paid for long ago. We are considering living in a travel trailer in a couple of years. Between now and then we will buy a the trailer and a pickup truck it. Investing an extra $4000+ dollars on the replacement Prius slows down the truck purchase by a chunk of time. We figure the 2014 should have better resale value; that helps only if we decide to sell it. I'd rather save the $4000 of course, but we can absorb the cost difference.

    Given your perspective that the 2010 is overpriced, what would a fair price for that car be? Does the 2014 seem priced about right? At CarMax I figure we are paying more than we might elsewhere, but we at least have the brand promise that they have thoroughly inspected the car and stand behind it at some level. AAA isn't offering very much in that regard -- they have inspected the car and found it to be to their standards.

    With AAA we must commit to the car sight unseen, not even a CarFax, with fewer pictures and detailed knowledge of it. That is the stuff that causes me to lean toward the extra expense of the 2014.

    One factor weighing in favor of the 2010 is that I truly dislike the flying bridge console thing. Yuck. Both cars have it. I have a hard time seeing keeping the any flying bridge model until it dies. So either might turn out to be a stopgap car. Contradicting myself now... that also motivates toward the 2014, which might resell for more.

    Thanks again.
     
  5. Edsel Adams

    Edsel Adams Junior Member

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    @bisco No spare tire? Wow.
     
  6. Bay Stater

    Bay Stater Senior Member

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    The 2014 plug in is the better deal in most ways. One draw back is that it has a smaller gas tank. Only 8 gallons! This can be an issue if your daily commutes are long, over 100 miles round-trip. The regular Prius has an 11.9 gallon tank. Can you plug it in? At home and at work?

    Agreed to stay away from the 2010. It's the first model year of Gen 3. There have been a lot of reported engine oil consumption issues (here on PC) that in time could lead to the EGR Cooler clogging up, and eventually possible head gasket failure.
     
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  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    10 gallons
     
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  8. Edsel Adams

    Edsel Adams Junior Member

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    Okay, sold, we'll stay away from the 2010. Thanks for your thoughts.

    What set-up is required to charge a PiP at home? 240v outlet? 120V? either? Does the home set-up need to be special in any way?

    We are kinda excited to get the PiP. It means more of our actions will be in tune with the values we hold to be important. The assistance here is appreciated.
     
  9. bobzchemist

    bobzchemist Active Member

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    If I knew where you folks were located, I could probably help more.

    The plug-in models seem to add about $2,000 to the value of the car over the regular Prius. Since you can afford to go to about $14,000, though, I'd also strongly suggest looking into a Certified Pre-Owned Toyota from a dealer. With just a quick look, I found a 2013 Prius Plug-in, 44k miles, for $13,600. (It's in NJ, but still a decent price) Certified Used Toyota Vehicles | Pre-Owned Cars, Trucks, SUVs & Hybrids

    The Carmax price for the 2014 seems somewhat fair, especially since buying a car from them looks like it costs about $1,000 - $1,500 over the cost of buying the same car elsewhere - about the same premium you'd pay for a CPO car from a dealer.

    If the extra cost is really an issue, in my area (Atlanta), according to Truecar, there's a 2010 Prius II, 87k miles, for $8,647; a 2012 Prius II, 92k miles, for $10,299 and a 2014 Prius II, 77k miles, for $11,000. (There's about a $1,000 cost every time you go up a year from a 2010, all other things being equal. This seems remarkably consistent wherever you look.)

    I agree that you should stay away from the 2010's if you can. If you don't, upkeep is critically important.
     
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  10. royrose

    royrose Senior Member

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    I have a 2010 Prius with 92,000 miles and watch trade in and dealer value. Edmund's says trade in about $5500, Dealer $9600.

    Get the plug in or keep looking. You can save $1000 to $3000 by looking on Craigslist. $3000 would cover the cost of a new hybrid battery if you need one down the road.
     
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  11. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Plug-In batteries are going to be pricier; though haven't heard of any needing replacement yet.
     
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  12. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    yes, and even some of the ben 4 prius now come sans spare. seems to be an industry trend
     
  13. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Another gem: 2015 model year only (PIP or regular Prius I believe) have revised piston rings that are supposed to be less prone to oil consumption problems. There Technical Service Bulletin for the earlier years, with the fix being to replace piston rings with 2015 m/y style rings.
     
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  14. Bill Norton

    Bill Norton Senior Member

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    If you like the idea of a Plug in Prius,,, You'll love the idea of a Volt !
    It does so much more than a PiP when it is trying to be an EV and will save you $$$ in fuel and oil maintenance.
    You can probably find one in this very price range or less.
     
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  15. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    and comes with a spare!
     
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  16. Edsel Adams

    Edsel Adams Junior Member

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    I pretty much expect this to be a religious issue around here, but is there agreement that the Volt is preferable to the PiP?

    When I read a comparison, it read as though the Volt had more range, less efficient use of 12V energy and lower MPG on gasoline. Whereas the PiP was the opposite, less range, more efficient use of 12V energy, and higher MPG on gasoline. Ultimately I have a hard time thinking that GM will make a Volt as well as Toyota will make a Prius. My built-in bias is that the GM product will not last as long. That bias, not the performance specs, drove my choice to the PiP.

    There are some used Volts available in the same price range. At CarMax for instance we can basically have a 2013 Volt with maybe 40,000 miles or a 2014 Prius with 80,000 miles for roughly the same cost.
     
  17. Bill Norton

    Bill Norton Senior Member

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    >I assume you mean how these cars use the High Voltage battery (not 12V), in terms of kWh / mile.

    The Volt is a 100% EV when it is using the HV battery for that ~38 miles of range.
    Full 150 HP, heating or cooling fully EV. You can preheat or cool anywhere without making stinky! Up to 2 yr. oil change intervals.

    With the PiP its 6-11 miles of range may be adequate to some commuters. But step on the Go pedal on an on ramp and the cold engine wakes up and has to make power. Press the defrost and the engine has to wake up and make heat. Ask for heat, same thing.
    Even if you are one of the owners that manages to get, say, 75% EV usage for 10k miles the manual still tells you to change that engine oil.
    You have winter weather. The PiP is at best a '3 Season EV'.

    Yes the PiP gets slightly better kWh/mi and better MPG on gas.
    But if you manage 95% of your driving on EV with a Volt, that more than makes up for 'Road Trip' MPG.

    >>Yes, there is that bias. But where does that come from? Do your research. Get real numbers.

    >>> To me there is no choice. Especially at those prices and mileage !!
    You can enter the future with a True EV, (a PHEV that doesn't need the gasser for power.),
    or get a PiP and tip toe around trying to not make that ice cold engine wake up.

    Go test drive both in the same day!!! It will be fun!! Except for dealing with used car salesmen...:(
    Do you know how to tell if they're lying? (old joke...;)) And watch, those dogs won't have them plugged in.:mad:
     
  18. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    It was chilly this morning here for FL (42F). So I hit the "Auto" button on climate control mostly to clear the windshield. It's a 9.8 mile drive one way to work. So, I only got 198 mpg this morning. 95%+ of my work days I use no gas at all. And on longer trips I "only" get about 50-70 mpg. But almost half my miles are in EV mode and you can see my current mileage in my signature line, which includes two trips to Ohio, one of which was in the dead of winter. All my other fill-ups come in at over 100 mpg. I'm at almost 85,000 miles now and have had zero problems. The car is comfortable for me and costs me about 2.9 cents per mile to drive. How could I possibly complain?
     
    #18 jerrymildred, Dec 12, 2018
    Last edited: Dec 12, 2018
  19. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    in my case, volt would be overkill. but if your driving pattern typically fits the 50 mile ev range, and you don't do much long range driving, it's definitely worth a look see.
     
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  20. Bill Norton

    Bill Norton Senior Member

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    Edsel,
    Keep in mind when you see figures like this that they are sort of misleading. They make it seem like the EV miles were free and the only the gas miles count towards MPG.
    Is this $/mil figure factoring electron costs, or just gas? It's a complicated subject.

    If your commute is beyond the low 9-11 mi. range, or you deal with winter weather, a PiP is going to be firing up that smelly gasser all the time. It's not a Full Featured EV. To enter the future you need that! (y)
    And you are going to be taking it in for oil changes at 10k mi. regardless. More advanced PHEV's don't do that.

    Drive both. Put pencil to paper and try to figure your actual Total Cost of Ownership.
    And really? 40k mi. vs. 80k mi. ,, similar price?
    Definitely not similar technology. {for instance: 101 mph in EV mode! The PiP is speed limited in EV...}

    I used to go months without the smelly gasser firing up. (Boring, no road trip months....:unsure:)