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2015 w/tech pkg conundrum

Discussion in 'Prius v Main Forum' started by benkhanobi, Jul 4, 2018.

  1. benkhanobi

    benkhanobi Member

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    I have been looking for a 2015 v with the tech pkg for almost a year and finally found a nice one with 19,000 miles at the local Toyota dealer. The wife and I drove it and we were going to buy it, except the Toyota used car lot tried to under value my trade. - we had less than 35K miles on my Dodge minivan- nope wasn't taking 7500 dollars. I waved the sales manager off, saying, "let's check out the new car side"- so we drove across the street.
    I told the gaggle of salesmen I was looking for a deal on a Prius- then I went to use the restroom. When I came out, the wife was sitting in the drivers seat of a 2018 red Corolla LE parked under the canopy. What!!- the "sale'" sign on the window said, $20,928 NOW $15,403. Her hand was caressing that soft upholstery and I had to admit the upholstery- light brown with gold trim, looked and felt great- Ok, I agreed, we can take it for a test drive. I was impressed with the ride- much better than the Prius, seats were comfortable, has the full TSS-P tech package, too. Back seat had ample legroom. Salesman explained in the eco mode, it's 40mpg , if you keep it around 50 mph. - Back from the test drive, the appraisal was done ----I was sure they would low ball me - it came back $9000, hmm. It was raining and the appraiser must not have seen some parking lot scrapes and scratches or the cracked tail light ( I really need a back up camera)- better move fast- haha
    We were now down to the nitty gritty- I still wanted a Prius v, but in the end, new car smell, a full factory warranty with the TSS-P tech pkg won me over-- except I wanted another $500 off. No dice- they wouldn't budge- Ok, $250 or we walk- it was 5:30- they left and I watched them fidget at the stand up desk. 10 minutes went by- the manager came back- they gave me the fancy $279 floor mats for free- so the deal was cinched. One major gripe-( I'm 68, complaining always gets you more)- the car had that SE Toyota Toyo guard for $995, that I said I would never pay for- so they gave me 2 more oil changes to assuage my feelings- I was stuck with a $399 dent insurance pkg . That didn't bother me so much, as those shopping carts are bound to get you. I didn't even quibble over the inflated dealer sales fee- it's a pernicious trend that is only getting worse. (I did get the free floor mats)
    I'm Ok with a Corolla now, as the car is much larger than I remember from 15 years ago- the ride is smooth and turning radius seemed sharper than the Prius.
    I finally decided a Prius v was not going to happen- The wife loves her little red Corolla, so as they say, happy wife, happy life.
    We are driving 1100 miles to a wedding in six weeks and I have been dreading that trip in the minivan- having the TSS-P and the radar cruise control makes me feel better now.
     
    #1 benkhanobi, Jul 4, 2018
    Last edited: Jul 4, 2018
    bisco and Mendel Leisk like this.
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    corolla is a nice car. congrats, and all the best!(y)
     
  3. shanecrow99

    shanecrow99 Junior Member

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    Unless you really wanted to stick to a hybrid, the Corolla makes a lot of sense. That Corolla is 3 years newer with a factory warranty most likely for a fraction of the cost of that V. I was almost in the same boat as you and that Corolla sure was tempting. I probably would have bought it had I not lucked into a crazy deal on a V. Congrats on your purchase!
     
  4. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Congrats on your purchase! The Corolla will serve you well and yes the highway mileage is really insane if you do keep your speed down. Looking at my notes for the 2014 Corolla (same generation as yours. The current generation is 2014-2019.. we expect a redesign for 2020)., I got 50mpg at 50mph. 42mpg at 62mph. 32mpg in mostly city with some highway mixed in. 23mpg in short (<5 miles) trips in hilly terrain and stop & go traffic.

    I agree that 40mpg is attainable on the highway.

    In a recent trip with a 2017 Corolla rental, over 868 miles (almost 1,400km), we averaged 38.7mpg (6.0L/100km) of mostly highway driving including one day in the cool rain and one day in the hot summer day with the A/C on.

    Both cars were LE models with the 16" steel rims and the regular 1.8 litre engine (not the LE Eco with the 1.8 litre Valvematic).
     
  5. djasonw

    djasonw Active Member

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    The Corolla is a nice car. I have the 2017 Corolla iM with a 1.8 liter engine/ CVT. I usually average around 35 on a tank if I nurse it. If I drive normally I get 28 avg. This is driving in South Florida. I also HAD a 2016 Civic with the 1.5 liter turbo and CVT. It’s a MUCH better car than the Corolla. It’s very quick and will easily get over 40 mpg on the highway up to 68 mph. It will trounce the Corolla in 0-60. I love my Prius v. I am averaging 50 in primarily city driving.