Auto A/C Has Stopped Working Automatically

After several more sweaty drives home and deciding that I just wanted out of this 2017 Prime, I ran the numbers and decided on a 2020 Avalon Hybrid. No more plugging in for now.

 

It was way more than the AC issue. The AC issue was the proverbial "last straw". I found the seats very uncomfortable, especially in the summer, when I would usually sweat through the back of my shirt, no matter how low I set the AC temp. They are also like slabs of rock with a thin cushion on it. The "armrests" have no padding and I sometimes had my elbow get numb when I rested on it too long. I should add that I have a 1 hour ride each way, so I spend a lot of time in these seats (traded in my 2017 with 93,000 miles on it). I also hated the fact that the sun visor wasn't big enough to cover the side window. They shouldn't even allow it to unclip and swing to the side as it does absolutely nothing for sun protection.

When I say, "I ran the numbers", I mean that I did a spreadsheet to calculate the energy costs for my 125 mile daily commute. I compared the V4 Camry, V6 Camry, Camry Hybrid, Avalon V6, Avalon V4 (AWD), Avalon Hybrid, Prius Prime & Tesla Model 3. I ran the numbers for both $2/gal & $3/gal. At $2/gal, the Avalon Hybrid was only ~$150 more per year (using 228 days) more to drive to work in the Avalon over the Prime. That's a whole $.66/day.

Regarding losing the plug in aspect, given the relatively high electricity costs here in Maine ($.163/kWH), it was not a great financial decision to plug in every night once gas got below ~$2.50/gal. I was doing it more for "going green". FWIW, I really wanted a Tesla Model 3 but the Avalon Hybrid was about the same cost in both summer & winter with the benefit of never having to worry when driving from Maine to Holyoke, MA to visit my mother.

The final domino that forced this to happen when this AC issue cropped up, was that Woburn Toyota was clearing out a 2020 Avalon Hybrid Limited with the Advanced Safety Package for $6,907 off sticker (~$38K). That was a thousand less than the Camry XLE Hybrid I was looking at. Once they offered me $12,500 in trade for my Prime (KBB listed the value ~$13, 500), I really couldn't say no to that.