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Don't pass up this Prius Prime? Need advice :)

Discussion in 'Prime Main Forum (2017-2022)' started by dokihara, Dec 14, 2017.

  1. dokihara

    dokihara Junior Member

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    Hoping my next post will be that the car has arrived and we received it. Anxiously awaiting any news from the dealer.
     
  2. dokihara

    dokihara Junior Member

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    Get this... we inquired at the local honda dealerships about the PHEV Clarity.... they ALL are charging $3k markup and said they will NOT budge since it is such a niche / rare car... oh well, their loss.

    I will take the Prime @ $27,915 with $4500 tax credit ($23,415) over a Clarity @ $37,290 with $7500 credit all day!!! ($29,790)

    $3k markup is a crime
     
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    yeah, honda dealers are famous for that. i guess there are enough desperate buyers.
    i myself paid sticker back in '04 for my first prius, so who am i to talk?
     
  4. dokihara

    dokihara Junior Member

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    Is "sticker" above MSRP? on principle I will never pay more than MSRP unless I really wanted something and it had an incentive like a $7500 tax credit on the Model 3.

    I paid MSRP for my TSX, and there's only 1 Acura dealership in Hawaii. I had to talk them down of course.
     
  5. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    I was just reading thread on Clarity here at Prius Chat, and learned that with L1 (120V), it will take 12 hours to fully charge the battery. This means most owners will need 240V L2 charge station to really use this vehicle. That would be a few $K addition on top of $3K markup.
     
  6. jaqueh

    jaqueh Active Member

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    L2 chargers are free according to OP. So this is actually a plus.
     
  7. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    What jaqueh said. The remote key fob is available on all models. The Advanced allows more functionality via your smartphone (like turning on/off the front or rear defroster)
     
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  8. dokihara

    dokihara Junior Member

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    That is awesome! We definitely have hot days where pre-cooling the cabin would be a huge plus!
     
  9. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    I wish I live in Hawaii! Does Clarity come with L2 EVSE or L1 EVSE?
     
  10. dokihara

    dokihara Junior Member

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    Any tips before picking up the car?

    1) Possibly ask them not to put on the wheel covers
    2) Set reverse to one beep

    anything else?
     
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  11. fuzzy1

    fuzzy1 Senior Member

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    I had mine (a Gen3) set to not auto-unlock any doors from inside. Default was to auto-unlock all doors when the car is put in Park, I think another choice was to unlock all when the driver opens their door from inside. This is a security thing, when alone I don't want unlocked doors out of my reach to enable snatch-and-grab thieves. The best example is the recently filmed wave of thieves grabbing women's purses from the far side while the driver is busy filling up at gas stations.
    No, it isn't a crime, nor their loss if demand is actually high enough to support that markup. The particular car isn't a necessity.

    A Toyota dealer in my general region puts a $4k markup on all Primes, even on a demo unit with over a thousand miles. I even noticed one 'mistakenly' double-marked-up, $8k over. There are good reasons why both my Prius purchases have been elsewhere.
     
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  12. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Go here and read over the owner's manual (particularly the customization section)

    2017 Toyota Prius Prime Owners Manual and Warranty - Toyota Owners



    Other possible things are the remote opening windows (which are off by default but can be enabled). This is the feature where you can hold the unlock button on the remote fob and the windows will open. (Although if you're using Remote Climate, you probably won't need this feature anyway).

    Changing the number of times the indicators blink when you tap the indicator stalk. (Default is 3 blinks. You can add more blinks. I find 3 is a bit short given that our lanes are wider than European lanes)
     
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  13. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    sticker is msrp, i believe it is a federal law. sticker being the mulroney sticker on the window.
     
  14. KokomoKid

    KokomoKid Member

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    It sounds like the right car for you, IMHO. It's hard to beat the free electricity, and even if that should go away, the Prime gets very good mpg, driving only on gas.

    If you could charge at home, a pure EV, like Chevy Bolt would probably work for you, but until/unless that happens, the plug-in hybrid sounds perfect.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
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  15. KokomoKid

    KokomoKid Member

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    The thing I don't like about the Ioniq is the complexity for complexity's sake of the DCT. It buys you nothing, in either performance or efficiency.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
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  16. Lucifer

    Lucifer Senior Member

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    Have them program the 120-240v charger to charge immediately, not wait for you to set a timer, it’s a car setting.
    The Carissa obd2 dongle and software give you lots of things to customize and if any codes ever get thrown, it will read them.
    Get a good air pressure gauge and keep them at 40ish pounds.
    Look for led interior bulb replacement conversations here, big difference at night when you open the doors.
    Enjoy.
     
  17. HPrimeAdvanced

    HPrimeAdvanced Senior Member

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    I'm with you; range anxiety sucks! The Prime, regardless of the model is your best selection; it provides RELIABLE CHOICE!
    Also, if you drive slowly, 35-45 mph, in urban driving, with little elevation change, you're going to easily exceed the 25 mile EV range to as much as 35 miles! And, the car is EXTREMELY reliable and I'm following the minimum service requirements, oil/filter change every 10,000 miles, with no problems except flat tires! Dealer visits should therefore not be as concerning as with the AVERAGE car! Good luck, and welcome to Prime ownership and PriusChat!

    .
     
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  18. HPrimeAdvanced

    HPrimeAdvanced Senior Member

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    Get rid of the silly "Boot up" music! Get some type of "real spare" tire, so you don't have to wait for an ordered tire?!
    This depends on how much you think you're likely to get a flat in your area.
    BTW, all my relatives and most of my clients let me plug in, when I visit, and with the Prime's relatively low electric demand, it's low cost, quick, and easy!!

    .
     
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  19. Since2002

    Since2002 Senior Lurker

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    From what I have read the ICE in the Ioniq plug-in comes on quite often in EV mode (only EV/HV, there is no EV Auto mode). However those were test vehicles, maybe they will correct that on the production models, unless it's built in as part of their efficiency strategy or perhaps due to insufficient EV power. Lower headroom in the rear because the battery is under the rear seat, but that does mean more cargo space than Prime. I sat in an Ioniq plug-in at the Detroit car show, that was almost a year ago and it's still vaporware for some reason. Even the regular Ioniq hybrid seems to be rare and it's been out for awhile.

    Clarity has 47 miles EV range, it's a larger, heavier, supposedly more comfortable and quieter car than Prime. That makes it not nearly as efficient as Prime, thus it needs a huge battery, although that does result in a $7,500 tax credit.

    It's not a hatchback, although a fairly roomy trunk even with the battery taking up some space, and a pass-through to the rear seats.

    For some reason only comes in beige interior for some exterior colors, only black interior for other exterior colors.
     
    #59 Since2002, Dec 16, 2017
    Last edited: Dec 16, 2017
  20. Since2002

    Since2002 Senior Lurker

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    Does it say Super White on the dealer paperwork? Because that color is only available for fleet. Either it's a typo and the car is actually Blizzard Pearl, or if it's actually Super White maybe it was a fleet order that got cancelled?
     
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