Need advice (Prime 2017 Advanced)

FWIW and if you trust Consumers Report you just purchased the most reliable car in it's size/type. Enjoy.
The biggest gripe I had was it comes with no spare tire so I purchased one and keep it in the back seat on the floor. If you use the goop cannister to "repair" a flat you'll destroy the tire and TPMS stem so if you add $200 for a new tire, the new TPMS and $100(?) for a new can of goop a real spare is a good investment IMO.

 

Agreed. All mine have had 15” and a spare.

 

First, this issue is not unique to Primes. Just about any car these days with a Telematics based communication module is prone to it. Basically the car is never really "off" and experiences a parasitic type drain on the 12V as a result. I try to top off the 12V every 10 days if I don't drive it during that period. I use a battery maintainer but a smart trickle charger would work as well. You might, as I do, keep a Lithium Ion Booster in the trunk "just in case".

 

congrats and welcome!

sounds like you got a great deal in these trying times.

the battery should last a long long time, i wouldn't give it a second thought.

log in to toyota.com/owners for all kinds of good info on your car, and a complete list of any maintenance done at the dealer.
follow the maintenance schedule, and consider a tranny fluid change in the near future.

if you don't drive much, get a volt meter and check the 12v everyday with the car off. it will give you some idea how long you can go before it needs driving or charging. you don't want it to fall below 12 volts or so.
there are several threads here on the subject, and lots of threads on different problems, none of which are major, or will need a lot of money to repair.

all the best!

 

you are confusing the 12 volt battery with the hybrid battery.
charge mode is for the hybrid battery, but you don't have to worry about that, the hybrid battery is lithium, and prefers a low state of charge.
no need to ever charge it, the car takes care of everything, whether you drive it or not.
the prime does not take fast charge. 120 or 240 volt charge are the only options.

the 12 volt battery is a standard car battery (except for the unusual dimensions) but there is a constant drain on it with the car is off. if you can't put a maintainer on it, and you don't drive often, it will eventually go dead.

since you can't plug in, you would be better off with a standard prius, unless the prime is much cheaper, which is sometimes the case.
but even the standard prius needs to be driven every few days to keep the 12 volt from dying.

 

Another reason you might be better off with the standard prius is that the 2017 Prius Prime only holds two in the back seat while the standard Prius holds three. Might be a deal breaker if you want to use it as a taxi.

 

"if you don't drive much, get a volt meter and check the 12v everyday with the car off. it will give you some idea how long you can go before it needs driving or charging. you don't want it to fall below 12 volts or so."
There are car voltmeters that plug into the accessory outlet (what we used to call the cigarette lighter socket)--pick one with a configuration that fits easily. In the $10 range.

"since you can't plug in, you would be better off with a standard prius,"
Good point here. You can't go wrong with either. How far is your usual drive? The Prime will get 25-30 miles on a charge before the gas engine starts. If the public charger costs much, then it isn't worth the savings of the Prime.

 

I paid ~$33,500 total (not including CA rebate) for my 2017 Prius Prime Advanced when it was new. Prior to this I drove a 2016 White Prius until it was smashed up in a vehicle collision. You can see it in my profile pic. I also posted about this many years ago.

Anywho! I used to get 65s to 70s with the 2016 Prius. So the regular Prius is by no means a gas guzzler in the right hands. If you are not expecting to charge the Prime daily, you will just be hauling an extra 200 to 300lbs of dead weight and that will hurt your mileage.

With my current charge everyday on the 2017 Prius Prime Advanced, I am averaging 70 mpg at 56,000 miles currently. It used to be higher but it's dropped due to reasons. (Roof rack, aftermarket wheels/tires 225/40 R17)

Overall though, the Prius Prime is actually my favorite Prius so far. I am loving everything about this vehicle. With the only exception that the Dealer I purchased it from did not take care of the paint when I purchased new. The HUD, Premium Audio, and really bright (easily adjustable) LED lights more than make the Prime Advanced a quality vehicle. I think only the Advanced came with power driver side seats too. Not 100% certain on this. Power seats are nice of course.

25K maybe a bit high for a used vehicle. But I can understand with the current market conditions.

edit: at 56,000 miles and roughly 5 years later, my 2017 Prius Prime will show 22.5 to ~23.1 miles of battery range at temperatures of 50F in the mornings. Battery degradation is real. But overall not bad.

 

If you can't charge, then you may find a PP to be no better than a regular Gen4 Prius. Charge mode will use gasoline, which is very expensive right now. Using a public charger, unless it is free, will cost more than gasoline equivalent for the miles you gain. The biggest advantage the PP had over regular Gen4 was the price, especially in CARB states with large cashback incentives and tax credits. You will not get any of that with a used PHEV. Unless you find better-priced PP, I suggest looking for regular Gen4.

 

Wait, the five year old Jeep has only 30k miles on it, and it doesn't have any issues? Why get another car of the same age with more miles?