Torn on the Plug in Prius

Because they
are often former or current Prius owners
are interested in the Prius
are interested in evs
because people discuss the Volt here and they can't abide people being wrong on the Internet (or right with a different opinion.)

 

Because Prius, Volt and Leaf owners are the world's best car owners. Together, we believe that technology can free us from our energy and pollution problems, we've invested in this technology and others will follow us over the next five to ten years.

Volt owners are no more trolls here than Prius C owners.

 

Well said, Rebound!

 

Sir! I prefer to be called a curmudgeon. I own two Prii and two Gen 1 Honda Insights. I too was skeptical of the Volt, but after seeing real world results from both cars, I have become a fan of the Volt and a critic of the PiP, for reasons discussed elsewhere.

The question often comes up, "Should I buy a GIII/c/V, a Pip, or a Volt?" and such posters may receive answers like "Buy a PiP because it is a cool car." There are many factors that potentially make any of these three cars the best option for someone and at times I am not so gently reminding everyone else of those factors. This thread is a good example of that, where the original poster has the perfect Volt profile, a 30 mile commute with a charger at work, for which I am grateful for the other Volt owners here who might be able to address all the concerns and get someone else off using gas every day.

 

My main reasons for moving from 2010 Prius to PiP were the commuter lane sticker (I would have otherwise kept my 2010 for a long time), and Prius reliability. Volt reliability is a gamble. GM reliability is, well, not so great. But it's the Gen I risk takers like you who blaze the trails.

Volt was not for me for all kinds of reasons -- I need to seat three in the back, it's too expensive for me, I can't lease because of the length of my commute.

But on weekends, even if I drive short distances and shop where chargers are located, I still use gas, like 1/8 gallon for 75 miles. A Volt wouldn't hav used any.

 

Its a very simple decision to make when it comes to the volt / PiP shopper when you compare them side by side. Sometimes one will make sense, sometimes the other...all depends on the end user and internet debates are worthless.

No 3 across in the back and 8k difference on the price to me made the decision a no brainer for a car I will drive into the ground over 5 years.

 

gbrown, you need to look at the "net" difference in price, I am using rough numbers, not exact dollars:

Base PiP: ~32,500 - $2,500 federal tax credit, nets to about $30,000

Base Volt: ~40,000 - $7,500 federal tax credit, nets to about $32,500

So the final price difference isn't as much as you might first think. Yes, there is going to be some additional sales tax as well on the Volt, and the mid size for the PiP versus compact for the Volt, and the 3 seats in the rear of the Prius, versus 2 on the Volt.

The biggest difference though is more gas free driving 35-50 miles worth on the Volt, versus our 11-15 miles on the PiP

Both will get you into the CA carpool lanes though, in actual dollars the PiP is less, but depending one your drive cycle, the Volt could cost you much less to operate (much less gasoline) long term.

 

I get your point, but the volt as optioned as I would want it came to 43 something. I also do lots of FWY driving but that did not really factor in to my personal decision making process.

I also looked a bit further down the road, in terms of estimated value when it comes time to sell it in 5 years. On the purchase side it does indeed look similar but factor in typical GM resale vs. Toyota and the difference is enough for me to sway to Toyota.

 

forgot to add, the one dealer I was in talks with obviously loaded up the cars, would have been 2-3 months before I could get one with my specs.

 

So let me understand: they don't own a Prius, so they come on Prius user forums to tell us why *their* vehicle is better than a Prius?

A Prius C owner is a Prius owner, just as I had a Gen II before I got my PHEV. It seems to me that virtually every post on here by a Volt owner is to tell us why the Volt, in their opinion, is better than a Prius PHEV.

If I wanted to buy a Volt, two things would happen, and one would NOT: I would buy a Volt; I would join a Volt users forum; I would not continually post "why you should own a Prius" posts on a Volt forum.

Personally, I find it annoying, just as when an Android user trolls in an iPhone forum, telling everyone why his Android is superior.

I'm sure there's a nice little Volt forum somewhere looking for Volt enthusiasts.

 

ya, there is a bit of a 'mine is better than yours is' in some of the posts. not sure why, perhaps some internal second guessing. it can be annoying, especially when a pip thread gets derailed and degrades into a pi$$ing contest.
who knows, maybe there are pip owners on the volt forums doing the same thing.

 

Item One: The person of whom you speak was not-so-much saying "the Volt is better than a Prius PHEV" ... rather ... the person was saying "the Volt MAY be a valid option for you to consider" ...

Item Two: How I'd LOVE a look at your dictionary. Yours seems to have a very different definition for the word "troll" than does mine.

 

And if anyone knows what a Troll is.....it's a dwarf!

Frankly, I find the Priuschat forum posters to be VERY HARD on the Chevy Volt. Not all of the posters, but in general, the Volt isn't a well loved friend/brother of the Prius. This is unfortunate, because if the Volt does well, it could very well inspire Toyota to come up with a 35 - 40 mile ranged PIP Prius. And that would be very cool (and expensive). For now, Toyota seems content to see what happens with the Volt before diving into that pool.

 

whatever priuschatters think of the volt, it won't have any impact on what toyota decides to do down the road. and i don't think people are as down on the volt as they are on gm. and for that, i can't blame them. this is priuschat. why is it hard to understand that some folks don't want to wade thru tons of volt posts when they are reading a prius thread?

 

I always find the input from Volt owners interesting, as long as it's respectful. It's natural that Prius owners will defend their car against even minor criticism from others, it's the same on the Volt and Leaf forums. The first gen Volt isn't perfect and I'm sure it'll improve over the years as the Prius has, but it also isn't the disaster many predicted or hoped for! If it ain't another big, honking V8 SUV I'm always happy!

 

The Volt interests me greatly, but not enough to let go of my attachment to my Prius. The Prius has become too familiar over the years, and if they can come up with a plug in that delivers the kind of range the Volt does without it costing 50k, I'd be all over it.

 

To each their own. For me, it was the Volt; about 80% of my miles so far have been pure electric. All of us, regardless of our brand preference, are playing an important role as early adopters of EVs and helping to build the infrastructure. I browse PIP and other EV sites due to the wealth of information found there, as well as the enthusiasm for the technology in general. It's all good!

 

We all face different driving situations in our lives. The various scenarios demand different vehicles, although an affordable, all-electric with a 400 mile range that recharges in 15 minutes would probably suit everyone ;>}. But until that day arrives, when folks ask me about my PIP, I ask them about their driving demands and then try to tailor my advice accordingly.

Frankly, the PIP is not for everyone, although I adore mine and it totally suits my needs. But the Leaf and the Volt fill other needs. So I must echo SDMACK and say that we should all be proud, early adopters of cutting edge technology, and consider ourselves plugin prophets, eager to share the good word about all the options. So, power to the plug! :hippie:

 

There is! It is here on Prius chat and is full of Prius people telling Volt owners how horrible their cars are. See this thread for example:

http://priuschat.com/forums/chevrol...-better-than-toyota-prius-plug-in-hybrid.html