I want to plug in a Hybrid

I think the Volt is the right answer here unless you get an exceptionally cheap 500e.

In reply to chaparral:

I think you're right, but it looks like I'm going to end up with a 10 year old Prius this time. The car is going to end up with Deucelings driving it, solo in 10 months or so, and I can't quite emotionally handle putting a brand new driver in a $12-13k car even if she is my most responsible kid.

There was a Prius plug-in around 2012 or so. I think they only get 11 miles on a charge though, and I'm sure they are harder to find and more costly.

Prius isn't the right answer, but maybe it is the best answer for your particular situation.

As a 10 year old Prius owner I recommend them highly! I think plug-in Prii are neat (the new one actually looks very impressive for the money!) but they do have limited range AND limited performance envelope in EV mode. Unlike a Volt they can only be driven fully electric at certain speeds/throttle. But i would say where Mazdeuce lives is decently suited to that since the first few miles in any direction are sub-highway speeds. Or should be....

Prius reliability is just beyond reproach. Now, i dont know about range degradation on the plug-in cars but there's another side of me that says when your worst case scenario is it reverts to a 'regular' Prius a few miles earlier, who really cares. Plug-in Prii generally havent been the kind of car you could complete a whole commute on battery power with anyway.

Drove a 2005 and a 2010 Prius today. The newer car is better. The older cars that aren't beat to hell and back are above $5k. The 2010+ cars are sitting at 10k in any reasonable shape. I found a sub $12k volt locally that I'm going to go try and drive tomorrow.
Oh, and this was at the same semi sketchy used car lot as the Priuses.

In reply to mazdeuce:

Try this while on the test drive: put the Volt shifter in L (not D) and select Sport mode.

L is not a different gear, just a different mapping for more "engine" braking, and is allowed at any road speed. This was my favorite setting on the Volt.

There was no plug in version of the 2g prius like the 2005 you drove. They can be modified to be grid charged and have an EV mode but the range is pure novelty-status.

I drove a Volt. I was real serious about them until i stumbled upon the GS450h. The Volt is punchy and probably one of the best built Chevies of the time. I dont know if it's still available but there used to be a flash tune that would make them a lot quicker. The Cadi ELR had the same hardware and at some point they changed the software on that one to make it hit 0-60 in 6.5 seconds. I've driven the pre-quickness ELR and i liked it a lot, but their resale value is downright stupid. They ought to be 30% more than a Volt, but they are more like 300%. Kinda sad, as i'd think about buying one if they were reasonable. I think they're really good looking.

Used ELR's are the same (or more) than new Volts. I like them and they would fit the theme in my fleet (weird luxury) but they just don't make sense. The other issue is this car needs to fill a niche where it's appropriate for my kid to drive while still being tolerable for my VP wife to drive people to lunch if needed and satisfy my desire to own something weird enough to be interesting.
The 2nd gen cars I drove weren't going to cut it. The 3rd gen feels like a lot like my truck from a build quality standpoint and ones optioned high enough to pass muster are pretty close to Volt prices. I'll know more after driving the Volt tomorrow. For what it's worth, I didn't mind how either generation of Prius drove, just how they felt.

mazdeuce wrote: while still being tolerable for my VP wife to drive people to lunch if needed

Hmm... a semi-electric car driven by a VP in the fossil fuel industry...

Ian F wrote:

mazdeuce wrote: while still being tolerable for my VP wife to drive people to lunch if needed

Hmm... a semi-electric car driven by a VP in the fossil fuel industry...

Denying the future doesn't keep it from happening. The rest of the fleet more than make up for it anyway.

Vigo wrote: There was no plug in version of the 2g prius like the 2005 you drove. They can be modified to be grid charged and have an EV mode but the range is pure novelty-status.

What are the details on this? How much is the novelty range, how much for the conversion? Any links? I did a google search but apparently am not searching the right terms.

Holy cow the Volt is nicer than a third generation Prius. Not even in the same league.

mtn wrote:

Vigo wrote: There was no plug in version of the 2g prius like the 2005 you drove. They can be modified to be grid charged and have an EV mode but the range is pure novelty-status.

What are the details on this? How much is the novelty range, how much for the conversion? Any links? I did a google search but apparently am not searching the right terms.

Conversions are crazy expensive. And as Vigo mentioned earlier, you can run battery only in very limited situations. So basically your car just gets exceptional mileage.

They used to have prices posted, but difficult to find now. http://www.enginer.us/products/conversion_kit.php

IMO, they are no longer financially viable. OEM plug ins/electrics are now available for less than converted Gen 2 Prius money.

You know how everyone raves about Volts? I'm about to be that guy.

mazdeuce wrote: You know how everyone raves about Volts? I'm about to be that guy.

If it weren't for the claustrophobic feel that my wife got in it, we'd have one right now.

The A pillars are a little weird but forward visibility is good. Easier to see out of in every way than the Cadillac. No backup camera which is weird considering it has everything else.

Has anyone done a combination hypermile/Texas Mile car yet? I see an opportunity here... aero improvements work for both!

If I can ever get them to agree to take my money (been here 2.5 hours) I'm 100% going to autocross it. Wondering about track pads. Already had a discussion with a friend about whether it could generate enough electricity to maintain 100mph for Big Bend Open Road race.

am now watching for the new build thread

In reply to sleepyhead:

Incoming. Need Mrs. Deuce to come get the car with me this evening.

mazdeuce wrote: In reply to sleepyhead: Incoming. Need Mrs. Deuce to come get the car with me this evening.

you go through cars faster than I go through shampoo.

Bad example.

You buy cars more often than I buy breakfast cereal.

Leafs are only $5k?

Uh oh. Bad ideas brewing. I DONT NEED MORE PROJECTS

tuna55 wrote:

mazdeuce wrote: In reply to sleepyhead: Incoming. Need Mrs. Deuce to come get the car with me this evening.

you go through cars faster than I go through shampoo. Bad example. You buy cars more often than I buy breakfast cereal.

The first thing the finance guys says to me is "you haven't bought a car in a while" and I laughed.
I'll go over my tortured logic in the upcoming build/ownership thread. I would have been a fool to NOT buy it.

In reply to mazdeuce:

If he only knew.. just because you don't finance them, doesn't mean you are buying them.....congrats look forward to your review of it

What are the details on this? How much is the novelty range, how much for the conversion? Any links? I did a google search but apparently am not searching the right terms.

Building a grid charger and adding an EV mode button to a 2g Prius costs like $40 if you know how to do basic electrical work. The issue is that battery is so small that your range is like 1-3 miles or something like that. You can make a 2g Prius drive through it's battery in EV 'mode' just by staying under 39 mph and being light on the throttle, but like i said, it's just a novelty. It's a fun 'challenge' but not a useful talent unless you cut off your Prius muffler and are trying to get through a tiny stretch without making noise.

Holy cow the Volt is nicer than a third generation Prius. Not even in the same league.

Hmm, interesting. They both have a decent range of trim available and i dont think a bottom-spec Volt holds up to a top-spec Prius or vice versa when it comes to 'niceness'. The 'base' volts with cloth seats never seemed very special to me unless you were comparing them to other 2011 Chevys. But in general i think the Volt is an overall superior product to the 3g Prius by a decent margin. Just a lot more tech/capability for similar used money.

Congrats on purchase!!