MSRP: $46,415
Add Ons: $395 Clear Guard. Now I can let my finger nails grow out and don’t have to worry about scratching under the door handles, phew!
Acquisition: $650
Rebates: $6500
DAS: $3000 (TTL + down to max out credit card spend)
MF: Didn’t do the calculation but pretty sure it’s around .00400 lol. Didn’t feel like negotiating as it’s a difference of around 50 bucks total cost from the buy rate MF since I’m just buying it out anyways.
The lease itself is terrible obviously but I will buy it out ASAP in order to capture the TFS tax credit passthrough. Overall pretty happy with this considering waitlists in the Bay Area for Prime’s at any MSRP dealership (that still have add ons) are an estimated 2-3 years. After the Acquisition, Add On, and First month rent charge I’m looking at about $5200 under MSRP by leasing with immediate buyout.
Some interesting things I learned from the dealer (take them with a grain of salt):
This particular dealership said they get 1 Prime every ~2 months
Car was originally a waitlist allocation but the person on the waitlist backed out after it arrived at the dealership. They explained to me that if someone backs out and it’s already on the lot they just list it to get it off the lot as soon as possible. Allocations to dealerships are based on dealer inventory so if they don’t have any when Toyota allocates more units they are more likely to get them.
I think the MSRP on these is pretty high for what it is but the demand in the Bay Area and the west coast in general justifies it I guess.
No chance at under MSRP on a Prime in CA let alone the Bay Area. As mentioned these “MSRP” dealers all have mandatory add ons and have several year wait lists.
but with a PHEV now you have the potential ICE problems and EV problems to deal with along with the hybrid powertrain integration problems. worst of all worlds!
If you understand that I’m buying it out then what’s the point of your previous comment about 28K TCO. I agree it’s a lot of money for what the car is even at the buyout price. But the demand is there and it will likely retain more value than any other PHEV on the market. The TCO shouldn’t be anywhere near the cost of the lease. In any case, this is probably a long term keeper. There’s few cars in todays market where the price actually makes sense, but it is what it is.
Im wondering if the higher cost of PHEV over regular gas makes up for the EV savings
I think with a PHEV you’re also paying a premium for convenience. We take a few 500 mile road trips per year I’d say (several more shorter ones) and having the convenience of electric for 90% of the year but no worries about EV charging on the long trips is part of what you pay for.
We’ve got a 6 month road trip coming up next year, so I’ll keep it through that at least and see what the market looks like. I’m fine if this is the long term car though.
What if that battery takes a
Yea it’s possible but Toyota has been mass producing hybrid vehicles for 25+ years at this point. I’m hopeful that of any manufacturer with a PHEV Toyota has the best chance at something that can last a while.
