diff --git a/src/Composer/Console/Application.php b/src/Composer/Console/Application.php
index 849884d1c..8e49eedb5 100644
--- a/src/Composer/Console/Application.php
+++ b/src/Composer/Console/Application.php
@@ -177,7 +177,7 @@ class Application extends BaseApplication
     public function renderException($exception, $output)
     {
         try {
-            $composer = $this->getComposer(false);
+            $composer = $this->getComposer(false, true);
             if ($composer) {
                 $config = $composer->getConfig();
 
diff --git a/src/Composer/Factory.php b/src/Composer/Factory.php
index 5b2539672..8f7ba28e0 100644
--- a/src/Composer/Factory.php
+++ b/src/Composer/Factory.php
@@ -283,18 +283,19 @@ class Factory
         // add installers to the manager (must happen after download manager is created since they read it out of $composer)
         $this->createDefaultInstallers($im, $composer, $io);
 
-        $globalComposer = $this->createGlobalComposer($io, $config, $disablePlugins);
-        $globalRepository = $globalComposer ? $globalComposer->getRepositoryManager()->getLocalRepository() : null;
-        $pm = $this->createPluginManager($composer, $io, $globalRepository);
-        $composer->setPluginManager($pm);
-
         // purge packages if they have been deleted on the filesystem
         if ($rm->getLocalRepository()) {
             $this->purgePackages($rm->getLocalRepository(), $im);
         }
 
-        if (!$disablePlugins) {
-            $pm->loadInstalledPlugins();
+        if ($fullLoad) {
+            $globalComposer = $this->createGlobalComposer($io, $config, $disablePlugins);
+            $pm = $this->createPluginManager($io, $composer, $globalComposer);
+            $composer->setPluginManager($pm);
+
+            if (!$disablePlugins) {
+                $pm->loadInstalledPlugins();
+            }
         }
 
         // init locker if possible
@@ -424,14 +425,14 @@ class Factory
     }
 
     /**
-     * @param  Composer             $composer
      * @param  IOInterface          $io
-     * @param  RepositoryInterface  $globalRepository
+     * @param  Composer             $composer
+     * @param  Composer             $globalComposer
      * @return Plugin\PluginManager
      */
-    protected function createPluginManager(Composer $composer, IOInterface $io, RepositoryInterface $globalRepository = null)
+    protected function createPluginManager(IOInterface $io, Composer $composer, Composer $globalComposer = null)
     {
-        return new Plugin\PluginManager($composer, $io, $globalRepository);
+        return new Plugin\PluginManager($io, $composer, $globalComposer);
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/src/Composer/Plugin/PluginManager.php b/src/Composer/Plugin/PluginManager.php
index fdd952ae3..d7c2d8657 100644
--- a/src/Composer/Plugin/PluginManager.php
+++ b/src/Composer/Plugin/PluginManager.php
@@ -28,12 +28,13 @@ use Composer\DependencyResolver\Pool;
  * Plugin manager
  *
  * @author Nils Adermann <naderman@naderman.de>
+ * @author Jordi Boggiano <j.boggiano@seld.be>
  */
 class PluginManager
 {
     protected $composer;
     protected $io;
-    protected $globalRepository;
+    protected $globalComposer;
     protected $versionParser;
 
     protected $plugins = array();
@@ -44,15 +45,15 @@ class PluginManager
     /**
      * Initializes plugin manager
      *
-     * @param Composer            $composer
      * @param IOInterface         $io
-     * @param RepositoryInterface $globalRepository
+     * @param Composer            $composer
+     * @param Composer            $globalComposer
      */
-    public function __construct(Composer $composer, IOInterface $io, RepositoryInterface $globalRepository = null)
+    public function __construct(IOInterface $io, Composer $composer, Composer $globalComposer = null)
     {
-        $this->composer = $composer;
         $this->io = $io;
-        $this->globalRepository = $globalRepository;
+        $this->composer = $composer;
+        $this->globalComposer = $globalComposer;
         $this->versionParser = new VersionParser();
     }
 
@@ -62,12 +63,12 @@ class PluginManager
     public function loadInstalledPlugins()
     {
         $repo = $this->composer->getRepositoryManager()->getLocalRepository();
-
+        $globalRepo = $this->globalComposer ? $this->globalComposer->getRepositoryManager()->getLocalRepository() : null;
         if ($repo) {
             $this->loadRepository($repo);
         }
-        if ($this->globalRepository) {
-            $this->loadRepository($this->globalRepository);
+        if ($globalRepo) {
+            $this->loadRepository($globalRepo);
         }
     }
 
@@ -206,11 +207,13 @@ class PluginManager
         }
         $classes = is_array($extra['class']) ? $extra['class'] : array($extra['class']);
 
-        $pool = new Pool('dev');
         $localRepo = $this->composer->getRepositoryManager()->getLocalRepository();
+        $globalRepo = $this->globalComposer ? $this->globalComposer->getRepositoryManager()->getLocalRepository() : null;
+
+        $pool = new Pool('dev');
         $pool->addRepository($localRepo);
-        if ($this->globalRepository) {
-            $pool->addRepository($this->globalRepository);
+        if ($globalRepo) {
+            $pool->addRepository($globalRepo);
         }
 
         $autoloadPackages = array($package->getName() => $package);
@@ -219,7 +222,7 @@ class PluginManager
         $generator = $this->composer->getAutoloadGenerator();
         $autoloads = array();
         foreach ($autoloadPackages as $autoloadPackage) {
-            $downloadPath = $this->getInstallPath($autoloadPackage, ($this->globalRepository && $this->globalRepository->hasPackage($autoloadPackage)));
+            $downloadPath = $this->getInstallPath($autoloadPackage, ($globalRepo && $globalRepo->hasPackage($autoloadPackage)));
             $autoloads[] = array($autoloadPackage, $downloadPath);
         }
 
@@ -261,9 +264,6 @@ class PluginManager
             return $this->composer->getInstallationManager()->getInstallPath($package);
         }
 
-        $targetDir = $package->getTargetDir();
-        $vendorDir = $this->composer->getConfig()->get('home').'/vendor';
-
-        return ($vendorDir ? $vendorDir.'/' : '').$package->getPrettyName().($targetDir ? '/'.$targetDir : '');
+        return $this->globalComposer->getInstallationManager()->getInstallPath($package);
     }
 }
diff --git a/tests/Composer/Test/Plugin/PluginInstallerTest.php b/tests/Composer/Test/Plugin/PluginInstallerTest.php
index 1799eb2b8..a2090082f 100644
--- a/tests/Composer/Test/Plugin/PluginInstallerTest.php
+++ b/tests/Composer/Test/Plugin/PluginInstallerTest.php
@@ -76,7 +76,7 @@ class PluginInstallerTest extends \PHPUnit_Framework_TestCase
         $this->composer->setInstallationManager($im);
         $this->composer->setAutoloadGenerator($this->autoloadGenerator);
 
-        $this->pm = new PluginManager($this->composer, $this->io);
+        $this->pm = new PluginManager($this->io, $this->composer);
         $this->composer->setPluginManager($this->pm);
 
         $config->merge(array(