Though we've been a Toyota family for decades, this will be our first hybrid & Prius. And since I drive over 80 miles a day for work, there's no other car to consider other than a Prius. However... am overwhelmed with the research! New is nice, but not necessary since depreciation is so rapid on year 1, and if one can get a car a few yrs old w 20,000 miles or less - that's the direction we're thinking about going. But here's my question: if we're going for certified "pre-owned" - are certain years better than others in terms of reliability, less problems etc. Any feedback would be appreciated!
You have some other choices if you care to do a bit more research. For starters : Prius : EPA 48 mpg highway @ 2 gallons = 96 miles. Volt : EPA 38 miles EV, 40 mpg highway @ 2 gallons = 118 miles
I bought my Prius after doing research for YEARS. My experience: I bought a 2007 with 53500 miles, Level 5. I.Love.It.To.Death. However, now that I bought my 2007, Im always scouring craigslist and dealer sites looking at 2010+ models...lol. I paid $13,000 for my 2007 but 2010's with lower mileage in my area are going for $15,995. Dang it!
Gen II Prius ran from 2004 - 2009. If I was looking for a used one with proven reliability, I would probably go for a 2009 with <50K on the Odometer. You can go for a larger mileage vehicle but it would be a good idea to do some preventive maintenance before being put into full service. The bugs are generally taken out with every new refresh and in theory, end of the generation models should be the most reliable.
That's an interesting perspective to consider. I would've leaned towards the 2010 over 2009 because of more hp & any other changes they made in Gen III But building on yr point, then perhaps 2011 over 2010?
If you are financing and have a credit score above 680, you can get some great APRs on new vehicles. Used cars are priced fairly high right now due to slow auto sales from 2007 forward. With the better APR and higher prices on used cars, you might find that going new makes sense.
Yes, that's my logic. May not necessarily be true in all cases but makes sense to me. Going to a 2011 vs. a 2010 depends strongly on your budget. Prius does not depreciate as much as other vehicles so expect to pay close to 20K for a 2011 vehicle with low miles. May be more for higher trims.
The 13's are due out soon, so now is probably a very good time to buy a new '12, in my area a new Prius 2 is going for <22000 not including tax and license.
Prius doesn't depreciate much at all in first three years. If you look at used 2010 with 20K miles on Cars.com, they are selling for $25K+. I'll likely be able to flip (buy it for the agreed depreciated value and sell it for more) my 2012 leased Prius III/3 and use the profit for new vehicle leasing down payments.
Just click the Report button on the dupe, put the reason as "duplicate" and a moderator will usually delete it.
I would agree with this statement as I found one of the Prius II's for under 22,000 (w/o tax and license) There are deals to be had out there!
You have to tell us what state you are in. I mean actual state. Some of the state rebates for Plug-Ins are so over-the-top, you could get a new PiP cheaper than a used Prius. If someone gave me a Plug-In Prius (PiP), not sure I would sell my 2006, we love it, not selling it.
We live in south Florida. Thanks to all the info in priuschat, we used carwoo and have negotiated a 2102 Prius 3 for $23,590. No options. Out the door will be $25,005 plus tag/title. Going this afternoon to tie up the deal. No options or accessories, though would actually like to get car mats & door edge guards too.
Yikes! Stop! At least get the solar roof option. For sunny and hot Florida, it will help a lot with the hot car issues. And it will be nice to have the Nav, Bluetooth phone and internet connection. We all grouse about it but don't think any of use would actually take the money to delete it.
Hmmm.... you're giving me pause to consider. I do park in a covered garage while at work however, so might not be that big of a deal. I'm driving a 10 year old Lexus with over 206,000 miles so am just grateful for a new car, even if it's minus all the bells & whistles!
Get bells and whistles. They make driving fun especially if you are keeping the car 10 years. Besides the cooling utility o the solar roof, it also makes the car look much better.
Mission accomplished! I'm the proud owner of a new 2012 Prius 3, sea glass pearl. True to the dealer's word, out the door price was $25,005. With tags/title - total cost: $ 25,398. Love the car; feel good about the price. Woo hoo!
