Looking to buy first car...used 2008 prius

I would think at that price point you are close to a 2010+ Prius. I'm in the market for a Prius as well but at 1/2 your budget.

 

Really not much you can learn from the dealer records on that car. It looks to me like the first owner bought the car in Houston, TX. After that moved out to west Texas (El Paso). After that strange entry that possibly reflects on the east coast. Detailed information could be gleaned by contacting Toyota directly and questioning the individual invoices that are listed in the repair database shown here on Prius Chat.

I would suspect the owner did the required maintenance themselves, or possibly used a quick oil change service. Quite a few Prius owners do their own maintenance. As long as records are kept showing the work has been done, Toyota can not use that against you concerning any work being done on a warranty basis.

For California, I suspect the price is reasonable. However a car like that one east of the Rockies would have to be a "touring" model with leather to qualify the price for the car you are looking at.

Concerning checking the car out. I would suggest you have a mechanic you know and trust look over the car for you. Your next best bet would be to take the Prius to a different Toyota dealer and ask them to do a courtesy inspection for you.

If I am not mistaken, this car would NOT qualify for the 10 year/150K warranty on the hybrid system. It would however come with a 8year/100K warranty on the hybrid system. In order to qualify for the longer warranty, the car HAS to be sold originally in a "CARB" state and be operated in a CARB state. Texas is NOT a CARB state. Even though California IS a CARB state, the rule states the car must be sold originally in a CARB state. That fact there would be very important if you are thinking that the battery will come with the 10year/150K warranty. It won't since it was originally sold in Texas.

 

If buy a Gen II, max I'll pay is $10000.
There are many 2010 at $12000 with 100K mile, basic level. Add $3000 you can get well loaded ones.

 

If the car has leather, 16 inch wheels, navigation system and the larger spoiler it more than likely would be a touring edition. If it is a true touring edition the price would be about right.

The specialist you mentioned should be able to determine if it is a true "touring" edition. Quite a few will quote them as touring, but actual inspections thereof can prove otherwise as not every dealer really knows what "touring" consists of.

It would be worth a fee to have the independent you mentioned check out the car "before" you buy it. Most used cars can be returned within three days of purchase with no questions asked. After that, you are stuck with the car no matter what is wrong with it. Used cars are generally sold "as is" with no warranties offered other than any existing warranty that might still be in effect from the manufacturer. As it is today, the 08 Prius would only have the 8/100 warranty left on the hybrid system.

Don't get me wrong, the Prius is a great car. But do be aware that it can be rather expensive to repair when certain things break on it. The Prius has a good track record, but don't expect it to last for five years with no repairs especially since you are considering a 08 model with almost 80,000 miles on the clock now.

Study the link below for more details on what was offered on the 08 model of the Prius. That should help you in determining the exact level of options that are on the Prius you are considering.

http://www.toyotacertified.com/ebrochures/08_prius.pdf

 

I bought my 2010 Prius IV with 47k miles for 16k. The dealer listed it online for $18,900. There is usually a nice amount of markup in a used vehicle. I'd try to get the price down more if I considered a Gen II.

 

With a used car anything can happen. We bought our used (Certified Pre Owned). It had 42,000 on the clock when we bought it. As of today, it is showing just over 79,000 on the clock. I have repaired the front brakes as well as replaced the rotors (both of which are unusual jobs but sometimes needed to be done on the Prius), cleaned and adjusted the rear brakes, replaced the 12 volt battery, replaced the engine water pump and the serpentine belt and replaced the A/C condenser. I have also had the transaxle drained and refilled. I have also cleaned both the throttle body and the MAF. I change the oil and filter every six months and use Mobil 1. I also replace the engine air filter, cabin air filter, and wiper blades on a annual basis. I do the rear wiper biannually. I have also had all of the factory recalls done which included the recent inverter pump replacement as well as the steering recall.

To expect a 24 month usage with no repair would not be unrealistic. However no one can guarantee what any used car will do from one day to the next. All man made products do break. It really boils down to luck and quality of the product to begin with.

If I were to purchase the car you are considering I would do several things ASAP.

Install a new 12 volt battery.
Install a new air filter and cabin filter.
Change the oil and filter and use a high grade synthetic oil.
Clean the throttle body and the MAF.
Drain and refill the transaxle.

Furthermore, at 100K on the car you are considering the following needs to be done for the maintenance schedule.

Drain and refill both coolant loops.

Spark Plugs will also need to be changed at 120K

Refer to the link below for detailed information on maintenance schedule for the 2008 Prius.

http://images.webmakerx.net/Sites/Site21398/Document/MG_08prius.pdf

 

If you are in the position to spend $13,900 on a Prius, I would highly suggest you DO NOT buy one that is from out of state (Texas). As others have mentioned, the warranty period for an out of state (TX) Prius only has 8yr/100k miles warranty on the hybrid system. There is NO REASON to buy a car that will REDUCE your warranty when you live in a state that will provide you with a longer 10yr/150k mile warranty.

I live in SoCal and there are plenty of Prius cars to choose from at the $13900 and under price range. If you are financing, you should find a CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED car from a Toyota dealership. This will give you the peace of mind from having to worry about major repairs on a car. Since you are a new driver and you will want to have a good experience with your first car and not have to worry about the "what if" on a possibly bad car that doesn't have a Toyota warranty that comes with it. A certified pre-owned used car can be purchased at your price range and you will have plenty of time to get used to driving your car and not having to worry about repairs that may come unexpectedly.

Since you are still young and worried about being "fresh meat" at a dealership, I would suggest you do your negotiations through email. Most Toyota dealerships have online inventory and a dedicated department to handle internet sales. You can choose the car that matches what you would like (options) and negotiate online so that you are not intimidated face to face with an aggressive dealer.

Don't be afraid to give an offer for a car that's considerably lower than the asking price (at dealerships), most of the cars were purchased well below the blue book value as trade in vehicles, there is plenty of room to negotiate on the price. You can look at the KBB value as a guide on how much a particular car is worth with the present year and mileage of the vehicle.

If you need anymore advice, we are all here to help. Good Luck!!

 

If you are looking for "Toyota's" only, I would suggest you use the following website. This should give you just about everything that you will find on a Toyota lot. It probably will not list a Toyota that might be found on a competitor brand such as Ford, Chevrolet, and so forth.

Toyota Certified Used Vehicles - Search Inventory

Don't be surprised if you don't find anything for under $15K using the tool above. I punched in 90001 area code and 7500 minimum, 15,000 max and found zero when searching for Prius only. I then changed the upper limit to 17,500 and found 13 units. Of course the ones you find on Toyota lots will more than likely be CPO cars (Certified Pre Owned). Frankly, I think you should go that route if you can find you can afford one. The one we bought was CPO, and it did cover two repairs that I did not mention earlier.

FWIW, used car sales come and go almost on a daily basis. If you find something you like for the right price, put a deposit down on it or buy it. If you hesitate and it is a good deal, someone else will buy it. The market is like that at times. But that does not mean to grab the first thing you find either. I am currently looking into purchasing a car to replace our Prius now. But I am also not in a hurry. I have been looking off and on over the past year and still have not bought anything. When the right deal comes about, you will know. Whatever you do, don't buy a car simply because the salesman says I have others interested in this car. They all say that. It is a ploy to make people spend their money. I hear this every time I go to look at a specific car. And when I go back a week later, that same car is still sitting on the lot. Once you start looking around and paying attention to the inventory, you will see what I am talking about. In case you are wondering why am I looking for a car. I want a newer one with more warranty. Ours is at 79K now and the hybrid warranty will expire at 100K or 8 years from December 2008, whichever comes first. I am only considering a Prius or a Nissan Leaf, but probably will end up with another Prius. I am not interested in a traditional ICE car or a diesel. Once you drive a hybrid like a Prius, you find it real hard to go back to the old technology. Besides I like getting over 50 MPG and paying less than $30 to fill my tank. The most I ever spent was $28.00 to fill the Prius up.

Concerning the CARB warranty. The way it works is this.

The car has to be sold originally in a CARB state. Furthermore the car must be licensed and operated in a CARB state. The warranty applies as long as the vehicle follows the above two rules. If you were to get a Prius covered under the CARB warranty and moved to another CARB state, the warranty will still apply. Each state has their own rules as far as CARB is concerned. Furthermore CARB was put into place in certain states at different times. That timeframe does matter as if the car was originally sold before said CARB state put CARB rules into place, the warranty would NOT apply.

California was the first state for CARB. Not every state has the CARB ruling. If you should move and own a vehicle covered under CARB, you should inquire what the laws are concerning CARB in the state you will be moving too.

There is info on CARB found online, but it can be confusing to say the least. The best way to confirm CARB laws would be to contact the local motor vehicle registration and taxing authority for the location where you would be purchasing and or living.

A good example is this. Some websites show Texas where I am to be a CARB state. However, CARB does not apply here at this time. That is why I said the info that is online can be confusing. It is best to confirm information concerning CARB with the local authorities for that particular location.

FWIW, cars.com is a good site if you are looking for cars that will be found on lots other than Toyota.

 

Ok Violet, I love car shopping and we can do this together

First off, why have you decided on a $15000 car? The price range on a Prius is anywhere from $5000 - $30000. What are your requirements (options, mileage), concerns you may have with a car? Also are you financing and paying cash? We should first determine what model of Prius you should buy before we even begin looking.

 

One thing to check when you are doing walk-arounds on 2nd-gens is to see if the engine water pump is leaking. Look down the left (passenger) side of the engine for the large black pulley, near the bottom. Look inside the pulley for pink streaks or pink crusty buildup that indicates leaking. The pump costs about $390 to replace at a service department and seems to be one of the more common trouble-spots.

The leaking engine water pump and the 12v battery are the only things I've had to address since new on the '07 (other than the recall services).

I'm a fan of buying lesser-equipped vehicles. They tend to be easier to own, in my experience and from what I read. For example, the HID headlights on the higher-trim cars (packaged with the fog lights in the lower bumper valence) are more trouble-prone than the conventional headlamps in the lower-trim Prii. Also, many find the JBL sound system to be too mid-rangy sounding (although disconnecting the center speaker seems to help). Many owners (myself included) prefer the sound of the lower-trim, 6-speaker, non-JBL system. Built-in navigation is difficult to keep updated and may not be as easy to use as portable GPS units or those on mobile devices. Choosing lower-trim examples also helps reduce the purchase price. I'm having a great ownership experience with just the first option package on the '07 (the packages change a bit from year-to-year).

If you like blue, you might check out the darker, "Spectra Blue Mica" that was available in '08 and '09. It's kind of a "cult" color that we couldn't get in the earlier model years. The "Seaside Pearl" of that touring model you posted is a nice blue too though.

I plan on keeping mine long past the warranty expiration. Although the impression can get skewed by reading problem posts on the forums, Consumer Reports regards the Prius as one of the most reliable vehicles in production. For every problem post on the forum, there are likely 100s of satisfied drivers out there having great ownership experiences.

Although having a mechanic or service department provide an inspection may yield some helpful insight, the report is frequently over-zealous, since the mechanic is also scoping out future customers in hopes of writing up profitable service tickets. The one time I took a car for a buying inspection, they wanted to replace things the car didn't even have.

 

Based on this information, I did a quick online calculation of the price of the car you are looking for.

A $15,000 car with a $6000 down will be a $9000 loan. I just did a rough 10% interest at 48 months. Your monthly payment would be $228.xx.

Does that seem manageable or do you want to increase/decrease the car price? You also have to figure in the cost of insurance/maintenance/gas into your budget.

 

If you want leather, expect to pay for it. If you can settle for cloth and a backup cam, the price will be cheaper. You may find that you will have to move up a little in your price range to get a fairly late model. Otherwise you will end up with something with high mileage and more than four to six model years in age.

Out of all the options available on the Prius the two most wanted will be this. The Smart Key System and the Back Up Camera. The rest of it is up to you, but those two items seem to be the most appreciated by all Prius drivers.

 

This one probably fits you best, white, 2009, leather, 82,xxx miles $14,999

2009 Toyota Prius Base - Thousand Oaks Toyota

This one is slightly higher in the miles, a little over 100k. 2009 Touring model $13900

Used 2009 Toyota Prius HB For Sale | El Monte CA | Stock: 1T11561

2010 Package 3, barcelona red $17988, 56000 miles

Used 2010 Toyota Prius in El Monte CA | For Sale | JTDKN3DU1A1244681

2010 Package 3, silver $17988 63000 miles

Used 2010 Toyota Prius in El Monte CA | For Sale | JTDKN3DU1A1245989

2011 Package 2, silver $16995, 45000 miles

Used 2011 Toyota Prius 5dr HB II - VIN: JTDKN3DU4B0265662 - Toyota Santa Monica - New and Used Toyota and Scion Dealer Serving Santa Monica, CA

 

Well, Violet, I'm impressed by your knowledge. You've obviously done your research which is an excellent first step. My only advice is to look for a car thats been well taken care of by the previous owner. I know you want leather but, my recommendation is to be open to a car without it. I would advise you to look for an 06 or above b/c thats when the refresh was done on this model year. If you go with a Gen III, you will get the bottom of the barrel car. I would recommend staying with a Gen II (but, I'm biased). I would def recommend getting a car that has a valid CARB warranty. That would be more important to me than leather. I agree with Ron about back up cam and smart key being the favored options and those are standard on all but fleet cars from 2006-2009.

As for negotiation, make sure you know the NADA and Kelly blue book value. Try to get it down below the lowest (you may not be able to but try). Then, make a decision from there.

Good luck.

 

The factory leather seats puts you up pretty high in the trim-line and limits your buying options. You might do some investigation into seat covers. Sometimes you can get a hold of the Toyota seat leather and install it. There are also some pretty good synth-leather covers and high-grade vinyls. Manufacturers are even using synthetics, such as Toyota's Softex and Mercedes Benz's MBTex.

I've never been very impressed with the durability of factory leather. When it starts getting 10 years old or more (or sometimes less), the original leather frequently cracks and splits, especially if the car is stored outside and the leather isn't conditioned regularly. If you buy a car with cloth seats and then cover them, you get brand new material that is easy to remove and replace if it gets damaged.