HELP.Need to replace prius 2006.Buy new 2016 v used 2013, 2015 with low miles

NON BIASED - Come on now, you know all of us are going to be biased - on Prius that is

Buy what you want and like. It's your money. What matters at the end of the day is if you are happy and your wallet is OK too.

That is my unbiased opinion and answer to you.

FWIW, I had a 2009 Gen II, traded it in for the Gen III I have now. Looked at the Gen IV, still driving the Gen III.

Best of luck. End of transmission

 

I don't own a Gen 4, but from what I see and read, it's an evolution forward.

But what it all boils down to, is what you want, and can afford.

IMO extra's like HUD and other niceties, are never "worth it"...UNLESS they are totally worth it-to you. So the reverse question is how "worth it" are any extra's like that to you?
If you aren't going to be happy unless you have a lot of those extra's then NOT having them, will not be worth it.

As far as newer Gen 3 vs. Brand New Gen 4?

Well...although I don't particularly like buying the 1st production year of a new model, I think if I could afford it, I'd buy a Gen 4.
**Pure opinion, but I think it's 3/4ths or more, a beautiful vehicle. I think it's good looking except for the very back.
If you are coming into the game fresh? Why not get the latest? It has improved suspension, and I think is a evolutionary step forward for Prius. And I say that as someone that is perfectly happy with their Gen 3.

But the speculation of buying a newer Gen 3 isn't a bad idea either. Also...from experience...a good choice. Of course buying used, you want to check it out as thoroughly as possible.

There is no wrong answer here.

My "answer" to you is that you need to figure out what your desires and priorities and financial possibilities allow. Then really either decision is perfectly fine.

If money wasn't an issue, and I was at that fork in the road? I think I'd choose to get the new vehicle. But, that is not an endorsement nor condemnation of either choice.

 

The Gen2 cars are easy to fix. How many miles on yours? What glitches came up? You know it's much cheaper to drive a used 2006 than to make payments on a new car......every single month

 

I just traded my 08 Prius2 (display went dark--$2600 to replace). I drove a '13 Prius 3 (really a base Prius2) leased car with 20K miles, and also a new '16 eco model. The '16 was white with toyo tires. Both negative for me. The '13 was red with bridgestone ecopias, which I had on my '08 and like. The '13 was more like my '08 but better pickup (1.8 vs 1.5 engine) and slightly better mpg (about 53 so far). The '16 drove and handled like a bigger car with a softer ride. I bought the '13 mainly because it was $7K cheaper and I liked the way it handled better. A bit sportier than my 08 because of the bigger engine. I was dissuaded from looking at plug-ins--there were a few '14 s available at about the same price with higher mileage. I was told they aren't that popular because charge stations are very few and far apart in PA--other than your house power. I prefer the gas-electric hybrid concept--especially with lower gas prices. The only sacrifice was no back camera, which I never used anyways.

My advice? Save your money and get a low miles '13.

 

I traded my 2010 V with ATP for my new Four Touring with PCP. Well worth it for me. I love my new Prius, I'm sure you will also.

 

I just picked up my "new" 2011 Prius III on Monday after giving my 2005 Prius base model to my son-in-law. I bought the '05 with 181,000 miles on it and it's now at 230,000. We had to have the hybrid battery replaced late last year....did the rebuilt one for $1300....and it's still running great. My 2011 has 90,000 miles on it, which is like brand new to me, and so far I love it. There's a learning curve with the changes, but that's the reason I'm here...I used this forum multiple times for the '05 and know I'll get help with anything I can't figure out.

Will I ever buy brand new? Only if I'm ordering a brand new Corvette and taking delivery at the Corvette Museum! Otherwise all of my Prius' will be used...and I expect to drive a Prius for the rest of my life.

 

Check with your local Toyota dealers to see if they have any new 2015s left. We bought ours for $19K back in November. I heard some people bought 2015s for as low as $17K. They were offering them at discount rates to get them off the lot before the 2016 came out.

We didn't like some of the changes that were made in the 2016 model and are quite happy with our 2015.

Just yesterday I had our car into the dealer for a scheduled maintenance. While I was waiting I checked out a 2015 v two for which they were only asking $22K. So there may still be some new 2015s available.

 

There is something really wrong with this. Had a similar albeit less costly experience with a stove: replacing its dead display would cost almost as much as new stove.

I'd go with the low mileage third gen, but I'm prejudiced, lol.

 

Toyota defeatured the Gen 3 so if you want everything you have in the 2006 you have to trade up to the Five-AT. The radar cruise control & the pre-collision system were worth it for me.

After discussions with the Tesla owners in the club Toyota's 2010 version of autopilot seems to be about as capable as Tesla's Autopilot so the Prius is holding up well. The Prius doesn't have blind spot detection or lane changing abilities but it won't ram itself into a stopped vehicle without warning. I suspect it won't try to go under under a trailer across its path but we're not capable of performing a test at the moment.

Download the sales brochures for the model years of interest has features did change over the years.

The cars are different so you'll have to drive them to determine which is best for you. I had no qualms about buying the 2010 in 2009 and I would have no qualms about buying a Gen 4 now.

 

south460,

I own both a 2013 Prius 2 used, and a 2016 Prius 4 loaded.
They both are great in their own way.

If you want to save money, get the used Gen. 3.
If you have the funds, like the edgy appearance, get a 2016. You may be able to get a used 2016!

The 2016 is quieter, has a lower stance, handles curves better, improved tech. features.

I enjoy driving both, but I would rather cruise around in the 2016!

stt

 

I recently (6 days ago) found myself deciding between a gen 3 or gen 4. I originally thought I'd go with the gen 4, the latest greatest version. I walked away from the test drive impressed, and knew it'd be a vehicle I'd be happy with.

Then I drove a gen 3. For this rookie, I did just buy my first Prius, there didn't seem to be that big or a difference just cruising around.

After considering initial cost, I decided I'd take the gen 3. So far very pleased. With 1 full year less in payments and $100 less per month I'm able to shove that much more into my Roth IRA each month. My Prius is going to be piling up the miles, 35-40k a year. The gen 3 seemed like nearly as "good" a car for a much better price.

 

We made the same decision.

Our 2008 has 162Kmiles on it, more than any car I've ever owned, and it has had perfect reliability. But still I didn't want my wife taking her quarterly 1,100 mile trips to see our daughter in it. So we wanted to keep the 2008 but upgrade. Truly when we looked at just about any other car available none matched a Prius for comfort, price, reliability, and high mpg. So it would be a Prius. The question was which year and model.

The "v" was interesting but the mpg rating is low. The "C" looks great but is a little too small for us.

I had been following the development of the 2016 and there is a list of minor things that I don't like about the new model. When I considered we would likely spend about $27K for it, and new 2015 Gen IIIs were available back in November for $19K we simply could not pass it up. We are very happy with the Gen III. The only thing I miss is it is a model two so doesn't have three door smart key operation.

 

The 2015 Gen III we bought in November is a model two. So it has Bluetooth which is nice, but lacks the three door smart key feature. Otherwise we are quite pleased with it.

 

How many miles a year do you drive ?

I did a used , loaded Prius instead of a new entry level ...she really likes the Softex seats ..I like the Dynamic Cruise Control and LED headlights... I like the HUD also , but my wife turns it off . We still have the 07 that I drive now .. 196k miles .

I live in a Carb state, so when I shopped used I was looking at the CarFaxs to see what state they originally sold from .. the Prius has been pretty trouble free but I wanted to make sure the HV battery was covered as long as possible .

Figuring out what you want is key ..then shop it ! If you shop out of state be mindful of the Doc fees at the dealers ..in California its $80 ..in Virginia the dealer wanted $800 .

I have never been tempted by the CT200h because of the mileage (~39 mpg) ..or the Camry Hybrid, but LOVED the Avalon Hybrid . The best thing about the Avalon was that there seemed to be a number of them used with low miles at not Toyota dealers ..people trade them in on Lincolns, Mercedes ect . The Avalon hybrid gets 39 MPG like the Camry also ..

Also be careful shopping used ..look closely at the pics -- I came across alot of 'mislabled' Prius when shopping ..

Kenny