Always good to do your homework . And no need to invest any more time in the Prius. I'd give the Camry a good look and chance if I were the OP.
We are just trying to be helpful. We were all first-time car buyers once and many of us have kids who we advised when buying their first car.
I really appreciate that since I don't know anyone who can help me pick out my first car! What do you think about this one (I can't post the link)
Looks good on the surface. Some questions I would have for the owner: How long have they owned it (it has had 2 owners) Why are they selling it Do they have any maintenance records What type of driver were they (as this is the s version, they might have been "spirited" and led to more wear on the engine) The 09's have issues with oil burn, so something to be mindful of It has hail damage, any other undisclosed damage? Good luck and keep us posted .
Yes. This is what the description says "Nice white 2009 Toyota Corolla S with black and grey interior! 146K 4 cylinder automatic! Great gas saver! I drove from Enterprise to Charlotte without refueling and without refuel warning light. Runs and drives like new! Strong engine and very smooth transmission! Sporty body kit and spoiler! Strong heat and ice cold A/C! Everything works! There are tiny ignorable hail issues on body. Clean and clear title!"
I have a white 2008 Corolla LE with much lower mileage so I am a little biased. I was not aware of the oil burning issue. BTW Welcome to the funny farm.
Most 4 cylinder toyotas have seen some form of oil burn. I know the local dealers around me are familiar with them. They've done plenty "consumption tests". Not sure how many have failed the test, but probably not many. Bit at the burn rate required, I wouldn't want to be at that level.
Could also be that everyone out here drives 10-20 mph over the posted freeway speed limits. My experience with the Atkinson version of the 1.8 L indicates the faster you go, the more oil you'll consume. Couple that with a closed hood philosophy and you've got the right mix for oil consumption . But monitoring is key.
So this is what the guy said: - he owned it for 5-6 months - he's selling it bc he's in the military (we have a military base near dothan) and he's going overseas next week (pretty much the same story as the 2006 prius seller). He's going to sell it by himself until Wed, and then his friend will take over for him. He said he will sign title papers but his friend will give me to sign. - he put up screenshots of the carfax reports from the last 2 owners, and that's all the maintenance records he had. - besides the hail damage (which he says is very tiny), there's no other damage. Based on that, it looks ok. So I might go see it next week if it's still available. I would see it earlier but medical school is keeping me busy.
2009 is a bad year for Corollas, and the price seems high for a car with over 140,000 miles on it. I'd keep looking.
