Interested in getting a prius

are you near tampa hybrids?

 

give todd a call, he can at least give you some good advice, and an idea of what you should be looking for in your price range. he's a member here and a great guy.
at that price you're closing in on a nice pip i would think, if you have somewhere to plug in.
all the best!

 

For $12,500, you're probably not likely to get a PRIUS Gen 4 <80,000 mile - but could get a fairly new Gen 3.

When I looked 2 yrs ago, my assessment:

PRIUS Gen 4 - great car;
PRIUS Gen 3 - after trying Gen 4, Gen 3 was a bit underwhelming;
PRIUS v (or +) - larger cargo space, heavier than Gen 3 and feels it, doesn't get the economy of Gen 3 or Gen 4, but still good for it's size;
PRIUS c - is basically a budget car. Doesn't rate as safe as normal PRIUS either, and, really not suited to a lot of "out of town" driving, a small city car mainly.

There is another which might suit - bit rarer, but the PRIUS Gen 3 PIP - Plug-In. If you have cheap electricity (or SOLAR), not huge commutes, it could be worth considering.

Being out of Gen 4 $$$$ range, you might be better to ask on Gen 3 FORUM.

 

Before you jump into a Prius rent one for a week-end to be sure it is right for you. The Gen 4 has many improvements over the Gen 3, so that would be my only consideration.

 

I hope I'm not hijacking this thread, but . . . could I get an idea of why the Prius 4 is felt to be superior to Prius 3 (which has about 100,000 miles on it, and is fine except it burns too much oil)?

 

a little better mpgs, a little quieter, a little roomier, a little smoother, no flying bridge, better information feedback, 12v under the hood, more safety tech,

of course, there are some negatives.

 

Mmmm...

 

I've been wanting to sell my Prius C for awhile now. If you like I can check payoff with Toyota.

2016 Prius C two
22k miles

 

Listen, if you are use to driving a Nissan Versa?
I'm assuming you are comfortable with sub-compacts.
If that's the case, you could probably get the "newest" lowest mileage bang for your buck looking at Prius c's. And since you're coming from a Nissan Versa, you wouldn't have any size change "shock".

I personally do a lot of suburban driving, and so I really like smaller vehicles.

Having owned a Gen 3 Prius, and now a Honda Fit-very "Versa" like....I can tell you that IMO the Prius-standard- is a bigger vehicle. It's much "nicer" from a capacity standpoint.
But overall even in the used market, they are going to cost you more than a Prius c.

I'd at least test drive and example of both and just see what you like best.
There is a North American attitude that "Bigger is Better" that I don't always agree with.

 

I know of one negative: the double glove compartment no longer exists, and the interior tries to be futuristic. I'm not sure what I think of having the shift column on the dashboard. Any others?

 

depending on the package, no spare tire, no rear wiper, no lithium ion battery.

mendel has a couple others i think.

 

Mmm...

 

I faintly remember that the Prius model II (not the II eco) has some kind of spare tire and a rear wiper (wouldn't buy a hatchback without one). Is there any reason why I must have a lithium ion battery(which is not in present in the third generation, right?)

 

Take both for a test-drive - you'll know immediately - how much better Gen 4 feels. Gen 4 is more modern feeling, corners and handles better, more stable and quieter on Motorway. It also takes lower octane fuel (in some markets, not sure of yours), gets a little better fuel economy. Depending on the version of Gen 4, the Gen 4 will be better equipped, Heads Up Display, RADAR Cruise, Safety sense etc.

Battery - I think they jury is out on which is best, the NiMH is tried and proven, been in PRIUS almost 20 years. Li-ION has only been in Plug-In Gen 3 and PRIUS v (+), and not as long. As I said, the jury is out - expected to come back in 8 years and give a verdict - which of the 2 lasted longer. Both have similar specifications, both have 8 (or 10) year warranty, similar fuel economy (by TOYOTA's testing) - NiMH is likely to cost less in today's environment, but by 8+yrs old, that could be different.

BUT - for a $12,500 budget - a Gen 3 would be probably in the OP's sights.

 

I found this thread - have a look at the 4th post by @Tideland Prius nearly a year ago which explains some of the improvements:
differences between gen3 and gen4 hybrid battery modules | PriusChat

And this Press Release from TOYOTA gives some other differences:
Toyota Unveils Advanced Technologies in All-New Prius | Toyota USA Newsroom

 

Thank you so much, but Tideland Prius's posting talks about engine power matters, and I'm not technical enough to care about that. What I care about is (a) is the standard equipment better? (b) does the car ride better?(c) does it have better visibility (a problem with my generation 3, IMHO) (d) is there a good chance it will be more reliable (my 3 has been generally great? (e) is the new car safer? (f) is the comfort level better.; (g) are the lights better? (I've gotten old so I really care about this, and I think the Gen 3 is inadequate in this area), (h) does the car handle better . . in other words, a lot of non-tekkie stuff. While this forum is *great,* I notice that a lot of posters care about matters that are very technical, and I'm not at that level; I lack training in auto mechanics or physics or engineering.

 

It will probably be best for a USA member to answer in regard to the US Models, but these are my thoughts from my Australian base model:

(a) is the standard equipment better? - Yes, it has more standard equipment - though it depends on the package for specifics;
(b) does the car ride better? - Definitely
(c) does it have better visibility (a problem with my generation 3, IMHO) - Yes, I felt so - but I read that it depends on the driver's height to some extent - I'm average height, but my driver's seat is set to the highest;
(d) is there a good chance it will be more reliable (my 3 has been generally great? - *Opinion ONLY* yes - it is a newer car, and newer technology - the 4th version hopefully will be an advance on the 3rd;
(e) is the new car safer? - Crash Test results are excellent in Gen 4 - I'm not sure if Gen 3 results are directly comparable (as they were conducted much earlier), but Gen 4 got a "Good" rating for "small overlap front" barrier crash test, Gen 3 an "Acceptable" in the IIHS testing;
(f) is the comfort level better - I've barely driven a Gen 3, but when test-driving both, I was impressed with Gen 4, less so the Gen 3 . I didn't think either had really good seats. Hopefully someone who has owned both long-term can answer this;
(g) are the lights better? (I've gotten old so I really care about this, and I think the Gen 3 is inadequate in this area) - Yes, on Australian cars, but I remember PriusChat members commented about the headlights being improved even more with later Gen 4 US Models - not sure where the cut-off is;
(h) does the car handle better - Definitely, no real comparison - this is probably the greatest improvement.