High Mileage 2007 Prius

in your position, i wouldn't concern myself with the style of car, just the best deal i could get.

how many miles/year do you think you'll be racking up, and how many years until you are working?

do you have any family or friend who can help you with decision making and future repair advice?

 

All things in moderation.
I get it. Additional preaching isn't necessary.
It is possible to use credit wisely.
It is good to recognize your own limitations too.

 

For ME....perhaps!

BUT.....
I can write a check for the car.
I can write a check for a new traction battery, inverter, transaxle, motor, etc....
I can perform all of the maintenance items on this car without having to subject myself to the tender mercies of a mechanic.
I have tools and a place to work on a car.
I have a spare car....that's fully functional.
I have a job that's 3 miles from where I sleep.
I have AAA.

In other words......I can AFFORD to drive a 12-year old Craig's list car with more than 150,000 miles on the clock!

If you have a $4000 budget for a replacement vehicle, let's talk about how you are getting around NOW, and why it would not be smarter to put that money aside for the time being, or at least maybe wait until you have a fall-back plan for the highly likely event that a 12-year-old car might need maintenance and/or repair....or (*gasp!!!*) the car might not actually be as advertised.

Good Luck!

 

Very difficult to know how much is too much / unwisely using loans until you get past not enough / wisely using loans... And once you find out you, it might be too late...

But if you'd like to know about the Bruner test, which defines legal eligibility for a court awarding you bankruptcy protection, just keep singing the praises of using other people's money as though it was your own and you'll find out soon enough...

 

This is a perfect summary... So often on PriusChat we speculate/make assumptions on the position the OP is in and the truth above summarizes what it really takes to do it right. That being said, some people are less fortunate than others and certain risks have to be taken, which is usually where more severe problems start to begin soon as the red triangle decides to light up your life.

 

I don't now and never have. And I am a LONG way from bankruptcy, thank you very much.

But is seems to have worked out for some people.
Real Estate developers typically use "other people's money" to get rich.

 

almost everyone needs a good credit history and they borrow on that history for thing like a house. unless your born into money or get a free house from mommy & daddy the rest of us have to borrow it. I came from nothing started out buying cars under $100 and just 40 short years later im a bit coin billionaire! bought at $16500 each , i haven checked in a while but im sure they have gone well over $60,000 each as promised in the ad I saw ..

 

I've owned two houses and lost my butt on both of them. Never again! But, landlords want your credit history anyhow. Sigh.

 

That depends. The standards have changed some recently and many lending institutions will look at the WHOLE picture and now realize that the best credit scores are: Above 800 and ZERO.

If you have a good stable job and have always paid cash for everything, they now realize that is about as good a reference as you can get.
Some companies and some situations don't follow that logic though.

 

Find a 97-2001 Camry V6 with under 120k, they are within your price goal. Those suckers seem to last forever, wish I still had mine.

 

The 4 lasts forever also. Easy to work on too. My 93 had 310,000 miles when I sold it. Original engine and transmission. It’s still running.

 

Scion XA Almost same engine as a Prius and is a hatchback. Plus it’s a Toyota.