I had my 2008 Prius for a little more than 2 years when I was rear-ended during rush hour by a '98 Jeep Grand Cherokee and now the other driver's insurance wants to total the car because the estimated repairs are >75% of its market value, which means I have to buy a replacement. My budget is $6000 but I could stretch it to $7000. My Prius was fully loaded with Package #6, but in terms of what I actually use: 1) Backup camera so I can fit into super tight parking spaces and navigate my crowded parking garage. 2) Leather seats since cloth looks terrible as it ages and leather is much easier to clean. 3) Autodimming rearview mirror is REALLY nice but I might be able to do without it, especially since the sideview mirrors don't dim. 4) Bluetooth would be nice but since the Gen 2 doesn't support audio streaming and the audio quality on calls isn't great, I'd probably just buy a $25 BT receiver anyway. 5) Navigation is basically useless given smartphones but it might be nice in a pinch, not for directions but to see where I am on a map if I'm in the middle of nowhere during a road trip and don't have cell service. Searching Autotrader, Cars.com, Cargurus, and Craigslist, I feel like that's coverage of most used cars in my area, unless you have additional suggestions. And these seem like the best options: 1) 2007 with 113k miles for $5500. This looks to have the same Package #6: Autotrader - page unavailable 2) 2008 with 102k miles for $6000. It doesn't have items 3-5 but it does have 1 and 2 which are essential. 4 owners concerns me a little though: Used Cars For Sale. Find used and pre-owned cars in your area - CarGurus My understanding is that there's basically no difference between the 2007 and 2008, but I'm inclined to go with the 2008 because it's 1 year newer with 1 year's worth of fewer miles. But I've also read on PriusChat that people find the 2007 to get a little better mileage and have a little better acceleration. Unfortunately, all the 2009s tend to have more mileage, lack items 1 & 2, or are significantly more expensive. Thoughts?
Run the VIN at https://www.toyota.com/owners before taking either for a test drive. Be prepared to spend additional money on various preventative maintenance related items after purchase.
I bought an '07 last fall for $3700. It had 166k miles. I performed maintenance including, Front brake pads, rear drums and rotors, 2 new tires, spark plugs, transmission fluid change, air filter, oil changes. My car has cloth interior, no navi or bluetooth. It is my daily driver since I travel about 100 miles a day, but I also have a truck. I have also taken 2 road trips with the Prius, and I now have 183k miles on it. If your car was your primary, have you considered putting that money down on a newer vehicle? Like a barely used Hyundai Ioniq? Just a thought. SM-N950U ?
Since you're into the low mileage options, how about this 08 with 94k for 5500. And it has all your requirements. No VIN listed in that CL posting, so be sure and double check that the ODO hasn't been tampered with (I've seen it before).
You forgot to paste your link. It’s not that I’m particularly wedded to a lower mileage option, but those seemed like good choices under $6000 and also happened to have low mileage. I’ve never bought a car from Craigslist so I’m a little wary, though I could be convinced to go down that route. But since I just moved, I don’t have a local mechanic I trust yet to do a pre-purchase inspection.
That low mileage 2008, option 2 in the OP, turned out to have cloth seats, so it’s off the table. My choices now are option 1 in the OP, a 2007 black with 113k miles or a 2008 light blue with 144k. Both are $5500, have the same fully loaded package #6 as my Prius, and are in the same city that’s 1.5 hours away. The KBB’s are within $200 of each other and $600-800 higher than their asking prices. It seems to me that going 1 model year older to save 31k miles is worth it.
