1. 2007, 123k miles. Hybrid battery replaced at 85k. Recent service and check-up at Toyota dealer -- but needs new windshield and new front bumper. Some dents on side passenger door (not a big deal for me). Asking price: $3,800 OBO. 2. 2012, 120k miles, Hybrid battery replaced at 150k. Minor cosmetics, but "well maintained." Asking $6,500. - or - 3. NONE OF THE ABOVE Thanks for any input!
I'd buy the Gen2 because you could fix it up for cheap... But that's assuming you can't find anything more than cosmetic damage from accidents its obviously been in, as well as assuming you like to work on car's yourself and don't have to pay a mechanic a fortune for easy work. If my assumptions are incorrect, then buy the Gen3 instead.
Seller has now clarified 2 minor accidents, strictly cosmetic. I don't have the skills or knowledge to work on cars, unless it's fairly basic. He said he was quoted $1,000 for the bumper replacement, and $300 for the window. Does that sound about right? If he'd take $3,000 instead of $3,800 that seems like a good deal.
That's about how the prices work out considering the cost of running a shop... And us DIY folks... We'd get a new front / rear bumper cover online in black primer for less than $300 each and can find a right rear door at a junk yard for a $100 and a small amount of body work. And spray paint it in plastic dip / peelable paint... Then take time saving up for windshield & tires, less urgent/icing on the cake... New paint job is cherry on top, even if you're just doing it in the driveway with a rattle can.
Also when someone says they "replaced" the hybrid battery, sometimes that means with brand new OEM and sometimes that means rebuilt with used. The former being good for as much as ten years and the latter being good for as much as 3 years.
that 2007 has been beat to heck, and not fixed.... which leads me to believe oil changes, etc did not happen as they should have been. I would definitely pass on one that shows those signs of abuse. how many miles on the 2012 ? the numbers you mentioned don't line up?
Ehhhhh I do not like EITHER of those, they are all beat up. Where are you finding these? Were they rolled down a cliff or something?!
I'm not too bothered about dents on the door, and don't care much if the bumper matches. How easy are they to fit?
Craigslist, natch. It's hard to find any that are decent around here, at least for a good price. I just read that used car prices have gone up 37% and that certainly seems to be true in NM. People want $7000-$8000 for high mileage with original hybrid battery. At least these two have replacements.
Good point, though seller claims that all maintenance has been kept up and done at Toyota, and that it had a recent check-up. The door damage happened when they were unable to clear a corner of a wall. The front, I do not know - maybe drove over a parking barrier then reversed? The guy said it's all strictly cosmetic.
Probably easier than most... There's plenty of youtube videos about it. Main thing with having your car look nice is that if you fix all the little things and keep your car in as close to perfect condition as possible, once a major repair costs comes up it will just be that one repair, rather than that one repair plus tons of others on top of it. Usually if you're the latter rather than the former you're more likely to want to replace the entire car, which is a more expensive process than just taking good care of the car you have.
