Please tell your price range, and any optional features that seem important to you. Prius remain relatively uncommon in the used car market, so you might not find a long list of them to sort through.
If you are purchasing it from a Toyota Dealership ask to see the vehicles maintenance passport book. It will let you know if the prior owner maintained his or her vehicle properly. Also run the VIN through Car Facts as well.
What to look for? How about trying to find a used Prius that isn't selling for close to the price of a New 2008 Prius. With the current high prices for a used Prius and the reasonable likelihood of the new Gen III Prius being available for sale this fall - one may think that it's worth waiting a few more months and either buy a discounted new 2008 Gen II or pay MSRP for a Gen III 2009 Prius.
On any used Toyota, I would recommend having a dealership check for open Special Service Campaigns and check for how many warranty claims have been made. Both of these are available within less than ten minutes by accessing TIS (which should be available at all delerships) I would also recommend a Carfax report to show any major body work or serious damage from non dealer shops. I would also recommend havig a qualified tech do a full inspection. (Preferably a Toyota Tech for a Prius inspection, we really do know a little bit about them...) Finally, I would recommend New Car Prices | Used Car Values - Official Kelley Blue Book Site to check the private party sale price to see if you are really getting a reasonable price. Good Luck!
