2010 Prius III w/ Salvage title

If the buyer gets a salvage title, the price has to be more than just a good price. I'm thinking the buyer has to be looking at 50-75 percent of fair market value.

 

Easy.
They're either unwilling or unable to pay what the dealers are charging. This isn't a pejorative comment for the OP or any used car purchaser. There are some good deals to be had on the corner lots---which is why there are so many of them.
However (comma!) Most people trade at the dealer. The aforementioned dealers operate a used car lot (usually at higher profit margins than the new car side) where they keep and sell the cream puffs.
The turds...they auction off to (you guessed it!!!) the corner lots, who sell them to people who have bad credit, or tinkerers who like shoving grease under their fingernails, or people who are just too chincy (some would say smart!) to pay what the dealers (over)charge on their lots. The corner lots also try and snap up all of the good deals thay find from people who don't trade at the dealerships...to include insurance companies, and bank repos.
Insurance companies auction off the automobiles that are deemed to be a "total loss" by whatever daffy formula they use. Some of these cars are easily repairable, and made to look and drive acceptably well depending on how persnickety (or lucky!) you are.
Tom is right though. I would set my target price for a salvage car at 50-60% of market value...if I were to consider one (which I won't!) So......what’s the market value for a G3-three with 25K????
Depends on who you ask. I wouldn’t go higher than about 20K…if it were immaculate, but that’s me.
Priuses are a little bit overpriced right now(!!!), which warps the market value somewhat, and creates more of a margin for "Smiling Jim's Used Car Emporium" to work with.

 

If you can't wait a few more months, does it have to be a Prius? If not, and fuel economy is a top priority, see Most fuel-efficient cars and Best & worst cars review, fuel-efficient vehicles.

You could consider the NAH. It has the same 10 year/150K mile HV battery warranty for CARB states (as do all AT-PZEV hybrids) and the car is pretty much only available in CARB states.

I put in a random NJ zip code (try yours) and got Philadelphia Area Nissan Altima Hybrid Offers -0.0% APR - $4,000 Cash Back - $279 Lease - Nissan USA re: a $4K incentive. I've seen it as high as $5K, sometimes. However, if this matters, http://priuschat.com/forums/nissan-...an-axes-altima-hybrid-2012-a.html#post1342815. It could affect resale down the road.

 

Exactly. The cost to repair had to be more than the retail value.

Salvage places sometimes "repair" visible damage and leave the unseen stuff untouched.

 

Sorry to hear about your car.

From 2012 Nissan Altima Sedan Specifications | Nissan USA if you click on the * under Hybrid, it says

I'm assuming the above are the only current CARB states, so no on PA. The NAH is pretty much only available in CARB states. Outside them, it's a bit goofy or tough to get.

We had some discussion about this in another thread (can't find it now) w/the controversy/confusion over whether or not WA state is included. I assert it is not a CARB state and I don't think it supposedly being a "partial CARB" state (if that is even true) helps w/it gaining a longer HV battery, emission, hybrid system, etc. warranty.

As for how it works, I don't have a 3rd gen warranty book but in my 2006 warranty book on page 25 about the CA emission warranty it says

I know OR got added after I bought my 06.

To be on the safe side, I'd stick w/one that was entirely owned and registered (and presumably operated) entirely within a CARB state.

I know the car that you had died was a Nissan, if a used NAH (obviously no incentives available) is a possibility or there's somehow a leftover 2010 , if you buy an 07-10, it'll get a 10 year/120K mile CVT warranty. See http://www.nissanassist.com/vehicles.php?menu=5 and http://www.nissanassist.com/faqs.php?menu=3. It's goofy/cool that it's included considering the transmission in the NAH is of the power split device design and has no resemblance to the belt and pulley system CVTs in all other CVT-equipped Nissans.

As I mentioned before, if money is tight and/or 3rd gens seem to expensive, seriously consider a newer 2nd gen. Yeah yeah, the 3rd gen is an overall superior car...

 

Does your insurance cover the car if it is in another wreck? I heard (never checked it out) that most insurance companies will only cover liability on the car. If you wreck it, all repairs are on your dime (of course if the other guy is at fault his insurance will have to cover repairs or pay you off).

 

When my daughter wrecked my Avalon it was totaled, though one would never have thunk it looking at the visible damage alone, which was fairly minor. But the tree root cracked a body/frame/veryimportant piece in the front suspension area, just a two inch long hairline crack that some touch-up paint would hide completely.

A quickie weld and radiator and bumper repair and the car would be mint again (though when that part would fail again would be the sticking point, and evidently the insurance company figured it would). The body shop told me someone would very well do that when they sent the car to where cars like that go.

 

I know you already made up your mind, but I just wanted to chime in: if someone was asking just a few thousand dollars less than the price of a new Prius for a salvaged Prius, I don't think I'd be able to keep from bursting out laughing.

 

I think they will always find some fish to buy the car at their price. It does not mean the car is worth it, it just means there are a hell of a lot of fish in the ocean. Now, if they want to knock off 10,000 Dollars to start with, then you could consider it. If they don't want to even talk about 10K to 5K off the price then don't even consider it! Tough to do, but that's what you have to do. Dismiss anything and everything the seller says!

 

Burnt out brake pads and rotors and minor front end damage? Sounds like that "runaway Prius" that got its nose stuffed into the back of a Ca. police car. Was that a 2010? Would/did the lease company/ insurance/ Toyota dump it with a salvage title to get rid of it? Wonder what happened to that car?

 

I hear you. One thing people need to keep in mind (but unfortunately often don't) is just how much the resale value of a vehicle drops just by having a "salvage" title, regardless of what kind of condition it's in. If you went and tried to sell that Prius somewhere else I bet you'd take at least a $5,000 hit.

I know this from experience, unfortunately -- not with a Prius, but still.