'09 pkg 6 Prius or.... an Xb... Dont laugh, I'm for real

I would say that is sufficient cause to exclude the Prius from your list.

 

First off, I'm not a fan of the xB nor its styling. It's not a hybrid and I hate driving non-hybrids in city traffic. It just annoys me so much having the engine idle uselessly away when stopped and knowing that ALL energy when braking is being lost as heat and brake dust vs. some being recaptured.

I'm confused, how much is the xB and how much is this used 09 Prius? I see some MSRPs at Scion xB | Prices & Information | Scion.com. Is the used Prius overpriced?

If seating's an issue, how about trying out a used '10 Prius? Cycledrum, who is very tall would always bitterly complain here about the seating on his 2nd gen, until he got a modified Corolla seat and installed it. Then he got rid of his Gen 2, got a Honda Accord and then ended up ditching that in favor of a Gen 3 Prius (2010+) which he found to be much better when it comes to seating for him.

Where are you getting "27 mpg" avg from for the xB? From http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/Find.do?action=sbs&id=31245&id=31246&id=25987, combined EPA estimate is 24 mpg vs. 46 mpg for the 09 Prius.

From Best & worst cars review, fuel-efficient vehicles, CR gives the xB 23 mpg overall. The 2nd gen Prius at Most fuel-efficient cars is pegged at 44 mpg overall, in their testing.

 

I don't know if this is good news or not, but people tend to get shorter as they age: Aging changes in body shape: MedlinePlus Medical Encyclopedia Now, your son, that's another story. He may not stop until he's 6'6".

But I would go with the Prius. The quote, "I am aware of it all the time as I drive" will possibly become, "I am not thrilled, but I have gotten used to it." I used to ride a Honda Rebel 250, and there were guys 6' and taller riding that, although it was a small motorcycle. What will the discomfort factor be when you're paying twice as much for gasoline as that guy who picked up the '09 Prius?

 

The Prius is way over-priced. There is no need to pay a premium certified used Prius. Or an xB for that matter. I had a friend buy a certified used xB and they had nothing but problems for the first few months because the dealer left the K&N intake on it. You would think that part of the certification process would be to strip off problematic aftermarket equipment.

You can get very good deals for around $15K via private party. While '09 is the best model year for reliability, '08 is almost as good, and then in '07 and before the laundry list of quirks begins to grow, albeit virtually all quirks are fairly benign.

You may also be able to buy a used xB (2007+) for around $10K as well.

 

Agreed that the used Prius is WAY overpriced.

I'll throw this data point to the OP, at the end of 2011 (when 2012 models hadn't hit the dealer yet), one could get a new '11 Prius for $21,988 or less (before tax, title and license). See http://priuschat.com/forums/newbie-forum/102877-2011-2012-prius-2.html. Keep in mind prices on the '11s were a bit lower and there were incentives at the time, besides dealers wanting to make way for the '12s that were coming.

My friend ended up buying a new '11 Prius model Three for just a tad over $22K, before TTL. See http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...ose-11-prius-please-ii-iii-2.html#post1466912.

Again, you might find the front seat to be a lot better on the 3rd gens (2010+ models).

Back the '11 Priuses being cheaper, see Toyota raises prices on 2012 Prius by between $480 and $1,045. There were a bunch of equipment changes w/way more standard equipment on the '12 Prius Two than the '11 Prius Two.

edit: http://www.toyotasunnyvale.com/specials/index.htm is currently openly advertising

Since you don't care about leather or nav, then this might be suitable since it comes w/neither.

http://web.archive.org/web/20090609.../toyota-announces-prices-for-2010-89249.aspx? should give you a good sense of the models/packages for the '10 and '11 Priuses. Ignore the prices since they're outdated.

http://priuschat.com/news/exclusive-2012-my-prius-changes-and-additions should give you a sense of '12 models/options. The note about backup camera being included on the '12 Two is wrong.

 

You'll get a lot of flames for admitting this. To put it succinctly: if your credit is bad, buying a new car isn't going to fix it. This is all the more reason to pay cash for a used car, either a moderately used xB, or a high mileage 05-06 Prius. High mileage is not a bad thing on a Prius in California, as the CARB warranty covers the most major/costly repairs (battery, transaxle motors, inverter) for 10 years/150,000 miles.

 

The transaxle motors is debatable since arguably it should be part of the 5 year/60K mile powertrain warranty. IIRC, the warranty booklet is a bit ambiguous about this.

Yep, HV battery is covered for 10 years/150K miles as long as the car was originally purchased, registered and operated in CA or a CARB state.

 

These are both way overpriced, IMO, provided a tax rate of say 6%.

You can buy a 2012 for something like $25.5k (trim level two) out the door, with some haggling...

I am tall at 6'4" and the 2010+ have a lot more leg room in the front compared to the previous years.

We just bought an '08 at 27k miles for my wife ($17.6 out the door, including a ridiculous $399 dealr processing fee, 6% tax, $250 title and registration and brand new tires worth $500 that i would have put on myself anyway) and I feel it is overpriced for what it is but that is actually below TMV for the trim level, package 6). And that's cheaper than what everyone around here is asking. Private party sale might save a few hundred off that price but no one seems to be selling ...

And while the legroom is not ideal, the '08 is actually not bad for city trips (have not tried long ones). The seats on the '07-09 are not height adjustable, where the ones on the 2010+ are and that makes a big difference on whether you are comfy or not. In the '09 it would be either or and the only thing that makes it OK for me is that the seat is rather high so that compensates for the short leg room, barely.

Can't speak of the Xb other than price - new 2012 go for $17.1k plus tax + $99 dealer fee. Seems that's under what you seem to be looking at used...

We also have a '11 Honda Insight - it has about as much front leg room as the 2010+ Prius and to me is a more comfy ride than the '08 we got. But rear seating is abysmal ... Fuel economy from both seems about the same for me in light traffic (50mpg or so) with the Prius better than the Insight in heavy stop and go traffic so far... And, btw, we paid $18.2 out the door for the brand new Insight last March, when it was a current model year and Prii were going for $5-7k over that and any used ones worth looking at were at least $2k more too...

 

I wish sales tax were that low in CA. I don't think it's ever been that low as long as I've been old enough to understand what sales tax was. Per California City and County Sales and Use Tax Rates - Cities, Counties and Tax Rates - California State Board of Equalization, it's 8.25% in Santa Clara County (where I am).

Regarding that ~$25.5K OTD for a '12 Prius model Two, yep, from the price I posted at http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...-prius-xb-dont-laugh-im-real.html#post1516552, the OP would be able to do about that w/CA sales tax.

http://freeman-toyota.com/Santa-Rosa-CA/For-Sale/New/Toyota/Prius/-5dr-HB-Two-Silver-Car/7488219/ is currently openly advertising a '12 Prius Two for $23,269.

 

None of them. People come in different shapes. I find the seat in the Gen II just fine.

 

I find the exterior of the Gen 3 to be a step up from the Gen 2. As for the last feature, those are the touch tracer controls. You'll find that a lot better than the buttons that are too dimly lit (at night ) on the Gen 2. And no, one can't turn the brightness up on the steering wheel button lighting on the Gen 2.

Although I don't track price of used Priuses, http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...uy-2007-w-39000-what-check-2.html#post1516999 has some example prices. Dianeinreno was doing a private party purchase. I don't know about dorunron's 09.

 

If you've picked it up already, hope you got a decent price.

If the price sucks, keep looking.

 

For an "Apple to Apple" comparison, I bought my 2009 pkg 5 Prius new (everything but leather) January 2009, for $24,100 new. MSRP was $27,740 if I remember right.
Out the door price is foggy but it would have been approximately $26-26.4k.
I am trying to say that 09 is WAY WAYYYYY High.
I understand the financing issues. That and having a trade-in put a serious kink in scoring a super deal.
Here in San Diego, I've seen new 2012 pkg 2&3's Prius for less than than the used 2009.
If I must have a used Gen 2 Prius, and had bad credit and $10,000 downpayment I would avoid that 09 like the plague. I would be patient and find a better deal (private party). I think your bank or credit union would finance a lesser amount of money, they would have collateral...

 

FWIW, I've owned my Gen 2 for >6 years now and have test driven Gen 3s numerous times. The Gen 3 feels more solid. I even wrote this when I got a sneak peak (early test drive) in March 09 at http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-iii...-driving-impressions-thread-2.html#post819419.

We had to sign an agreement to not discuss mileage, driving impressions, etc. until the media embargo was lifted on 3/25/09.