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New vs. Used Prius IV - Newbie Buying Question

Discussion in 'Newbie Forum' started by Humphrey Balboa, Nov 22, 2012.

  1. Humphrey Balboa

    Humphrey Balboa New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 22, 2012
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    Location:
    la canada, CA.
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    Hello!

    I am buying my first Prius! So excited! This will be my first real car I have bought myself- so I have been really researching the heck out of this and working hard on finding the perfect one. After months of research I am in the home stretch. This has been a long process that started with originally wanting to lease a KIA (lol, I had no clue) Anyways here we are! Now I have it narrowed down: I want to own a NEW or USED Prius IV with solar roof in white.


    I spent all of today at the Toyota dealership after going to several dealerships in my area over the past few weeks. I found the sales people most tolerable at this final dealership and would like them to have my business if the don't screw anything up. I have spent half of yesterday and all of today in there.

    Meet my final 2 top PRIUS players:
    • USED 2010 IV blizzard pearl white w/ solar roof
    • NEW 2013 IV blizzard pearl white w/ solar roof.
      • Basically do I want the used car or the new?
    USED PRIUS: (2010 - level 4- solar roof package - blizzard)
    My concerns. After I told them I was leaning towards the new car got them down to ($29,800- more on that below). They then began to really push hard the used car making the offer very tempting. It felt like making a deal with the devil. The price dropped from $27,895 to $22,500 very quickly. Making my payments in the $200 sector vs. $400. When they were so close before it was easy to go with the brand new car since the difference was less than $100. I also refused the warranty they tried to roll in and hide from me (as I will be going with Costco). I would have been on board with this and walked out with the car today, but my concern on the used car is it is NOT certified-used. They gave me some long winded story after showing me the CARFAX report that there was no accident, explaining that the car had scratches on more than 3 panels and this is why it cannot be certified used. It was leased and had 1 owner with 24,000 miles. Now I test drove the exact same car black a few weeks ago at another dealership. The black one had more miles, but was certified pre-owned and in immaculate condition. This white one from today when I stepped in had big dirty finger prints on the visor fabric, scratches in the plastic of the radio and navi system. It was clearly lived in and used. Now I am not too concerned with those cosmetic damages if the car is a good deal, I love a good deal, but with them saying the car could not be certified it raised RED FLAGS in my mind. My questions to you experience Prius buyers, or car buyers in general for that matter, is this something to be concerned about? Or am I being an overly fickle car buyer? Is it being at the Toyota lot and having gone through their inspection good enough? Am I being too picky that it is not certified-used? When I first started this search every other 2010 BPW with solar roof was gone in 2 days, this one has been on the lot for over 8 days. I owned a used 2001 Civic prior to this and that car was a the most unreliable piece of crap in the world and it has traumatized me a bit as a car owner, as it was my first real car. So I don't know if my bad vibes are unjustified or not.


    NEW PRIUS:
    My question on this guy is.......is $29,895 as good of a deal that I think it is on a 2013 Blizzard Pearl level 4 with solar roof package? I thought I did good getting them to match one dealership down by the beach that no one else would, but who knows, this is all so new to me! Can I get more out of the deal?

    MY GOALS: I am young a girl, with low interest in cars. I just want something reliable that will cause me the least pain and hassle, hopefully last me 10 years plus. It would be nice to get this car without being clearly ripped off because I am a girl with no car buying experience. I am hoping this car lasts me a very long time as I don't want to go through this process again anytime soon. Leasing and quickly turning over cars is not for me.

    MONEY-WISE: Both the new and used are quite the expense to me as I have never made car payments before. I can afford either to an extent, but I am a natural $$ saver, enjoy a good deal and saving $$ wherever possible, but I am also realistic and understand you get what you pay for in life. That is why I am torn between these two cars.

    Thoughts and advice on my Prius Search 2012? All input is much appreciated as I plan on getting this over with on Friday!
     
    #1 Humphrey Balboa, Nov 22, 2012
    ewxlt66 likes this.
  2. JimN

    JimN Let the games begin!

    Joined:
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    Location:
    South Jersey
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    V
    Welcome. Read through CarBuyingTips.com - complete step by step car buying guide . Can I presume the 3 in the 2010's description is a typo? A III (2010) does not have leather.

    The certified used car programs are great marketing to get people to pay more for a used car. The only advantage may be a better warranty.

    Car salesmen aren't trying to take advantage of you because you are young or a girl. They try to take advantage of everyone. Research is the best defense. Know what you want. Know what you need. Know what things cost. Know what things sell for. If you don't like something, walk.

    At this point you have demonstrated that you are a $eriou$ buyer. Salesmen do not want serious buyers to walk because there is no guarantee they will return. They probably won't. The dealer WANTS $27 for the car but can still make a profit at $22.

    Used cars show wear. Wear is not the same as neglect or abuse.

    Register the VIN at Toyota Owners Official Website: Service Coupons, Owners Manuals, Service Scheduling and More to see the dealer service history. If the car was bought in 2010 you should see 2 oil changes. Check the voltage of the 12v battery through the nav display. There are threads here describing how to do it & acceptable values. If the battery is weak try getting a new one thrown in or a discount for one later (in writing).

    When was the 2010 built? Early production does not have the USB port in the center armrest. The Safety Connect panel by the mirror was added ~November 2009. The 2010 still carries the balance of the original warranty. 24000 miles is very low.

    In "the old days" if a Prius sat on the lot for 3 days that was a long time. Those days are gone. Long gone. My 2010 was a dealer trade from Maryland because it was sitting on a lot near Baltimore. The reason it spent 0 time on the lot in NJ is because it was almost exactly what I wanted.

    Good cars aren't cheap. The Prius will have lower operating & maintenance costs so you'll be spending less each year to run it.

    Now, I'm going to point out the obvious. A IV-Solar was one of the top of the line cars. A 2013 Prius One has a MSRP of $23215. At $22500 you are getting a lot of gizmos & a shorter warranty for what you'll probably pay for a new base car.

    Unless there really is something wrong mechanically or electrically with the 2010 it's a good deal.
     
    #2 JimN, Nov 22, 2012
  3. Humphrey Balboa

    Humphrey Balboa New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 22, 2012
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    Location:
    la canada, CA.
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    Thanks all your input, this is very helpful! I appreciate it. You are right I updated the typo - the used 2010 is a 4. I am going to run the vin # now and see what I find.

    Also, an interesting thing according to them is since the car is supposedly not certified.....the original warranty they are not extending it to me. They were telling me I don't get the remaining balance of 12,000 miles on the 36,000 mile warranty. But, that might have just been their trickery to try and scare me into purchasing the extended warranty.

    Going to check the VIN now.
     
    #3 Humphrey Balboa, Nov 22, 2012
  4. Humphrey Balboa

    Humphrey Balboa New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 22, 2012
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    Location:
    la canada, CA.
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    Wow! Thanks again for the VIN# check pointer. The car has a history of "engine concern" repairs. That doesn't ease any of my prior concerns.
     
    #4 Humphrey Balboa, Nov 22, 2012
  5. mikefocke

    mikefocke Prius v Three 2012, Avalon 2011

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    I've found that a way to see what you could buy a Toyota for is to go to carmax.com and look for their Laurel, Md dealership. It is a standard Toyota dealer but they offer a single price approach and so their cars are priced at a reasonable price point. Maybe you could do better but when I was shopping I was offered lots ;oys worse by 5 dealers. I know you won't be buying there but using competitive info as a bargaining tool is part of the buying game. Took me 3 tries and 10 days before my local dealer came to an acceptable number on my last purchase and the dealer had the "I can go here and get the car for X" number in front of him and he knew I had bought there before.

    Because you are young and will have the monthly payment, I gather that any repair would be really tough for your finances to deal with and so you may value the sureness of the new car warranty over the price break of a used car.
     
    #5 mikefocke, Nov 22, 2012
  6. norjack

    norjack New Member

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    2012 Prius+ MPV
    Model:
    N/A
    With the info you provided, it sounds like that used car may not have had the kindest owner and/or had some previous technical issues...and the dealership would like to move the car.

    I would go with the new one. Seems like there is enough doubt that I would skip the potential headache. The money saved on the used doesnt seem to balance out potential cost and problems.
     
    #6 norjack, Nov 24, 2012
  7. Humphrey Balboa

    Humphrey Balboa New Member

    Joined:
    Nov 22, 2012
    14
    6
    0
    Location:
    la canada, CA.
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    Thanks for your replies! I am now set on the new Prius!

    Now, do you think $29,855 is fair for a 2012 Prius Four w/ solar roof in blizzard white? I got several dealerships to match it, but none will go lower or add on any extras. I feel like it's the end of the month getting near the end of the year, there should be more wiggle room?
     
    #7 Humphrey Balboa, Nov 24, 2012
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