Deciding between 2005 Prius and 2010 Insight

From my research,I think the prius is the only hybrid car to consider when buying used with no warranty. Thats why I just picked up one. And ive owned at least a dozen hondas in my days, this is just my 2nd toyota. Not saying the insight is a bad buy, just not as good when it comes to hybrid

 

Assuming price is a determining factor, I would pass on both. Something like a late model Yaris or Fit may be a better choice as a "temporary" 35K use car. Older Prius or high mileage Insight has a mechanical failure variable to consider.

 

Without knowing your location, it would be difficult to choose between the two. The reason being that if you live in a "carb state" and the Prius was sold and is licensed in a "carb state" then the hybrid section would still be under warranty. If you don't live in a carb state, I would not buy the 05 Prius. Some like the insight, other's do not. I really can't say much since I don't know a lot about them.

Since you are considering keeping the car only a year, I would suggest a Corolla or a Yaris rather than the two cars you are looking at. Corolla seems to hold up well. The Yaris is rather new, but seems to be holding it's own for the time being. You will probably find it easier to resell the Corolla or the Yaris rather than a '05 Prius which will be nine to ten years old at the time of sale.

Good luck with your choice and "Welcome to Prius Chat".

Ron

 

I agree with the others with the decision to pass. Before this, I was a huge Honda fan. I had a Civic but didn't like the Civic Hybrid and when the new Insight came out, I was game. However, it looked better on paper than in reality. They have strayed away from how great the original Insight was...although basic, it got amazing gas mileage and was truly hybrid. The new Insight is no different really than getting a Civic, but the Civic is more comfortable. It was a true fail on Honda's part, but I really wanted to love it.

As far as an older hybrid, you are going to run into the battery replacement category. That is so amazingly expensive and it makes more sense to buy a fuel efficient car instead because it will cost you less should a problem occur. I always wonder why people are selling the car...and that could be the reason. I just don't think it is worth choosing either car for a year.

 

I made this decision as well. Looked at 3-4 2010 Honda Insights, but all of them were low mileage and priced $13,000-15,000. In the end, I chose a 2005 Prius because of the substantial price difference and testimonials on here. I also found one with a brand new hybrid battery, so I kind of lucked out. I paid $8,500 for it & it had 80,000 miles. I have to say, I am so glad I went this direction. The Insights I looked at were so basic inside because I couldn't afford any bells and whistles. But looks like both of the cars are pretty loaded. The Prius is so fun to drive with all the little perks inside, like the touch screen and push to start and the shifter.. All that jazz didn't seem that important to me, but on a daily basis, it really is. I love it. If you're looking to sell it in a year, I think the Prius will have more sell-ability because of it's outstanding reputation and popularity. The Insight's reputation is pretty shabby in the hybrid community.

 

It's not so much to avoid the Prius, but rather the age of the 05. The traction battery would be out of warranty UNLESS you are in a "carb state" and the car was originally sold AND IS licensed in a "carb state". The Prius is a excellent car, but replacement of the hybrid battery is a four digit repair. Even a rebuild from Reinvolt is still $2K

I would not hesitate buying a later model. The wife and I bought our '09 "certified" Toyota and am very pleased with it. I think what most are looking at is that your original choice only included the '05.

Ron

 

People are worried that if the battery fails then you lose a very large amount of the car's value in just one year.

My opinion however is that the 2005 model with 55k miles has a very low chance of having the battery fail in a one year time interval. So provided you have the opportunity to give it a reasonably thorough test drive and the battery is performing well, I don't see any great risk.

 

+1 I agree with that completely. For years the voices said that the batteries would always be the downfall of the hybrid community. The truth of the matter is that the overall percentage of battery failures is low if you look at the overall amount of hybrid vehicles on the road today. As times go by and technology improves, the repair/replacement figure should continue to fall as it has in the past. It seems that most will accept a transmission failure (4 digit repair cost) but when it comes down to a traction battery (4 digit repair cost) the camel's back is broken. The truth of the matter is that more transmissions fail in a percentage than traction batteries. However, because transmission's have been around for a long time and the failure is a accepted risk it is no longer feared by the masses.

 

what are the three members over at insightchat recommending?

 

...one thing the folks here generally recommend for GenII is transaxle (transmission) first routine fluid replacement should be way before the 90k miles (or whatever) the op manual says. You might want to check if the 2005 had this done, definitely do this service on any used GenII you get if it has not been done yet.

 

My reference to mechanical failure was not specific to the traction battery, which has done surprisingly well on the Prius. Most other major repairs to the Prius and Insight however are expensive out of warranty. High mileage or high time used hybrids are not the best choice of vehicle to be used 35K miles in one year if budget constraints and extreme reliability is required during this period. The odds are against it.

 

Honestly Samson, the O5 Prius sounds like a great deal. I would get it. I don't know why others are telling you not to get it. I have an 01, no problems, I have an 06, no problems. I would be surprised if the 05 gives you problems. The biggest problems I know of is the HID headlights going bad. The truth is, traction battery problems are rare.

And... I bought my first Prius with basically the same idea as you, (keep it for a year and put a lot of miles on it), 4 years and bucko miles later, I still have it (and it is running great) and now have another. Chances are, you will keep it once you get it.

My advice is, get the 05 and never look back.

 

Did you buy your 01 and 06 new? I have no doubt that these cars can last a long time. But, the fact is, someone is selling their car for some reason and a big reason for selling a car is maintenance, and when a car is older regardless of mileage, you have to be cautious about that. I would keep trying to find a newer model. I would buy a former rental Prius that was a few years old with a lot of mileage over the previous generations models. But, that is just me. The resale would be a lot easier.

 

That's awful high mileage on the Insight and very low mileage on the Prius. Honda's engineering isn't the best and their approach to battery replacement does not sit well with me so I would drop them from consideration. If the price is right & nothing is wrong with the car then buy the Prius.

People sell cars for many reasons. Why is this one not being driven? Finding a used car owned by an old person with low miles is like hitting the lotto.

We ALL drive used cars. Not one of us gets into the car wondering or worrying if today is the day we experience a catastrophic failure. If the rationale above were applied to our cars you wouldn't be able to find a new one on the dealer lots.

If you want the cheapest car to operate buy an EV. If you don't have a plug or need the range then you are going to have a hard time finding another car that is cheaper to operate and has lower expected maintenance costs. If you want the absolute cheapest ride then buy a beater for next to nothing, run it until it dies, scrap it, and buy another.

 

i sold my 04 a year ago with 95k for $5700. so, that seems like a decent price for 55k. you should check kbb and others for resale value. is it a dealer or private party?

 

Idk, check KBB, check NADA and try to get a deal. It's practically impossible to mess a Prius up in 55,000 miles. I mean really, what could go wrong. The wheel bearings will still be good the struts will still be good. I suppose there's an outside chance the transmission could go bad but, that's the case with any used car. As I said before the batteries are proving very reliable. there are many gen 1 cars out there with the original batteries in them. these batteries are said to be lower quality than the gen 2 cars. My experience with the Prius has taught me to have confidence in the car. The reality is these cars are highly reliable. In the end, the decision is yours but, I definitely wouldn't even consider the Insight. There's just no comparison to the Prius whether it be gas mileage, reliability, comfort or roominess. the Prius is the hands-down winner in every category.

PS: I'm a little biased

PSS: I would be very surprised if that car is still there tomorrow.