Never owned a Prius, help buy a used 2nd Gen.

You may also consider what I did. I bought in September last year for exactly 14k, 8K down with a small monthly + Toyota Certified peace of mind/warranty for a year. Certified Used Toyota Vehicles | Pre-Owned Cars, Trucks, SUVs & Hybrids

See photos below, I upgraded wheels and tires & Head Unit!

 

there will be deals. in fact, there are already, outside of california.

 

I'm a big fan of the Gen II...I'd rather own it than the Gen III, myself. I know I'll never drive a new car again. The registration is much too high and I'm not comfortable putting that much capital on the road.

I believe the HV battery failure risk is overplayed. Toyota's HV battery failure rates have been quite low (much lower than Honda's) and the Prius continues to be among the most reliable, easiest to own mass production autos. Sure, there is risk (as with any vehicle, new or used), but I would wager to say that a used Gen II is still among the easiest to own cars on the road. They're favorites among taxi fleets for their inexpensive and easy operation.

Financials aside, it's important to drive a car you like, so I highly recommend sufficient test-driving. Prii aren't for everyone, but I sure like mine. I wouldn't trade it for anything, even if gasoline were free.

I would try to find one that was garaged. Heat can be tough on a car (and it's theorized that it stresses the HV battery). I would try to find one with clear paint and headlamps, not for the cosmetics, but as indicators that it was likely kept out of the sun.

The only trouble I've had with the '07 since new was a leaking engine coolant pump. It was a pretty easy DIY repair, but it's easy to check for...look for pink, crusty buildup around the large black pulley near the bottom, passenger side of the engine.

I don't imagine the 2015 will see significant markdown when the next generation arrives. The demand for Toyotas seems to prevent the large price incentives that other manufacturers practice.

 

agreed, batteries aren't a huge problem, but if you're the guy stuck with the bad one...

 

When I bought my 2015 in March, the price was ~$5.1K off MSRP between the TMS USA rebate and the dealer discount. I don't think the discount is going to get much better than that. Right now there still exists a substantial inventory of colors and models so you can get exactly what you want.

 

I just bought a sweet 130K mile 2004 prius with smartkey, nav, jbl and side curtain airbags. I feel I stole it for $4,800. Going to drive this for 40 years.

 

The prices discussed here are consistent with what I saw. I recently bought a 2006 with Nav and backup camera and JBL stereo with 96,000 miles for $6500 in private sale. So far so good. I've decided I never want to pay collision/comprehensive again. Here in the Jersey suburbs of NY it's over $1000 a year for my 2012 Prius Two. So from now on, I plan to buy cars that I can self-insure the collision and comprehensive (of course I have plenty of liability insurance). I'll drop collision/comprehensive on the 2012 Prius when the value drops much below $10,000.