Buying a used Gen 3 questions

welcome! i would get the '12 with less equipment and lower miles.

the thing is, a 2010, in 7-8 years, is going to be 13-14 years old. thats's older than any gen II, currently on the road.

some say years are harder on the battery than miles. either way, you'll probably be able to afford a replacement battery by the time you're out of warranty. all the best!

 

As far as the sound system goes, I would get the base system and swap in a touchscreen headunit.

How many miles a year do you see yourself driving it? The fewer miles per year, the more likely a higher mileage car will last you for the amount of years you want.

 

1. Navigation you'll need a Three-Solar, Four-Solar, or Five-Adv. Tech package.

If money is tight you may want to reconsider your "needs" and your "wants".

"If I buy a 2010 that means I only have about 5 years left on the HV battery warranty and most likely will not cross the 150,000 mile threshold either. However, if I buy a higher mileage 2012 I get another 7 years on the warranty and will finish paying it off before the warranty expires."

Are you looking for a 5-7 year loan on a 5 year old car? If so, either you have assets you don't want to liquidate or they see you coming.

Are you going to be ready & able to drop in a new battery after the warranty expires?

Every used car is unique. You'll have to decide which cars are better deals as the opportunities present themselves. Happy hunting.

 

Funny how the grass is always green on the other side: I hate the dang things, feel they're a cheap cop-out over conventional, tactile controls, and the distraction factor is on par with using a cell phone.

 

I've never heard good things about the JBL systems used in Prii and they seem to make upgrading the sound system a little more difficult. If you're going to upgrade anyway, might as well get the base system and put the money saved towards upgrades. No idea about the backup camera, but you could add one fairly easily if you're planning on adding a touchscreen headunit.

 

have you considered conventional cars like corolla, yaris, matrix, camry, civic, scion, accord, etc?

 

Let's see, you want to buy a 5year old car and need to get a 5 year loan, yet you have a second car (WRX), to me this does not compute. As my wise old Dad once said "Never buy stuff you don't need with money you don't have". Give it a thought, it will help you avoid lifetime of debt.

 

The Prius uses a CVT.

 

Well, it emulates a CVT. No gear ratios ever change, no gears ever shift or clutches engage.

It is a one speed with no clutch and 3 power sources.

 

it does sound likes it's slipping like a cvt, when you hit it.

 

I've got to second this. If you want a Prius that badly, then sell your WRX first. No point having two cars that you will have to insure, and do maintenance on. Especially if your income is limited. The Prius uses a CVT transmission too, or something close to one as jimboPalmer pointed out, so you'll have to be okay with that before buying one.

I suggest just driving the WRX for now, especially if it's already paid off. Whatever amount you were planning to pay monthly for the Prius, put it in a savings account instead. So instead of paying a car loan at $250-350 a month, put that in your savings instead.

Then once the WRX starts to need a lot of expensive repairs, hopefully a few years from now, then use that money you were saving up as a down payment for another car. Saving $250 a month for 5 years adds up to $15k, which is enough to cover most 3-5 year old cars.

At an absolute minimum, in case you want a Prius badly no matter what, wait until the Gen 4 starts hitting dealership sales floors in a few weeks/months. That should drop demand for the Gen 3 Prius some more. And if gas prices continue to stay "low", that should suppress demand for them, which can work heavily in your favor in terms of getting a better deal.

Don't rush this. Buying a car is a huge commitment, and if you get bored with it 5 months from now, you're stuck with a loan you won't really want to pay.

 

I just bought a 2012 Prius and I'm pretty sure it is trim level ii. It has a backup camera and navigation system. But...looking at the trim levels I may have a level iii since I have bluetooth and handsfree phone operation.

 

If it's a Toyota factory navigation system it's a 3

 

If you set up an account on the Toyota owners website and use your VIN, it'll tell you the trim level.
I don't have enough posts to add the link. It's just the toyota website with /owners after it.

I bought a 2012 a couple of months ago from a non-Toyota dealer. They had it listed as a Two when it's actually a Five. That kind of made up for the salesman not knowing anything about the car (which I expected) and him falling asleep twice during the test drive (which may have actually been better than him trying to talk about the car). Actually paying the price for a Two and getting a Five more than made up for the salesman not knowing anything about the car. I knew it wasn't a Two by the pictures on their website. I considered taking it straight across the street to the Toyota dealership to see what trade in value they might have given me.