I am in the market for a new Prius C. I am looking on Craigslist for vehicles because affordable price. I have a black 2013 Prius C Two with 73k for $10,295 or... A white 2012 Prius C Two with 24k for $11,995 Both clean vehicles with good CarFaxs. I like both but I'm leaning more towards the black because it's more newer but more mileage. I don't know anything about Prius C. I am driving a 2013 Toyota Corolla with 53,575 miles on it. What are you thoughts on it? Anything I should look out for? Questions I should ask.
The two cars are not that different, remember you are buying unused miles, the more the merrier. I mean you should consider the lower mileage car all else being equal.
Same model car, just a little gap months in when they were made. Do the math 73k/3yrs = 24k m/yr OR 24k/4yrs = 6k m/yr...somebody is doing some crazy uber'ing/delivering/ or just whatever with their 3yr old car take the one that has less wear and tear (not to mention its color attracts less heat = more efficient in summer) even if it's almost $2k more, it's probably more peace of mind and almost 50k miles less that is yet to be driven
first, i would test drive a new one to get a feel and make sure you like it. all other things being equal, i would go for the '12, but they both look like good cars.
I'd go with the 2012 with the lower mileage. SwhitePC pointed out that the previous owner put in 73k miles in 3 years time, imo that car has already been through the ringer.
Of course over the internet, without actually seeing or physically checking either out, who knows? But in general I'd be much more interested in the vehicle with nearly 50,000 less miles.
Going simply by what you tell us of the two vehicles, I would first consider the one with 24k miles on it. Big deal if the black one is one model year newer. It has a ~50,000 more miles on it. Think about it.
I would stick with the 2013 Toyota Corolla unless you need a second car for your family or something. No reason to sell the 2013 Toyota Corolla to buy a 2012 or 2013 Toyota Prius C. But if you're keeping the Corolla and buying a Prius C in addition to it, I would go with the car with the lower mileage. You really don't want to have to pay for repairs or replacement on the hybrid system, and if someone put 73k miles on a 2013 already, the hybrid system may need to be replaced much sooner than it would on the 2012 car.
The reason I want to sell my Toyota Corolla, it has some heavy wear on the vehicle and I drive everyday from OC to LA or San Diego daily. I commute to work a lot and I fill my tank every 2 days. I am looking for a bit more on the gas mileage. I took my Corolla to CarMax to get a appraisal and I received 10K for the vehicle. Any other places I should take it besides Toyota dealerships to get a higher appraisal? Plus the Prius C keeps a higher reseller value even if it's a 2012 compared to my 2013 Toyota Corolla. Gas mileage is a big difference too as you can tell in the fuel economy picture. My Corolla front end is messed up badly and I have dents all around the car from heavy wear, it's to the case where my front right bumper side keeps coming off. I would need to fix the bumper and because I got the vehicle in a minor accident. So why not start new with a Prius C and get into the Prius family. I am looking to save money. What do you guys think?
let's figure what the whole transaction is going to cost you, and how much you'll save each year in gas.
In my opinion, the first thing you need to do is go try a Prius C if you haven't done that yet to see if you like it. It's a fun little car but it's more of a city car than a long distance highway cruiser and it's certainly underpowered compared to most cars on the road (that said, we have one and we love it). Second, I would fix the Corolla before selling it, and if you want to maximize your return, try selling it to a private party as this can make a difference of over $1000. (Not that I would personally do this as it's more trouble) and yes, definitely go with the lower mileage car if you do go through with it. Good luck, Daniel P.S. EPA ratings are not promises, if you want to get those numbers, you'll need to learn to drive a hybrid the "right" way. If you just stomp it and drive in the left lane on the highway, you might not get those numbers.
If you drive "normal" you will still get better than a car EPA rated less. Driving a new Prius c won't help much either because they changed the vehicle since to two examples you are considering. Regular Prius and especially the "c" model is selling cheap right now so I would consider a new purchase if budget allows.
