need advice on getting a prius

First off, sorry for your loss (if you're a baseball fan).

It would be helpful if you mentioned what your current vehicle is.

The Prius drives pretty much like any other gasoline powered vehicle. The main difference is once the ICE has warmed up, it will turn off at a stop and the electric motor and battery will propel the Prius for a short distance without the ICE on its own when accelerated gently. The Prius was one of the first cars with push button start (which comes standard on most cars now). The gear shifter is unlike what most non-hybrid owners are accustomed to but it only takes a few uses to get the hang of it.

The main advantage of a CPO is the warranty. Most Prii are reliable and very few have mechanical break downs and provided that the Prii you will be looking at haven't been in serious accidents or floods you should find an acceptable CPO quickly.

Buy a Prius with the factory back up camera. There shouldn't be a big difference in price between trim levels on 3 to 4 year old Prii.

The Prius C is a subcompact while the liftback is a compact/midsize. Get the liftback, it's much better (no offense C owners).

 

This is my first post on here as I have only had a Prius a few months and I am mostly here to learn. The questions you had were the same ones that I had before buying my Prius so I thought I would speak up.
1. There very easy to drive it roles down the road really nice carries speed good not quick not sporty but pleasant to drive.
2.I got a car that had been side swiped and professionally repaired mainly because I could pay cash and save enough money to take the risk. We all need to decide where were comfortable on risk.
3. One of the advantages of buying used is upgrades are much cheaper we got a 4 with a camera and like it a lot but we look out the back a lot rear vision is better than are old Subaru wagon.
4. Consumer reports doesn't like the C near as much as the hatchback.
I would like to say we really like this car the size inside and outside it's easy to use and well thought out. Our driving costs have been cut by less than half we go more places. Easy to get in and out of compared to our Subi wife really enjoys it for day to day use.

 

We have a '14 liftback with the trim level 4 (solar roof, premium stereo, power seat), and a '15 C trim 4 (top trim, fully loaded). Both cars get high 40s low 50s mpg. I love the extra space I have with the traditional liftback, and my husband has always preferred a small car. He also had a '14 liftback, but when his lease was up, chose to go to the C because he liked the more compact feel. But the cars are within inches of each other when it comes to length. The difference is the type of tailgate. Personal preference. Try both and have fun at the pump!!

I drive a minimum of 500 miles each week to commute to work. I haven't spent more than $100 a month for gas in over a year!!! One day this week, my liftback reached 57.7 mpg!!! Can't beat these cars!

Pixel XL ?

 

welcome!

1) easy to drive, no difference than regular cars except some find the braking a bit different, and some have to get used to the engine shutting off when stopped.

2) cpo is worth it if you don't know how to evaluate a used car or have no one else to help you.

3) get the oem back up cam, or you can have one installed at a car audio shoppe. a bit tricky, and might be expensive, since you have to install the camera in back and run wires to the dash.

4) prius c smaller, a little cheaper, and doesn't get quite as much mileage on the highway. drive both before deciding.

5) all the best!

 

If you don't do the HV pack repair yourself then yes it will be expensive ranging from $500 for a craiglist "specialist" to $3500 for a brand new Toyota battery installed at the stealership.

However, if you buy a three year old or newer Gen 3 with low miles you won't need to worry about this for a long time because you'd be covered for the first 8 years and 100,000 miles. So whatever you do, try to get the newest Gen 3 with the lowest miles on it you can find that you can afford. With gasoline hovering around $2 per gallon these days this is a great time to get one.

 

Why does he need to get a 3y old or newer -- don't they all come with 8/100 emissions ? Ohio is not a CA state ... Im in a CA state so we get 10/150. I like to get CPO cars after the main warranty is out -- they have taken a big depreciation hit.. Normally the dealers keep the best cars -- plus the warranty. Often they have special financing

 

Because that's what the OP essentially wanted - a 2012 or 2013. That's almost new to me. When I buy "pre-owned", the cars are five years old or more. I DIY. I have replaced clutches, wheel bearings, ball joints, etc. So I can fix them when they break. It appears the OP not so much.

The OP also wanted reliability after suffering with numerous repairs on the 2007 Mazda 3 in a short time. A newer Prius does that in spades.

CPO cars generally have at least a small portion of the factory warranty (for the HV pack specifically) remaining on them. I can't recall ever seeing a CPO car outside of the factory warranty so that's news to me. I'm not referring to the bumper to bumper 3 year 36000 mile warranty, I'm talking about the 100K mile warranty.

 

I have a 2011 -- bought in Jan of 12 -- it will be five years old. How old does Toyota sell CPO's -- most I have bought are 4 years (Lexus)

 

the battery is warranted for 8/100, so i wouldn't worry about it.