My '07 Prius was totaled so it's time for an upgrade. My head is starting to spin trying to compare models and trim levels, so I'd appreciate an outside perspective. Here's what we're looking at: 2013 Prius 3 - $13,848 - 63,918 mi. Nice looking red Prius with solar moon roof, backup camera. 2014 - Prius 3 - $16,621 - 36,622 mi. White with moon roof and and "deluxe solar package" (hdd nav, upgraded audio), backup camera, and softex interior. Fleet vehicle just off lease. 2015 - Prius 4 - $14,838 - 46,846 mi White, with the Persona Special Edition package and backup camera (no softex - mistake in the poll), as well as lowering springs and rear sway bar. Will that make as big a difference in handling as I hear? Not sure why this would be less than the 2014 Prius 3.... 0.o Our main contenders so far are the 2013 and 2014 (really like the moon roof). Is it worth $3k for a bump in model year, mileage, audio, and softex? The 2015 was just added - it's a definite contender if the lowering springs and sway bar are a big deal... though I might pine a little for the moon roof. Are there any differences between these model years that I might have missed? As far as I can tell from the "features explained" thread there are no huge upgrades until 2016... Thanks!
I would personally advise against the 2014 in your case because it was a fleet vehicle and people sometimes treat company or rental cars worse than they treat their own. Other than that, both the 2013 and 2015 should be very good reliable vehicles. No differences between them except for mileage, trim level, and specified features. Between those, it's your choice what's more important to you regarding mileage and features.
Thanks for your reply, I appreciate it. If we get in the 2014 and love it, is there anything the dealership can do that would allay fears that it hasn't been treated well?
I'm assuming the low price on the 2015 is due to the relatively high mileage for only a year or so of use - should 46k miles in about a year be concerning?
*Except the '15 is a Persona, which has stiffer suspension and 17-inch low-profile tires, assuming same as a '13 Persona we had. This makes a huge difference in ride comfort. We had to sell our '13 Persona due to harsh ride and road noise. Make sure you test drive them thoroughly.
I would choose the 2015 over the 2013. I wouldn't consider the 2014 at all. The 2014 is overpriced. It's 2017 so 2 years to put 46k miles on the 2015. In my opinion, this is desireable as the miles are most likely highway miles which is easier on the car than say the 46k miles on a 2013 that likely had a mix with stop and go city miles. It's desireable because it's my opinion and a good number of people think otherwise which drives prices lower for me to buy. The standard calculators used for pricing such as KBB will not take highway vs city miles into account. I also have a different opinion on previous rental cars. People may not treat it well when driving but the rental company certainly will maintain it properly if they care about maintenance and reliability. People may treat their own things more nicely but they may not maintain it properly. I call it a wash and as above, I want my discount because people disagree in general. There is no discount on the 2014 you have above which is why I would not consider it.
I agree that the 2014 is overpriced. All three are from the same auto group, so I planned to use the price of the 2015 as leverage to get them to drop the 2014 to a more comparable price. I'll definitely be test-driving that 2015... I'm really curious to see how much difference the suspension changes make to the ride quality. Thanks for the advice, folks! I think I'm going to have a lot of questions over the next couple days...
Prius is a commuter car, get something cheap. I would forget the 2015, just because it has suspension upgrades that may not have been done correctly. You'll also end up scraping the bottom everywhere you go
drive the 15, if you like it, buy it. if not, don't. that's great price compared to the others, might even be worth reversing some of the mods.
Like @JC91006, avoid the lowered one. When I see a for sale ad, with reams of mods, lowered, custom shifter, insulation, tint, new speakers: just a complete turn-off, not interested. Of the other two, all I can add: test drive and thoroughly inspect both. Descriptions don't really paint an accurate picture.
Ahh, I was under the impression that the suspension mods on the 2015 were supposed to be an *improvement* on the ride quality. I was okay with watching for low clearance of the ride was better, but it sounds like there are no real upsides unless you just want the lower-profile appearance - which I don't care about. iPhone ?
Having a lowered suspension will give you slightly better handling and a stiffer ride. But you probably won't be taking 50mph corners with your prius to notice the benefits.
Won't be able to test drive for a day or two, but I'd like to go in with numbers in my head to stack against/with our preferences... If anyone could counter or validate my figures I'd appreciate it! Seems to be a pretty fair price for market value. I'd try for $13k to feel like I was getting a "good deal" for the mileage. 2013 Prius 3 - $13,848 - 63,918 mi. Red Prius with solar moon roof, backup camera. I really like the options package and mileage, but it seems overpriced - everyone seems to agree. I'm thinking anything over $15k isn't even fair, and we should press for closer to $14k before we could call it a "good deal". Thoughts? 2014 - Prius 3 - $16,621 - 36,622 mi. White with moon roof and and "deluxe solar package" (hdd nav, upgraded audio), backup camera, and softex interior. Fleet vehicle just off lease. Seems like a pretty good deal already. 2015 - Prius 4 - $14,838 - 46,846 mi White, with the Persona Special Edition package and backup camera (no softex - mistake in the poll), as well as lowering springs and rear sway bar.
According to Edmunds, the 2013 is worth $14,778; the 2014 is worth $15,936; and the 2015 is worth $16,546. That would mean the 2013 is $930 under market value (good deal), the 2014 is $685 over market value (bad deal), and the 2015 is $1708 under market value (best deal)
It's already been stated but the 2015 seems like the best deal. I would not consider the mileage to be a negative factor.
Agreed. I have a hunch that the lowering springs and sway bar mod will be a turn off once I drive it, but maybe they'll remove that... I think the 2014 would have be discounted down far enough that it was as good a deal before I'd really consider it. I'll be test driving them all (finally) tomorrow, so we'll see. I also have a feeling the stock headlights won't be bright enough (the one big sore spot we had with the '07 Prius). It looks from other threads like I could do the H11 to H9 conversion or get an LED conversion kit for any one of the 3 vehicles... if I'm wrong about that please let me know.
