Hello everyone, I'm new here and so looking forward to hang around here with Prius owners I'll do the newbie forum section later. Wondering if the deal I am getting is good? I have been wanting Prius for a long time and this time has finally came when I saw one when I was shopping online it was a 2012 Prius 4 blizzard Pearl exterior and bisque interior loaded includes: Solar Roof Package w/Navigation System 48,000 miles (1 owner) Solar Roof Package w/Navigation System ($3,820 MSRP) Safety Connect w/Mayday System Power tilt/slide moonroof with Solar Powered Ventilation System and Remote Air Conditioning System with sliding sunshade
o Premium HDD Navigation with Entune and JBL Premium stereo and speakers -- includes 7-in. touch-screen with split-screen capability and integrated backup camera and much much more including premium sound system (8 speakers), Bluetooth for music. Cargo net Driver and passenger heated seats Driver full power adjustable seat (8 way adjustable) Voice activation Tire pressure monitoring Front and rear head airbags, dual front side-mounted airbags, head restraint whiplash protection system, Smart key, keyless ignition, universal remote transmitter, heated, power mirrors New Eco tires Bluetooth Extra: Tinted windows, clear bra, all weather cargo and mat covers, custom fit front windshield sun shade, custom fit car cover. All of this the person wants $13,xxx. We are meeting at Toyota dealership on Saturday to do a inspection and then I have to decide whether I want to get it or not. What do you think?
If the car's in good shape that sounds like a very good deal to me. I bought a similar one about a year and half ago (2012 4 with 40K miles, no solar roof) and it was more than that, but it was CPO. Still you have the mechanic inspecting it. If he sings off on it I'd jump on that one.
Sounds fair if it checks out OK. My 2013 Plug In with 52,000 miles was $12,995 from a dealer who specializes in Prius.
welcome! sounds like a decent deal. see if you can get maint. records with the vin at toyota owners site and car fax for accidents. how many owners?
Oh yeah, great deal! Did you do a carfax? Or check toyota owners site? Ask for any service records? Spend a few bucks to have it checked out and if there is nothing major wrong then go for it!
Get a buyers inspection at a Toyota dealership that does it. It'll take them about 30 minutes to give it a once-over.
The car is still under lien for another 4 months but we are going to the bank to cover it all so the lean will be released. Makes me concerned that those under $1000 payment ( all together) he cant cover. Would it be really worth it to get this car or save money and get something else? Or maybe even add and get a brand new C.
You almost always do better with a used car over a new one. You're paying for a lot of optional equipment, which in a few years will add little to the value of the car, but you're in OC, and Pruses are in high demand there....so it's a wash. The lien is the seller's problem. DON'T make it your problem. If you're borrowing money from a bank or a CU to buy the car, then they will help. MAKE SURE you get a vehicle history from the owner and from Toyota. I would make them pay for it and reimburse them IF the car checks out. If they refuse, then they're obviously hiding something. I tend to buy new, base vehicles and drive them for 10 years, so my advice about buying this car will be weighted by my prejudices. The G3 is a better vehicle IMHO than the C-type, but the Priussy does have a loyal following and a good track record for reliability. Buying new does have the advantage of not having to worry about the history of the vehicle, but you're paying depreciation on top of buying a hybrid...so there's that to consider.....even in SoCal. Good Luck! Let us know how it shakes out. If you're asking for a "go" or a "no-go?" I think 12,999.99 is a bit steep for a 5 year old G3. JMHO....
Thank for taking your time and writing that much info, learned a few things in your post. Thing is this car is loaded and I mean those things are pretty big deal from my perspective, they do add value. The person does some kind of hypnosis as his job. I can definetaly get a prius 1 or 2 for that price in 2013 -2014 but what I have noticed priuses have a lot of miles. Ali the car is in LA
According to Edmunds, a 2012 Prius in clean condition with the specs you mentioned should be worth roughly $12,700 from a private party, so if yours is going to cost around $13,000, that's a smidge higher than its value, but still fair. As long as you think the new tires and car cover provide the extra $300 in value, and as long as the current owner provides maintenance records and the Toyota inspection goes well, go for it.
I'd not expect the seller to pay for the Pre-Purchase Inspection (PPI). Been there, done that, I as the buyer paid for it. It was a higher priced car with higher service costs risk, to be sure. I'm thinking took 2 hours of a true expert's time. Computer hookup, on a rack, driving test, 3 page writeup, explanation of findings to both buyer and seller. Hardly the cursory once over printout I get with a 10k service at my dealer which is what I'd expect for a half hour "inspection".. Just because it is a dealer doesn't mean the mechanic knows anything about hybrids even where the car is located. Make sure of him and of what you'll get before you arrange for the PPI. Ask him to pull the car's history and even if he can't legally show it to you, see if he will look at it and tell you of any odd service intervals or unusual serviced items. Note the date of manufacture on the tires.
One other thing to consider might be an off-lease Pip. They're probably a little higher in the LA market than they are in flyover country, but they're a better value if you insist on a fairly up-optioned car since the base Pip sold with a lot more options than the base hatch. They're running in the mid-teens. Pips were WAAAAAAAY overpriced when they came out, so most of their depreciation was front-loaded and paid for by federal kickbacks. Even if you don't have a place to charge one at night, they might be a little more efficient than the hatch since the larger battery acts as a bigger spit can to store recovered energy....and there are more and more parking places that shun wireless cars out there. As penny-pinching as my company is, they generally allow employees to charge at work if facilities are available, so even with a Pip's bad EV performance, it's still 10 free miles a day. Also.....if you're an apartment dweller, that still might not be a barrier to charging at night if you ASK (!!) to use an exterior, GCFI protected outlet if one is available. Also, over on the left coast, I'm told that they have these strange things called HOV lanes which were obviously labeled by someone for whom English isn't a first language. No shame in that (I'm not even fluent in my only language!) However......these lanes are generally accessed by plug-in cars (like the PIP) or by scofflaws, so they probably should have developed an acronym for Eco-chic Only Lane. Or? Maybe SoCal just got a good deal on HOV signs. BUT.....I digress. The advantage with getting an off-lease Pip is that many people....leased them. This generally means that they're in better condition, and have lower miles than non-leased used cars. .....let somebody ELSE pay for the depreciation! More food for thought.
Moved the meet up to next week as he will be in my area at the end of the week and I prefer that over LA traffic. I have been looking at other markets as well like Phoenix, Santa Barbara and few other places, I am willing to fly one way like To Phoenix for $60 if I find one, hopefully I'll make it back though
Just an update, he wrote a big message to me today stating that he cannot find a car that he always wanted and now will wait until summer and if I'm still interested I can buy it then lol. Never dealing with LA people again, every time it's some wacko or something is up. (No offense). Honestly feels like a whole weight was just taken off of my shoulders.
