Hi all! I'm preparing to buy my third Prius and would greatly appreciate some advice on finding it! Looking for: 2013-15 Prius 4 or 5 (NOT the v lowercase v for the Prius v wagon), <50k mi., ideally under 40k. I don't care about CPO, extended warranties, Solar or Tech packages (only willing to pay a small premium for those features). I'm located in Portland, OR but flexible on traveling to neighboring states for the right car. Paying cash. My questions: What would you pay for a car in this range? What resources should I be using to find said car? I figure Craigslist / Cars.com / TrueCar / CarGurus, any other sites I'm missing? I'm budgeting around 1-2 months to find the right car, does this all sound reasonable? Thanks everyone : )
The levels 4 & 5 (the correct nomenclature for 2012 onward, in the 'States?) have 15" and 17" wheels respectively, something to consider.
Thanks! I forgot the nomenclature changed after 2012. I am aware of the wheel difference between levels Four and Five, my understanding is that the 17'' wheels result in slightly lower MPG, something in the neighborhood of 3-5mpg?
Yeah some drop. I love the look though, don't much care for wheel covers like the 15". Level 5 also has auto-levelling LED low beams and (useless but pretty) fog lights.
I'd try dealers in your local area, you might have to bargain hard, but in this time of cheap gas, I'd guess you can push pretty hard.
I bought my Prius used two years ago when gas was cheap. Was able to negotiate a good deal. The Subaru dealership probably was anxious moving the car.
Just sold my second Prius and I'm looking to buy my third! Want to buy: 2013-2015 Prius, trim levels 3-5 (preferably 4). Not a v lowercase v for the Prius v wagon wagon Must have: -Clean title -Under 60,000mi. -All service/maintenance records -Free of major damage I'm paying cash, located in Portland, and willing to travel (WA/OR/ID/CA) for the right car. Thanks all!
I've been looking for the same (as a CPO) in Southern California for a friend. I found a 2013 trim 4 for $15k, but it reeked of cigarette smell. I found a second with the same specs at about the same price point, but it was sold by the time I got there (the buyer was signing the paperwork as I walked in, I should have drove there first). The hunt continues!
Nice, I'll bet you'll have better luck in SoCal than I have in the PNW! So difficult to find a private party trim 4-5 up here with low mileage, I've been spending most of my time looking at nearby states :/
We ended up finding her a CPO 2013 Ford C-Max Energi with 55k miles for $13k. It is fully loaded with a sticker price of $38k, and was originally sold in early 2014 so it has 4 years 45k miles of CPO warranty remaining. She's super happy with it, so although we couldn't find her a Prius it worked out at the end of the day.
After 4 weeks of daily hunting and an errant trip to SoCal to buy a Blizzard Pearl Prius 4 that I decided not to keep (more fender damage than CL pics showed, and white just didn't feel like "me") and sold 24 hrs later, I am now the proud owner of my third Prius!! Saw my "unicorn" listing on CL the minute it was posted, drove 4 hrs straight to Seattle and bought her at midnight (much to the chagrin of a dozen other CL interested parties). Hooray for having armfuls of cash already withdrawn from the bank and ready for purchase on a Sat night.. 2014 Prius 5: Sea Glass Pearl / Dark Grey, 55k mi, showroom floor condition save for normal rock chips I freaking LOVE the color, it's going to be so much easier to keep clean than my old '13 Winter Grey or the Blizzard Pearl I owned for a day. Mileage is a little higher than I would have liked, but the maintenance records are solid and I don't think I'd realistically find a lower mileage trim 5 not on a dealer lot as a CPO for $20k+.. It came down to this vs a 2013 Prius 4 (Black/Bisque) w/33k mi in Boise. I really wanted to like that one due to the low mileage, but with the road tripping and car camping that I do (not to mention eating in my car/etc) I just couldn't see the interior not getting really scuffed up and showing the wear, particularly the dumb bisque plastic trim pieces. Also, the highway driving that I do would've been rough on the black front; rock chips looked bad enough on my Winter Grey... Sorry for the novel, I'm just excited haha. It's SO hard to find a clean used Prius 4/5 for private sale in the PNW. She (as-yet-unnamed) is getting the prerequisite tint job done now, and then I'll post some photos tomorrow! Then install the tow hitch, chrome door moldings, and window deflectors next week P.S. my god, the LED headlights are glorious at night. Driving it home (Seattle > Portland) from 1am-4am was amazing, and I even got to use the new fog lamps extensively for extended stretches of dense fog (10-15ft visibility). Woo!
Had almost the same exact two scenarios happen to me last week in reverse! First the bait and switch, then the CPO 2013 Four with 25k for $16k but reeked of old cigarette smoke. They must have aired out the car before my test drive. Didn't notice the cigarette smell until after I finished all the paperwork - almost drove it off the lot. Beware of scammers.
