need help deciding which prius to buy

I'd say regardless of which generation you get, keep an extra 2-3 grand in the bank in case you need to do a major repair on it during ownership.

 

welcome!
in general, it's probably a wash. but the car you buy specifically will have everythingvto do with tco, due mostly to potential expensive repairs as mentioned above.
how many miles/year will you drive?

 

Neither of the examples you gave really qualifies as a "better car".

Reset your requirements to something around 5 years old and 50K miles and then you should be able to get something decent......and still have time left on the hybrid system warranty.

Expect to find something like a $2K premium for a good used Prius over a similar Corolla though; maybe even a bit more.

 

What's your budget?
Personally, I'd go for a 2012 or later Prius with 70K to 95K miles.

 

the problem with 'better'. of course, the les you pay for a car, the better. but the older/higher the mileage, the more likely expensive repairs may be need. after that, it is impossible to know.
you can read feel good stories and disaster stories with high mile prius.
i would tend to look for aused car with the highest depreciation, meaning you can get more for your 7k.

 

That should be able to get you a good used Prius; much better than what you first suggested.

It will also get you a REALLY good compact conventional car; some almost new.

 

First......Craigslist tends to be a dumping ground for "junk", partly because buyers have even less protection than normal from fraud.
Sometimes the item offered for sale doesn't even exist.

Second....my opinion.....don't be stuck on buying from an individual.
Not all dealers are crooks and most will give you at least a short warranty.

 

There's one for sale here south of Nashville I looked at and liked. It was a one owner lease turn in with maintenance records, 100,000 miles nice optioned, in red. I think it was a 2012 and they wanted $8900. I'll get the info if you want. I ended up getting my one owner with 83,000 miles for $9500 and it's a V. How do you like Durham? I got out of the Army in Fayetteville and went to college in Raleigh. I love that area, miss it. You get all four seasons without any of them being to extreme.

 

Sure. Look up your perspective "new" car on KBB, NADA and Edmunds to see what a reasonable price is.
NEVER commit to buy anything on the first visit.
Go home, research the price and think it over.

Be sure and ask point blank: If the car has been wrecked or flooded......and if there are any known defects.
This is regardless of who/where you are buying it.
Most people won't blatantly lie to your face.......but they sometimes conveniently forget to mention things.

Almost everything they tell you will be slanted in their favor somehow.
If it doesn't sound right, it probably isn't.
There is no such thing as "offers only good for today".
There likely is nobody else thinking it over who will swoop in and take it away from you.
Their first offer isn't the last.
They will NOT lose money on the deal if they sell it for less than their first quote.

On the other side of the coin, if everything looks good and it all checks out and the asking price is fair, don't try to "low ball" them with an unreasonable offer. You can often safe a few hundred dollars with negotiation but more than that is rare, I think.

Good luck.

 

Why the 2012 or later, oil consumption issues with 2010~2011? Could be urban myth? Our 2010, with only 41K miles, is consuming zero oil between changes, so far.

 

2010 was first year of new model designs. In 2012, the radio got a very nice refresh, and I think they'd worked out some other kinks. Just my opinion.

 

I totally agree on keeping some side money for that rainy day. I expect the hybrid battery to go out at anytime and have taking a Gen 2 battery pack apart to replace a cell so i'm fortunate enough to have that type of DIY experience. Worse off, from previous research, i've seen some local repair mechanics that sell refurb hybrid battery packs (various price range) that would be a reasonable alternative. If the engine blows b/c of the EGR thing then... that would suck lol