Purchasing Gen 3 - Suggestions?

I was about to start a new thread to discuss my similar dilemma. I'm trying to decide between a 2013 or 2016. The price is quite a difference for my wallet, about a $4-5,000 difference. Really what I want is the 2018, but it will be a couple of years before I can afford a used one.

So my question is: should I really stay away from even a well maintained 2013? Will it actually save me money in the long run? Even with an HV battery replacement on the horizon, that's only 3 grand. Or do I go for a 2016 and keep it longer? I typically like to sell my used cars while they still have value and get something different every 4-5 years.

What are the major benefits besides a sleek look and new engine design?

 

Mine is a well maintained 2012 Prius and I like it. I already have it for 3 years. Bought at 39K miles and now nearly 70K and love it.

Prius is one of the most successful green car in the world. I would go for it.

 

Don't get a Persona first of all, it's a terrible compromise for the price. By the time you add heated seats and speakers you're already in loaded Four territory, and that comes with Homelink/auto headlights and other features you can't install. It sounds like you have the budget for a Five, so either get that or a Four w/Solar package. After owning both a Five and a few Four's over the last 2 years, I personally prefer a loaded Four because: tires are way cheaper (15'' vs 17'' on the Five), better MPG, you don't risk curbing the wheels when parking, the Five wasn't available with the Solar package, and you can't put snow chains on a Five. The only thing I miss about my Five are the HID headlights, which I would kill to have in a Four. The auto-leveling headlights and headlight washers were useless. Fog lights....ehhh. The wheels are gorgeous, no doubt, but (IMO) not worth the trade-offs.

That said, it's really tough to find a clean, lower-mileage, one-owner loaded Four or Five. People who dropped $32k+ on a new Prius tend to hang on to them forever, and dealers that take them in on lease return charge thousands over KBB for the premium options. Good luck!! It usually takes me around two months of searching 4-5 states to find a private sale Four/Five with those criteria on CL...

 

prius seats can be a nightmare for some. make sure it is comfortable over your entire commute for a few consecutive days.
not sure why you would want to trade a newer subbie for a prius, won't that be a net loss, long and short run?

 

I got the Five for the adaptive cruise control. Now basically all I do is steer. The ACC is very good about keeping a relatively tight interval to the car in front. Around here, leave too much of a gap and every bozo is cutting in and the people behind are pissed off.

 

The model five actually has LED headlights. Sounds like the model four or five is the OP's best bet for what he is looking for.

 

Regarding the traction battery, age matters more than mileage. A relatively new prius with higher mileage is a better bet giving the traction battery plenty of charging cycles. A Prius that was not driven much does not maintain the battery well. Others could probably explain better than I can.

 

A dealer or someone with Techstream can look at the battery and give you some useful info.

Here’s a shot of our 2010’s with 172 k miles at the time (up to 174 k miles now) on Techstream:



It will tell you the block voltages and internal resistances .

Hope that helps.

 

The first thing I would do is look at new cars and see if the price isn't somewhat closer to used than you think. I was surprised when I started looking.

 

Our 2011 has 135,000 miles and the 2012 has 140,000. Neither burns any oil. (even the 2001 we still have doesn't burn any oil between changes at 10,000 mile intervals.)
The batteries on both test at 100%. I rebuilt the battery in the 2001. (cleaned and changed buss strip. battery cells were fine but corrosion on the buss strip was screwing up the readings and charge levels. total cost $86 and an afternoon labor.)