Why does everyone here recommend a corolla?

Corolla is simple and bullet proof

 

If you want an older Prius you could easily need 3 to 5 times the amount you budgeted for major repair.

We are trying to save you possible major headaches. Remember, when buying a used car, especially an older one, you are buying somebody else's problems. They had a reason to want to sell it in the first place.

Prius of that age can require expensive repairs that may be easily masked for a short period of time.

 

welcome!
easy to do the math on gas savings. then compare that to potential repair costs on both vehicles.
if you can do major high tech diy, ap prius may work for you, and save you a lot of money.
if you need to take a blown a/c compressor or brake actuator to a mechanic, you will lose way more than you save in gas.
how many miles on the prius you've looked at?

give todd at tampa hybrids a call, and talk things over with him. he's a good guy, and a prius expert.
the warnings are just so you know what the possibilities are before buying.
all the best!

 

A Prius of that age could very well need a new hybrid battery which could easily cost $3K, & more if dealer installed. Todd at Tampa Hybrids

I notice the 2008 Prius cars he has listed are $5000 - $6000, more than you were expecting. Todd's cars should be quite dependable for their age, based off user experiences here.

Around 4K gets a 2004 or 2005 from Todd.

Listings - Tampa Hybrids Inc.

 

What you save in fewer repairs is easily eaten up by the price of those repairs on a Prius. Especially if you have to depend on mechanics to do any of the work.

For the same or less money you can get a Corolla or Civic. You won't have to worry about the MFD, HID headlights or HV battery eating more than your savings. Keep saving and get a Prius after you've accumulated more in reserve.

 

or finding a competent mechanic to work on it.

 

Good question.

Many factors should play into your vehicle decision making process (one would hope), and I can only guess you've owned some type or transportation in the past.

Examples might include:

• Are you a DIYer or know how to find deals and problem solve
  
• Do you need this vehicle for work/school/medical or other important appointments
  
• Is this a daily driver, or do you have other accessible vehicle(s)
  
• If a vehicle broke down how will you get around until it was fixed (rental, bike, public transit, ride share, 2nd car, friend, mechanic, etc)

Even spending $3 per gallon on gas ( Tampa Gas Prices - Find Cheap Gas Prices in Florida ), a used vehicle that offers 35+ mpg compared to a used Prius that averages around 45+ mpg, would only be saving around $10-15 a week at the most with your projected mileage requirements- or $500-700 per 24k miles a year.

Is there a reason for only wanting the 07-08 Prius?

 

@jerrymildred is in the Tampa area. I believe one of his Prius is about the age you want. He has dealt with @TampaPrius.com (Todd) many times over the years.

 

Welcome, BK!

I have to second the motions that you go see Todd at Home - Tampa Hybrids Inc.. Tell him I sent you. He won't try to sell you something that's not right for you just to make a sale. Very low key, but also a huge wealth of information. He has cars in your price range, but they may or may not be what you need. He'll help you figure that out.

People here often recommend the Corolla for folks with very little money because they are inexpensive, almost bullet proof, and cheap to fix. A Prius can get a little expensive if the HV battery, the air conditioner, or the brake accumulator pump fails. But overall, they are extremely reliable and I don't think they have as many expensive parts that might fail as most other cars. So, it's just a matter of which horse you want to bet on.

 

Unless they bought a known good car from somebody like Todd, $1000 is a very small reserve for older Prius repairs though. The prices he wants are 1000-2000 less than Todd sells for.

 

Note when we say a new battery we mean a new one from Toyota. Many companies sell used batteries they have repaired with used parts and sell them with a warranty hoping they will not fail again.

Toyota is the only one selling new Prius high voltage batteries.

 

My last 1989 Corolla All-Trac station wagon went 21 years with me, an additional 8 years with my daughter, and for the last 9 years has been the 'dead of winter' car for a family friend. (She really needs 4 rear facing car seats, which the Corolla does not offer) As this is common, many of us have a positive impression of the Corolla.

My first Prius was dragged several blocks by a semi that ran a red light, and had been trouble free for 113k miles. My second Prius has had 108k trouble free miles. As such, I both have no troubles, and no real long term history.

What I do feel as an owner, is fear on the part of mechanics, that I never got with the Corolla. Jobs that are not hybrid specific and do not involve special procedures, are still declined by fearful mechanics. The dealer just replaces subsystems rather then repairing parts, which has to be more expensive.

I hope this explains our bias.

 

I literally bought a Prius because it was proving impossible to find the Corolla I wanted! I'm probably one of they buyers who would have been better off with a Corolla, but the one I wanted was an 07-10 Corolla Matrix with manual transmission. Since Toyota no longer makes a Corolla wagon, current owners don't want to sell.

 

Now you are late to buy a Prius v station wagon, 2017 is the last year in the US, they should still be at dealers.

 

First of all, the v is ridiculously huge and nothing at all like the compact Corolla Matrix.

Second, I'm not sure what you mean by "late". Since I bought my Prius when it was 9 years old, I would expect that there will be Prius v for sale for at least the next 9 years, should I want to buy one.

 

The op is right. Because you can’t touch a decent Corrola around here for less than $8000 that doesn’t look like hell or doesn’t have 250000 miles on it.

So no more Corrola I’m now advising a Suzuki....I see a lot of them in used car lots as no one wants that pos.

 

I'm seeing quite a few 2010 and newer Corollas in the Clearwater area on cargurus starting around $6k. They're all accident free and many are still under 100k miles.