I drive part-time Uber. My current car is 15 years old which means it ages out at the end of the year for Uber. I am looking at Prius. It is a bit overwhelming. Since I drive part time I don't rack up as many miles as most (Probably about 25,000/year). There seems to be 2 camps here: Prius are reliable and last forever vs they are money pits. I'm not sure if I would run it into the ground or turn it over in a year or so. Therefore I want something that has depreciated somewhat, is new enough with a number of miles where it won't be falling apart in 1 year, that I don't have to invest a lot in up front while I continue to save for repairs and future purchase, and that cosmetically is in good shape. Since it is for Uber, the leatherette seats would be a big bonus (for pukers). As is expected the newer/lower miles means more investment which I want to avoid so I am trying to find that sweet spot. I have $10,000 right now and will have $12,000 - $13,000 by the beginning of the year. I'm thinking 2011 or newer with 100,000 miles or less. I see stuff that I can afford right now but they are a little over 100,000 miles and that worries me starting out that high. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Here is an example of one that is really interesting to me. Big plus is it is a 4 with the nav system and leather. Pictures look great. 2011 Toyota Prius Four - $9750 2 OWNER, AUTOCHECK CERTIFIED, CLEAN TITLE, NO ACCIDENTS, NO DAMAGE VEHICLE SEE, AUTOCHECK REPORT IN PHOTOS. Fully loaded, has everything except the solar sunroof including leather, navigation backup camera, well maintained with service records on-hand. Everything works and car runs like the day I bought it. I just had the vehicle inspected by Harbor Auto Service Center in Costa Mesa on October 11th, 2018 (see last photo for receipt), brake levels were at 50% and 80% brakes were cleaned and adjusted, replaced cabin and engine air filters and performed the scheduled transmission flush/ service. Brought Vehicle in to AutoNation Toyota Irvine for minor hybrid system repair that i found is still covered under warranty (Toyota charged $0 and i have the receipt showing) until 2021 or 150,000 miles,apparently this applies to all 2011 Prius in state of CA due to our emission requirements here, prior to this there were no issues with the hybrid system and it's worked perfectly since. Car got a set of brand new Michelin X-Tour All Season 195/65R15 on Feb 11th, 2018 which came with an 80K mile warranty (not sure if it can be transferred to buyer), mileage at the time of installation was 95,263 so we have put 7,000 miles on them. Other than regular oil changes that's all the car has needed, very low maintenance and cheap to maintain vehicle. Should be good to go with just oil changes for another 50,000 and you even have a hybrid system warranty until 150,000 covered by Toyota (including hybrid battery replacement). I even just put a coat of Mothers Carnauba wax on it for you!
I'm in the camp of users here that say get a Prius when it's new, rack up the miles then dump it. For what you say you can spend, why get something so old? Is that the market for used cars out there in Cali? Because honestly, you could buy my 2016 Prius C for 12k and it just hit 27,000 miles. {edit} - and yes I would sell it.
on the 2011 i would make sure the EGR and MAF sensor were cleaned ,or replaced...After owning multiple prii since 2004...with 300,000 miles on the 04, 250,000 miles on the 09 and i have 40,000 on the 17 prime...i noticed on the the 04, and 09, with high mileage, oil consumption is somewhat of an issue...so be prepared for a quart every 2-3000 miles or so on an engine into 6 digit miles...it gets more pronounced as time goes on...brakes usually go 180,000 miles on a set if you dont drive it like you stole it...im betting the tire warranty does not transfer over...so my 2cents worth...
the lie in the advertisement is that the isn't good to go if they haven't done the major service at 100 or 120k, forget which on the gen 3. that's a big one and expensive.
here's the thing with prius regarding the two camps: most prius are highly reliable, and require minimal maintenance for the first 100k. a percentage (we don't know the number) have problems after warranty that can be much more expensive repairs than a straight gasser. you can mitigate this if you are a serious diy'er. if not, you're bound to a dealer or looking for a good hybrid repair shop, neither of which are cheap. for instance, someone in northern cali just bought a 2011 with 100,000 miles. she was warned here about the egr circuit. she was desperate and went ahead with the purchase. right after she got it, the engine went haywire and now she can't drive it and is having trouble finding a service place that will do the repairs at a reasonable cost. but that is just one bad example against many good experiences. so a prius might do very well for you, as long as you're aware of the potential pitfalls.
I suspect there are some financing and tax write off opportunities for you seeing as your vehicle will be used for business not pleasure... Do lots of research on how all that will work for you and aim for a 2016, which was when lots of improvements were introduced. That way the odds of it never giving you any problems will last for many years into the future.
I drive a 2013 for uber full time. Thats about 40 to 50 hours a week in the car. Drives 400km a day. Car has 275.000km on it now. Im a DIYer. Oil change every 10.000km. EGR is cleaned. Tranny fluid every 100.000km Car has ZERO oil consumption. Car runs like new. I think when you drive a prius so much you probebly have less expensive repairs. This car likes to be driven.
With fuel prices as low as they are, I would probably not buy a used hybrid for this kind of service. It's just extra exposure to expensive repair, and the dollar savings on the fuel won't balance it out. Fuel prices crossing north of $4.25 a gallon would change my mind on this.
