Hi All, Don't post much but follow often. Wasn't sure how I should go about this but figured I would put it out there earlier just incase anyone was looking for a good Prius in the LA area in the coming months and before I go the CL route. It was bought from Toyota Santa Monica a little over a year ago. It is a 2006 with and correct me if I'm wrong on the package number: #8- VSC, HID's, RC, JBL etc., Natural Leather Seating Material, SKS, Alarm & HL, All the airbags, Navi, Fog & Driving Lamps The MFD stopped working a few months back and I never got around to fix it($300 fix). The inteior and exterior is overall in good condition for the age of the vehicle. The vehicle is black and currently has 164,500 miles. Clean title and one owner before me. Carfax from the original sale. I'm moving away in the Spring so will not need it anymore. I bought it for $7200(dealer price). Will be willing to sell for a really fair price to a member here. I don't have much experience selling cars so I wasn't sure how difficult or how long this would take so I figured I'd get an early jump on it. Will post pics shortly or send to any interested members but figured I would get the post up. Feel free to reach out to me on here and we can discuss further. Thanks.
I think you can drive to carmax and get a cash offer printout. That way you'll know the market price of the car when it's time to sell it. Ask for the price car max is offering you a few months down the road, that should be fair
Thanks so much for the reply! Much appreciated! I will plan to do just that. But again, any memebers on here in the Southern California want a good prius for a good price, just let me know!
Sorry for the double reply but I forgot to ask, were you suggesting just sell to carmax if I know one is interested to buy?
I'm hoping I could get close to $6000 for it but I'm very realistic about that not happening and would definitely be willing to part with someone in this community that loves and enjoys working on Prius's in the $4000-$5000 range. It really does just need a little TLC but it's a really solid car, from what I can tell. Toyota was originally trying to sell it at $8,990, which I knew was way too much. Any interest?
IMO the only problem with that recommendation is Car Max sells used cars, therefore IMO the offer they give you, is usually LESS than you could sell it yourself. They are looking to create profit margin for themselves. Car Max IMO both ways...selling and buying, is a convenience based service, your paying a premium for the easy sale, and a premium for selection and ease of purchase in buying. IMO the best way to determine value is Kelley Blue Book and simply a little internet sleuthing as to what similar vehicles in your are selling for private party. Car Max is great, but I wouldn't use them necessarily as a baseline as to what my vehicle would be worth in a private party sale. Car Max does not sell or buy vehicles as a "private party" entity. If you want to sell it for what Car Max is willing to offer? Why not just sell it to Car Max in the first place? Just be aware, you're paying a premium for the ease and convenience of doing so.
I advised him to get a car max price now, then when he's ready to sell in the spring time, he should ask for that price. Which gives an additional half years usage. There is not a huge demand for used 13 year old prius needing a little TLC at $4000 The common expensive failures can arise at any moment with a high mileage used prius. And then there's the paint deterioration
+1 to Car Max. I did this route last year when we offloaded the wife’s 98 4runner. For a 19 year old car with 263k miles, they gave us $2k. Could I have sold it myself: yes. Am I a busy professional: yes. Could I have worked out another $1500 by putting it in Craigslist: Probably Would I have had to meet people and then dicker over the price then go get the tags transferred: yes This is a time value question, IMO. While Prii out on the Best Coast sell for higher than Prii in other locales, doesn’t mean a car that already has a bad combo meter won’t have other things around the bend. People on Craigslist ask a lot of things. What they get is something else. $3500 is probably the ceiling as the hv battery, brake actuator /accumulator, AC compressor will also be just around the bend. Good luck to the OP.
Thanks for the comments everyone! I’ll probably go the CL and internet listings route early than worst case scenario, do the carmax if all else fails. I originally planned to stay in the area much longer, which meant I would’ve kept and invested in this car for years to come because I know it’s got a lot of life left. Paint is actually in great condition. Unfortunately, life calls, so I guess I may have to accept a decent loss with this one. Anyways, great offer still stands to any members here. Thanks again.
So you're looking at a March time frame to let go of this car? I would be interested if one of mine break by then
Yep, exactly right around then. Would be happy to pass it on to you. Definitely appreciate your collection and passion for the Prius Let’s keep intouch about this. Will message you my info.
Hi Everyone, Since I just got a few messages on this and the time is coming up, figured I would update the thread with a pic of my Prius. Showing it end of this week for any interested members in the LA area. Thanks for looking!
