After years of researching, I finally drove one. I was very impressed. I think I almost mastered the pulse and glide within the first 10 minutes. I love how the engine shuts off very easily. I drove a Honda Civic Hybrid the other day as well and there's really not a comparison between the two. The Prius is by far the better car in my opinion. The Prius feels more like a Camry or an Accord. And the Civic felt like umm a Civic but with a weaker engine. Toyota did a wonderful job with the Prius and the touchscreen is to drool over. I also drove the Honda Fit... for the price, that car really impressed me as well. I can buy a lot of gas for the price difference but they are two different cars. Decisions decisions decisions... Convince me guys! Oh and no seat height adjuster...what's up with that?! If I can find a used Prius in the southeastern US for a good price, I'll snatch it up in a heart beat.
Wow, you sound exactly like me one year ago. I too was tossed up between the Fit and Prius, but the Prius obviously won. A new Prius was too expensive, and dealers were charging $2000 mark-ups on the Fit. So I grabbed the cheapest plane ticket ($70 on JetBlue) to Pittsburgh and got a used Prius for less than a new Honda Fit. The Fit is a really great car, but the Prius is better. Now if there was a hybrid Fit....
I kinda like the Fit also, but the Prius is a Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle, think about not only the gas mileage, but the savings on pollution as well. In addition, there's the advanced technology.... I haven't seen a Fit yet with a backup camera or blue tooth......... I get to test drive my Prius every day!! Actually, it still excites me to drive it!
Used Priuscing So, does anyone know how to really figure out what a Prius is worth? There's a 2004 on Ebay asking $17,000....and it's about an hour from my office. My "car shopper" who got me my last car is convinced the extra cost of the Prius isn't worth the $, but he doesn't know about my modification plans....oh, and I need *something* ASAP. The car looks fine, has a transferrable Factory warrantee #290180899449 Thanks [email protected]
Have you checked the KBB? Otherwise ask what package is on the 2004 and the US members can probably help you out. Plus I think I have the new car prices for the 2004 model in the Knowledge Base so you can see how much it cost when new.
I wouldn't base much on any of the book values. What I do, instead, is conduct a national search on autotrader.com and/or cars.com. Look for the lowest price at which prices start to clump. That's a good target. I've written about this method a bit more here: Used car pricing method
This scenario has changed already. I can find a new '08 Fit fully loaded for about $15k-$16k. However the package 1 Prius I drove was $22k. Local dealers are selling 2 year old Prius for about $18k as they're holding their value very well. So even a used Prius will cost more than the Fit but it's worth paying more as it is a better car. I wish there was a hybrid Fit, but I don't think we'll see that anytime soon. The '09 Fit which is the '08 Fit in Japan will be in the US next year. (pics) I would imagine the demand will spike the prices again for the newly redesigned Fit...I hope not. How many miles did your Prius have on it? Are you concerned about the battery dying when it goes over 150k miles?
I own both a Honda Civic Hybrid ('03) and a Prius ('04). My daughter now drives the Honda and I drive the Prius. But for the first 20k miles on the HCH, I was the only driver. I much prefer the Prius; more space for junk, better economy and more power. I hope the Prius will be running as strong when I catch up to the HCH's 118k miles. The Honda hasn't needed a single repair outside oil changes and routine maintenance items. I'm very happy with both these cars.
Battery? Well if it does die after the very long warranty is up and you end up footing the bill for a new one, think of all the transmission parts, belts, starter motors and such you haven't had to replace on the Prius and you'll feel okay about it. As it is, there seem to be few stories of dead HV batteries, and the ones I've seen have been manufacturer defects and/or warranty replaceable.
Hi Clintd555, If I was dead set on Prius, but could not put down the $22K, I would look for a used one. Considering the used 04's and 05's, there have been some costs. The MFD is something that needs to be replaced in those, sooner or later. Toyota has been less than forthcoming in offering repair and replacements of those. Unless your an surface mount electronics wizz, (see Hobbit's writeup), you would be on the hook for the MFD. The $400 refurbs are a thing of the past now. Consequently, I would wait till the last quarter of '08 and look for a used '06. If you have to have a car now, welp, I think that depends on your driving. Doing more 150 miles a week, in a moderate climate, and the Prius will break even eventually with the Fit. Its not a matter of how long it takes, just as long as it does not take longer than the car lasts (say 150 K miles, or 10 years in a heavy winter state). Because resale will be better on the car that demonstrates a longer life, with less required repairs, it does not require you to own the car to the break even mileage. You are going to spend the money, sooner or later with either car.
I got my used 2004 package 7 Prius for around $16,500. It had about 51,000 miles on it when I purchased it back in Oct. '06. The Fit I wanted back then cost about $18k (the sport trim level), before the $2000 markup charged by the dealer. The Fit was new back then and it was "rare", as in 5 sitting on the lot. (Orlando isn't known for low prices.) Your best bet for getting a used Prius is at a non-Toyota dealer. Mine just happened to be located at Three Rivers Volkswagen outside of Pittsburgh, PA. The non-Toyota dealers usually don't know that much about the car and you can work out a better deal. And no, I am not at all concerned about the battery. There are enough high mileage Prii rolling around now to show that the batteries are reliable. Just fill the tank with Shell and put Mobil 1 in the engine.
I'm looking at a certified 2004 Prius which has the premium audio and navigation, not sure what package that makes it but I'm pretty sure its near the top. It has 41, 000 miles, which is pretty low for the year. The current list price is $19,880. I'm wondering what anybody thinks of this price, and whether buying a 2004 is a mistake. I know there have been some issues with the MFD in that model year. A new one is a bit over my budget. Thanks for any info.
KCPriusfan, $19,880 sounds a bit high for a 2004 considering you can get a brand new 2008 for $22,800. You should be able to negotiate the price of a used 2004 price down by a few thousand quite easily.
What's wrong with the MFD in the '04 and '05? This is the first I've heard of a problem with them?! How much do they cost to repair and how will I know if it's been replaced or not? Are they under recall? I wouldn't say that I'm dead set yet. I'm still tossing the idea around between the Fit and the Prius. If the Prius had seat height adjusters, I would probably be dead set... aren't the '09's getting the height adjusters?
You really need to find out what package it is to be able to figure out the value. Does it have Navigation (this can add a decent amount of money to the cost)? What other options are installed? Bluetooth? Smart Key?
The one I'm looking at has Nav, blue tooth, jbl sound, security system. I can't tell exactly what package but I think it has to be toward the top. The blue book price appears to be about $1500 higher than the asking price of $19880, so it doesn't seem like they're going to come down from this price very much. Yes, its 2004, but the low mileage and the options keep the price up there.
