Talk to me about buying an older Prius w/ some miles...

I can't speak to the older models other than to say that you might want to hit the NHTSA website at http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/tsb/ and check out the Technical Service Bulletins and Recall notices for comparison.

As for buying a car with high mileage, you have to figure in a number of factors. How many miles will -you- be putting on it? How long do you intend to keep it? Are you planning to pay cash or is financing an option? Also, remember that the warranty will probably be expired and, while Toyota has a reputation for reliability, this is one car you can't take to just any old mechanic when it needs major work. On the up-side, resale value tends to run high.

 

Because it already has 80K miles on it so it is 20K short of the end of the Hybrid components' warranty. If you only drive it to church on Sunday, 20K goes a long time. If you commute 100 miles a day, 20K is gone in a blink That's why. The 3yr/36K warranty on the rest of the car is already long gone.

If you figure to replace it when it gets to 100K, you can calculate the per mile cost (assuming no residual value) of $0.50/mile. A new '05 pkg 1 costing say $22K kept for 100K miles is $0.22/mile. However, there are a lot of balances on both sides: '05 higher insurance. If your state has personal property tax, it will be higher as well. And the finance charges! If you put down $8K on either car, you are either financing $2K or $14K. Gas will cost less with the '05, only regular maintenance costs for the first 3 years, nothing on the hybrid parts for 8. The '02 might need some replacement parts, or maybe rust work depending on where it has lived. etc, etc, etc..

 

we started with a used 2k1 and drove it for a trouble free year, other than a new 12Volt battery covered under warranty. It was a very dependable car and took it on holidays driving about 1/3 the way across Canada and back. 7 mountain passes and all. Then she wanted a new Prius and the 2k4's had just been released, so bought a new one. Well the mileage for the 2k4 is way worse thant the k21 so when I was going to buy one I bougth a 2k3 and it's mileage is better than her 2k4 and under the same driving conditions as I got to use the car for a month and a half so could take either one when I left for work in the morning. Would I buy a used Classic for sure, if I had a pick of years I'd take a 2k3, the hybrid electrics are more "sorted out" than the 2k1, drives smoother and no sag's or flat acceleration that sometimes occured with the 2k1. Now I'm going to get flack for saying what I did about the mileage but I have spread sheets for both since new and figures don't lie. My signature will tell all. Personally a lower mileage 2k3 with some of the warranty still intact would be worth a few dollars more and if under 36K would enable you to buy the Toyota extended warranty. First place I'd go is to your local dealer and speak to the lease manager and see if they have anything coming off lease that is to your liking, if not ask him if he can recommend another lease manager you can contact. That'll give you a local car with some history. There are a few TSB's on the Classic involving sealing on the HV battery and some to do with the steering rack but other than that it's a very reliable car.

 

Flack attack! Just kidding. Maybe the 2k1 & 2k3 have better mileage than the '04 because they were/are broken in??

 

The only way financing works out is if you can make more on the amount financed by investing it than the interest you pay. But you knew that. I would guess that Pixie's comment was related to that, plus 'can you afford to buy either one outright, or would you have to finance the '05 but could pay cash for the 2k2?' Interest makes the car much more expensive.

 

the 2k1 was used with about 30K on it and yes broken in. My 2k3 was brand new and currently has about 3K more than the 2k4. It's the first thing we noticed with the 2k4. Talk to the dealer about it and he said wait till you have about 8-10K on it. Well we have 2 TSB to get done on it so will bring up the mileage issue again but doubt he'll find any thing wrong. This is a useage issue for the most part but when I was using the car for that month and a half I was doing the same route and traffic pattern as I do with the 2k3 and was always getting better with the Classic. If Sapphireblue is going to do 70 miles a week I don't see a bigger advantage with a new Prius as either will do about a month and a half on a tank. So save some money and recycle a good used Prius. Thanks for not shooting at me

 

Under some conditions, I could see a classic doing better than a 2K4. The 2K4 is a bigger car, with more mass, and both cars have basically the same technology. They have the same engine, thought the 2K4 has a bit more horsepower due to some tweaking. If you aren't taking advantage of the electric AC, and not using the brakes much thus taking advantage of the improved regenerative braking, then you may indeed get better mileage with a classic.

 

Yep, that's it exactly. Given that you will be a very gentle driver (low miles), a used Prius will certainly last you a lot longer than it would me, for example, which tilts the balance in the direction of a classic since you can almost buy it outright.

 

I have an '03 and am rapidly approaching 38K miles on it. It's been rock solid reliable. All trips to the shop have been for routine scheduled maintenance, and for one recall item. The worst "weakness" of the car was the OEM tires. Mine were shot by 32k miles, and it's a common complaint with the classics. If you are looking at a sub 30k mile car, look at the rubber, and make sure that it's in good shape, or has been replaced.

A co-worker has an '01 that is approaching some 70K miles the last time I talked to her about her car. She has been extremely happy with it, and also has never had any problems with the car. She has kept up with the steering rack and hybrid battery recalls.

With any used car, just make sure everything is kosher. Judging by your red flags on the one car you mentioned, you appear to be doing that anyway. I'm not sure what would have given the flag for the e title, unless the inspector didn't know how to get the odometer off of the trip meter.

 

Last month we bought a used '02 with 34,000 miles on it. Beforehand, my husband test drove a passel of cars of various years on dealer lots. He didn't like the acceleration of the 2001, but the '02s and '03s were similar in handling. The '03s were retailing for nearly $20,000, out of our range, so we bought the '02 for $15,000, a significant chunk of which we could pay outright so our monthly payments are very cheap. After a month, we're averaging around 45 mpg (in winter!). It handles fine and the heater warms up very quickly!
About the mileage and potential problems with the car--remember that if you buy this car, you pay for both the car and any problems which show up later. We were going to buy a certified Toyota used Prius, because we didn't want to be stuck with a problematic car. We wouldn't buy a "rebuilt" car either, or any car which CARFAX red-flagged. We only bought this car from a private seller because it had perfect maintenance records from its dealer and it got a clear bill of health from a Prius technician. Especially for a car with many miles, you MUST get it checked out by a Prius technician.
After all the angst of buying a used car, I'm so pleased that I wouldn't want to buy one new. We have essentially a $10,000 discount off a fully loaded vehicle--for us, it's the difference between having a Prius and not.