My fiancee's car was just stolen recently from an auto body shop while she was having work done on it. I've been wanting a Prius since I learned of it's existence in 2004-2005. Well, with the insurance we'll get back on her car I was thinking we may look into getting a used 2005 Prius. Looking on Kelly Blue Book there are some for about 16k for sell with basic packages and about 80k miles on them. These were rental cars, so they were kept up as far as maintenance and the like. What I'm really concerned about is as to whether this would be a smart purchase. Obviously I'd love the car, but being 3 years old and with 80k miles on it I'm not so sure it's a good idea. Actually going all the way and getting a new Prius is out of the quesiton, way more than we can spend right now. We're saving up for a house and the like, so we can't handle the payments on a 20,000 car, 16,000 is a little more reasonable. So, what I'm really asking here is what I can expect post-purchase costwise as far as maintenance and big stuff breaking? Has this been a problem with Prius' in the past? Any suggestions or other things to think about would be greatful. Thanks
I think the Prius tends to be very reliable with time, I think it'd be a great investment. And the gas mileage only gets better with time too, it seems. As for them being rental cars, just like any other used car, pick the best one that seems the best deal and has the least wear on it. Good luck!
I purchased a used 2004 with 40000 miles (60000km) and never regretted it. It is such a well-made vehicle. Very reliable. Consumer Reports can back that up. I don't know if I'd be so inclined to pay 16k for a car with 80000 miles, but I like the idea of buying a rental provided it passes an independent inspection.
I have 65k on my 2005 and I've only had 1 problem, a burned out tail light bulb. Like stated above, these are very reliable cars so as long as the vehicle in question has not been abused you should be ok with a higher milage car.
Thanks for all the feedback, very comforting Unfortunately... or fortunately depending on how you want to look at it, they found her car and they've decided to just repair it. While I'll be praying that the only thing the people who stole it did was bust out the windows and they didn't mess with anything under the hood or otherwise, she'll be getting that one back. Guess I'll just have to wait until I get my Prius. Holding out for the 3rd gen at the moment, plan on my first car purchase to be a brand new Prius the way I want it, depending on financial situation at the time of course. Again, thanks to those that replied, I really appreciate the quick feedback.
Hi all, Sorry to highjack this thread, but I hoped the discussion would continue. I found a used 2005 today with 75K miles and can't decide if it's worth it or not. I've concluded it's package 3. They want $17K for it, and I doubt they'll haggle much if at all. My wife is concerned that there is not an extended warranty. I think that with demand so high now, I should go for it. Any more insight you all can share on the 2005s?
I got a used 2005 with 33000mi for $18k 4 months ago. It is a "toyota certified used car" and that comes with a bit more warranty. We've been really happy with the car. My coworker claimed they tried to buy a new prius last weekend and it would have taken months to get one (I did not know they were sold out around here, they were not when I was shopping). They bought a new hch instead (1 week wait apparently). When I was telling her about how much I paid for my used prius, she told me I could probably still sell it for the same amount!!! It now has 41k miles on it.
I went ahead and pulled the trigger on it. Even with the higher mileage, I'm not too concerned. The guy priced it down to $16500, which edmunds said is about right. I took care of the financing today, and took delivery a few hours later, so it's in my garage right now! It was the easiest car purchase I have ever dealt with, and he had no problem lowering it by about $500. He said someone from Ohio had looked at it, offed that, but wasn't financed yet, so I jumped on it. I'm surprised he matched his offer, so I guess that guy haggled for me. Sorry, buddy, if you read this forum! Anyone know of anything I should do now that I own it? I'm going to take it to a dealer to have it checked out (not looking forward to talking with more dealers, though), make sure the computer was updated, etc. Is there anything else specifically I should ask them to look at? Also, it was originally bought in California. Does that make any difference? Thanks in advance!
Congratulations! I agree that you should inquire with a dealer's service dept to ensure that all SSCs (special service campaigns aka recalls) have been performed. The ECU reflash and the steering column shaft replacement comes to mind. The difference with a CA vehicle is that the hybrid system warranty is much longer, up to 150K miles. I suggest you examine the warranty book to see whether the warranty still applies now that the car is <presumably> registered and operated in another state. If it still applies, please scan the applicable pages and post them.
Thanks for the reply. I knew about the ECU reflash, but I'll have to research the steering column shaft. The longer warranty would be great, but I wasn't sure if it applied in a new state, so I'll read up on that too. Are SSCs covered by the manufacturer, or only for a short time?
The specific SSCs are SSC 50P (ECM reprogramming and dielectric grease applied to transaxle wiring harness connector) and SSC 60C (steering intermediate shaft replacement). I have both files but they are quite large so I will not post here. If you are interested in them pls send me a private msg with your email. If applicable to your vehicle, the SSCs will be performed by a Toyota dealer without charge; no time limitation.
I checked out the warranty manual. The extended warranty only covers in those states that adopted the California emissions standards, not in Indiana, unfortunately. Oh well, based on everyone's experiences here, I think I'll be okay. Thanks for the tip, though. I'm glad I checked it out.
