Hello everyone, I just joined priuschat today! It is so interesting and entertaining Anyway, I am looking to buy a used prius and I found one online for sale by a dealer in my area. The only problem that I can think of is that it already has almost 98,000 miles on it So here is all of the details: It is a Silver, 2004 prius with 97,925 miles on it (according to online), and the price is $10,995. So, I was wondering if it would be worth it or not to purchase the car even if it already had a lot of miles on it. If this helps, I am only planning to drive to school mon-fri since i am a student, and that would be about 50 miles per week. So I am guessing I wouldn't use more than 5,000 miles a year and I need the car for at least 4 more years. Any opinions on whether i should buy it or not? Would the prius still be in good shape/condition with that many miles on it? Thanks in advance!
thank you for your opinion, and funny enough, that is exactly what my father said (he's a honda lover)
$11,000!? What! I'd offer the dealer $4,000 and then work down. I guarantee you that they acquired that car for less than $2,500. I traded in a Subaru WRX for our '08 Prius when the Subaru had 45,000 on it, and the dealer I went to only offered me $2,300, and the reason was high mileage. So a Prius with almost 100k on it is certainly NOT worth almost 11k. Arrghhh, I'm all angry now... :rant: I can't stand it when dealers don't deal. What's the point! Now, back to your original question: Yes, a used Prius is worth it, no matter what the mileage, as long as the price is right! Plus, just like Honda's, Toyota's run forever and are very reliable. I've owned Honda's (an 83' and 88'), really liked them and put well over 100k on them. Pop retired the family Toyota a couple years ago and it had 175k.
I would second the opinion to buy a low mileage Civic, Corolla, Focus, etc. It sounds like you are going to be driving 5 miles to school each day. With that commute the Prius will never warm up and you will not get 50 mpg. I would expect 25 to 30 mpg at best. Since you are a student I would recommend spending no more than $5k. You can get lots of very good cars for $5K and college is expensive enough without paying for a car.
Ok now I feel old and uncool. Get a Prius with lower miles. Don't forget the Carfax. And get it checked out by a mechanic. Ah crap now I sound like your father again . . .
thanks a bunch guys for lending me your opinions and input! And yes, I think that I will just stay on the lookout for a honda (civic, accord, etc.) or a toyota that gets relatively good gas mileage (nothing comparable to a prius though, right? haha) and that is for sale for a relatively decent price. oh how i wish i could afford a new prius... that would definately, without a doubt, be my dream car p.s. this kinda goes back to my original post and question, but...just hypothesizing and thinking here....do you think that a 2004 prius would still be running good with say, 120,000 miles? or would it be worthless then? because my dad thinks that with the price of a new battery, repairs, etc. that it wouldn't be worth it. oh well, back to searching for used hondas.....
I bought my son a $400 84 Corolla. what more would you need for a 4 mile commute? Put the money you save into good stocks and by the time you finish college you will have enough for a new Prius.
What are these? I just bought my first Prius and my criteria were, no more than 80k miles, a good history. Colour, body condition, tyres seats, brakes, non of these concerned me in the least. The complexity of the whole drive system is such that you don't want to be having to look at it at all if you don't want. I ended up with a 2003 (saloon) at £4,400 with 86k (D'oh) but a good service history. Comparison is difficult as I live in the UK and cars are expensive here compared to the States.
Where in the US do you live? In my area, Ford dealers are having a frenzy on who can sell the most Focus'. 2008 Ford Focus S $8,777 Net Cost. I would look at older Corolla or new, I know Nissan has the Versa for $10,000 until January 4 or something like that...not a bad car either.
get yourself a cheaper car while you're a student, i guarantee you'll be happier without a big car payment. then you'll also have something to work for as you work on your studies. if you start out with your dream car, where do you move up to? imo you don't need much to just go to school and back 5 days/week. $11k is a lot of money if you're barely using the car in the first place.
Just for future reference, yes, I am convinced that a Prius is LIKELY to get over 150k miles without any major repairs (battery, engine overhaul, etc.), PROVIDED it actually got all the regular maintenance required during its lifetime. That whole "battery will die - cost $$$$ to replace" thing is really an urban legend. Yes, a few batteries have had to be replaced, but very few. Most Prius on the roads for over 100K have no battery issues at all. When you've graduated college and have that good job, and have socked away the down payment, then buy a new Prius, and expect to get many years/many miles from it
I agree with Pat. There's no point paying much for a car if it isn't going to be used. Starting out with a junker is a rite of passage which can reinforce good habits. You may get used to checking various fluid levels regularly because it leaks or burns. Buy what you can afford. You are not in a position to start amassing debt. IMO look at utilities with retail customers. They pay dividends and being regulated monopolies are guananteed to provide a return on investment. If you don't like your local water & electric companies look at PSE&G who serves South Jersey. Americans won't stop burning gas. Exxon-Mobil, or any of the big names won't disappear any time soon. Join the company's dividend reinvestment program. If you want a guaranteed return deposit money in www.gmacbank.com. They are FDIC insured and were paying 4% last I heard.
haha oh goodness, reading these replies is so entertaining and to sdtundra: speaking of the toyota corolla's, a family friend has an older one, i think an 02 or 04 that she is possibly selling and we would probbaly get first "dibs" so i will do some "research" on those haha. and whatever car i end up getting, which will need to be before the end of january because I desperately need one, I will let you guys know asap thanks again for everyone's input and opinions!
