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Opinions on whether this is a good deal

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by perrinjcat, Jan 24, 2009.

  1. perrinjcat

    perrinjcat New Member

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    2005 Prius, with navigation and smart key, 57,000 miles. Owned by a Toyota Salesperson, garaged and never smoked in. All service by Toyota Dealer. $14,900

    It seems like a great deal but want some "expert" opinions :)
     
    #1 perrinjcat, Jan 24, 2009
  2. Tech_Guy

    Tech_Guy Class Clown

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    I just saw a similar vehicle (2005 model with about 57K) advertised on Craigslist for $ 13988.

    Considering the current market / economy, $ 14,900 seems a bit over priced for that vehicle.

    Good Luck,

    Keith
     
    #2 Tech_Guy, Jan 24, 2009
  3. ctmurray

    ctmurray Member

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    Of course it also matters how much work you want to do to get the absolutely best deal. I usually stop if I feel the price is fair, maybe not the best that one could find with much more effort.
     
    #3 ctmurray, Jan 24, 2009
  4. maseace

    maseace Prius enthusiast

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    Make sure the title is clear with Autocheck or Carfax. There are tons of salvage/rebuilt Priuses out there, mostly from front end collisions. I would know, I bought one last summer.
     
    #4 maseace, Jan 25, 2009
  5. perrinjcat

    perrinjcat New Member

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    It has a clear AutoCheck (it scored a 95). Also, I can get a copy of the service record from the dealership where all the oil changes, etc, have been completed.
     
    #5 perrinjcat, Jan 25, 2009
  6. TonyPSchaefer

    TonyPSchaefer Your Friendly Moderator
    Staff Member

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    I agree with ctmurray in that there's a line between going with what's the best offer right now and spending monumental amounts of time to try to find something better.

    Here's a personal example: I can shop between CDW, OfficeMax, Office Depot, and Best Buy to find the best price because they all have stores very near to me. I can also shop all across the internet to see if I can save five or ten dollars on the same product. Using an hourly rate, I can calculate how much of my time is worth the ten dollar savings. If I spend more time than that on the search I'm already losing money on the deal. Equally, the best price might be from a source I do not know and can not validate beforehand. And if something goes wrong, I know I can go back to the brick-n-mortar stores but maybe not internet stores.

    So in this case, I would say that if you can haggle the price with a guy you know and perhaps a trusted source, try that. But if you decide to shop around, consider the amount of time spent and the source of the bargain.
     
    #6 TonyPSchaefer, Jan 25, 2009
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