Hi everyone, we currently own a 07 honda fit (our second one) and we decided to sell and upgrade to a prius and hoepfully break even. We have been wanting one for a long time and we feel like it is a good time. We have 2 pretty good deal in front of us. Both are silver with grey interior, our first choice color wise. Both seller have stated same thing for selling: great car but need lower payments. We were going to buy a 2004 prius with 80K miles for 10K. it has been in a minor accident (rear passenger side, clean title) and we will have all records. It has not much options but it a good starter car. We would have more flexibilty with selling our own car since it would go for more than that, we could pay off a little of our debt. We also have the option to buy a 2007 prius with 65k, never been in an accident for 12K. same thing here nothing fancy but we do like the mp3 option...although I so like the finish of the smooth plastic better like in the 2004-2005 than textured as we have seen in the 2007 (for the dashboard). Financially we probably would have to shell a few $ for this one after selling ours, but it is also less miles and newer. Which one would you get? both are under blue book value.
Someone mentionned to me that 2004 was the first bath of second gen and that maybe I would be better off with a 2007 which probably has the kinks worked out. That person had no knowledge of the prius just a general remark about all cars in general. Would that be true for the prius too?
well, my 04 had very few kinks. it did have a recall for computer or something but other than that my 07 was just about the same. but the 2010....ohh what a way to go.
I am sure we would love the 2010, but that would not be the right financial choice for us right now So far I have one vote for the 2007 and one for the 2004... anybody else we have to make a decision pretty much by tonight...
whats wrong with the honda? if u bought it brand new and it doesnt have too much mile, i see no reason switching to an older car which involved in an accident. 65k is a lot of mile for an 07 but if i have to choose, i'd get the 07.
I would take the 07. It has better MFD (higher resolution and better color). The sound system has the automatic sound leveling feature according to the car speed. It has tire pressure monitoring. A little more headroom in the back. Front suspension is the same as the touring edition.
Go for the '07. The smooth plastic you prefer on the older model has its drawbacks, according to some owners I know. Also, the '07 has some improvements over the '04 that others have mentioned here.
ok, so after checking the autocheck, the 07 is showing an minor accident that the seller did not mention (only after talking about it did he "recall" the incident) apparently no damage to either car involved and no repair was done just polishing.. HE also has no records of his maintenance... So i think we might drop both cars and wait for something a little nicer. less mileage 05? We bought our 07 fit sport used. We loved our first 07 manual, we switched to auto because I could not reach the clutch on the manual ( crazy.. i know, apparently not a car designed for size 6 womens.. we asked the dealer about adjusting the pedal many times.. they only offered a solution like an extension for small people...? Anyway, we dont like the new 07 auto, mileage is not nearly has good, and we are just ready for something else. We would not loose that much on it.. We actually sold the previous one at a profit.. we are just ready for better mileage and nicer car. thanks for your guys help.. By the way, anyone know why a "battery charged" would show up on a carfax record on a prius? that is on one we are looking at now, and I am wondering what would cause a dealership to have to charge the battery??
I'm assuming since you've come to a Prius Chat forum to ask this question that you are pretty sold on the idea of getting a Prius. I hesitate to give any advice because there is so much that nobody can know. You say you've been wanting a Prius a long time, but did you buy the Honda fit new? What condition is it in? The most conservative, perhaps really the wisest answer is to keep the car inwhich you know the maintenance history and reliability history. The scary thing is you are looking at privately sold Prius, no certification, and outside of any warranty. Would either current owners let you have The Prius checked out by a technician before purchase? It means spending more money but could easily answer the question of which is the better purchase. On paper, it would clearly be the 2007, but it has been driven hard for the first couple of years of it's existence, I'd want it at least hooked up to a diagnostic computer, infact I'd want a thorough check by a qualified technician. It's a pat, cliche answer, but it has become cliche because it's true. If there is anyway you can have either or both vehicles checked out before purchase do it. Basing a decision on "interior dash plastic texture" and/or a few model years difference in age, won't matter if one, the other, or both are hiding some serious mechanical or electronic problem. The Prius has the reputation, deservedly of being a reliable well built automobile, but even with a Prius your best bet is to know as much about what you are purchasing before you purchase. Good Luck, and also since you do have a vehicle right now, I'd recommend not feeling rushed. You want a Prius, you think the timing is good, but deals can always be made. Personally, if either current owner balked on my having it checked out, at my expense, I'd move on.
Thanks for all guys advice. Not feeling so rushed and trying to find a different deal where I feel really ok about it has been my gut feeling for a couple days now. We have been wanting the prius since 06. We finally bough a newer car in 07 when we could afford one but the prius was outside our price range. We bought a used fit 07 manual that we loved, and a year later an 07 auto that we currently own. Neither were new, I loved the first fit we owned but could not drive it as explained before. we dont have a good feeling with the current 07. We feel it is an ok car but I ahve come to not trust it. We have had computer issues, and the young guy who owned did not maintain it well. It is not a bad car, but I am just waiting to tell my husband "i told you so" when we have a pb with the car So we decided that we'd change if we could without spending too much $$. I actually just found a 04 with 55K miles with a clean carfax at a dealer that we might check out. It does look like regular maintenance was done although drive belts were replaced at 46K and battery was charged.. I think we are defnintely going to take your advice and get our purchase checked either way. We were going to do it anyway with the 04. but there is only 1 dealership in the area and that the is one who is selling her new car to our seller so we felt they'd be bias...
Do you have time to wait? If so, you might hold out for a better 07. I chose an 07 due to the fact that rear passenger curtain airbags are standard across all packages. That said, unfortunately, my experience is that most sellers WILL NOT if they can help it, admit to any accident damage. Take a close look at the paint in the area damaged. Is it professionally repaired - meaning paint looks same (or perhaps even better/less orange peel) like undamaged areas? If the accident was minor - as in low speed, dented panel - it's really not a big deal as it's more a cosmetic issue. It's a much bigger deal if the frame was damaged which can be a greater safety risk.
The 07 sounds like a very good deal (I was offered $15000 for my 06 w/30000 miles at Carmax) but it really depends on its condition.
