20k to spend - what would you buy?

2009 low mileage Prius

 

look into the prius prime in the northeast. see the pricing thread for help, but some are getting 15k off msrp, bringing it down in your range. the exr=tra battery capacity is really helpful with the digital nomad lifestyle.

love your avatar, all the best!

 

less than 140K... These cars go to 300K miles or more with no issue if you take good care of them.

 

Maybe it’s just me, but low mileage to me is 50k or less. Personally I wouldn’t again buy any Prius with over 100k unless it was super cheap. I’m hard on my cars - drive lots of miles or keep them outside in Hawaii - and based on this they are far from trouble free. Good cars, great gas mileage, but not simple or rugged in my experience. And for living nomad simple and rugged would be positive attributes.

 

The demographics of it basically says, the older you are, the less miles you think your car is reliable for.

 

agreed. at 66, i'm beginning to wonder about my pip with 74k...

 

For the Prius HV battery, time is as important as miles.

You want a plug-in hybrid (PHEV). In the Toyota world, that's a Prius Prime (preferably) or an older 3rd gen Plug In Prius (PIP). NOT having the ICE come on periodically every few minutes throughout the night is what you're looking for.

 

A Van

 

And your prepared to work on them........ or pay the price of someone else working on it...then there goes all of the gas savings.

Most likley
Big Battery
Little Battery.....
Both Water Pumps (less failures on the little pump)
EGR
The hassle of the Inverter going out especially if your on a trip
And of course the Pump and Master Cylinder

 

I'm pretty happy with my Prius Prime! You can definitely get a used one in that right range; I did!

However, you should be aware that the Prime seats have a level gap when the seats are folded down that other Prii don't. This is because of the greater height of the Prime's battery, so the back cargo area is higher. Watch Jimmy's Wonderful Wandering series about his Prime.

Wonderful Wandering Topics - YouTube

 

This YTer built some kind of table. But others have used mattresses or blankets for the gap.

 

$15k for a late model used G4 (2016-)
$5K in a JIC fund.

Good Luck!

 

Looks pretty cramped..................

 

2016 G4 bullit proof like this

Autotrader - page unavailable

 

Any Prius is going to be cramped compared to a Sprinter van. But lots of people do camp in their Prii and seem to enjoy it.

Personally, I like tent camping. This is my smallest tent which it ideal for tiny sites. Some people can't deal with a small space, though.

 

If you are looking at a used Prius be sure you have $5K reserved for when the battery dies. A 2009 especially is old enough to start having issues. When they die, you can be stranded.

 

I just got a new 2021 Prime and after tax credits it will cost me under $20k out the door. The $5k total factory rebate ends May 3, but could be extended. Not all markets have these rebates. I bought mine in MD, I know NJ also has them as does NY and New England states.