So, I'm 17-years-old. My mom gave me her 2002 Toyota Rav4. I hate the mileage and I don't need an compact SUV. My mom said if I could get $8,000 for it on craigslist, she'll let me buy a 2004 Prius if we could find one for around $9,000. Obviously, one that is $9,000 probably has like nearly 150,000 miles on it. I'm not one that is crazy worried about the battery but since I'm only 17, if it goes, I probably wouldn't be able to pay for it. (Which is why I'd have to hope and pray it'd die at at least 250,000) But what I'm wondering is, since I live in San Diego and we have tons of freeways here, would the battery last longer if you're driving on freeways more? And also, is getting a used 2004 even a good idea? Cheers, Kris (whoops... can an admin move this to the Gen II forum. i made a mistake)
:welcome: My mom gave my sister a 1998 Rav4 (smaller) and she wrecked it so she got a 2004 Rav4 (same as yours I think) and she is in the process of wrecking that lol. I doubt you can get $8k for it, but im not in CA so who knows. If you can get $8k for it, I doubt you will get a prius for that little. You may have to sell the SUV locally, buy the Prius out of state. Batteries can last hundreds of thousands of miles, and there have been a few rare cases of failure within warranty. Keep in mind, a refurb pack is about $1500, which is much less than most other cars' potential failures at such a high mileage. Always budget for worst case. Nobody can say exactly what makes a battery usage model then the other for something like the Prius. However, if you take things like discharge cycles and heat which are the major killers, then you can guess better. If you live on the equator, and park out in the heat all the time, it will probably not last as long as someone near the jetstream. If you drive on mountains where it is fully discharged and fully charged over and over, it probably wont last as long. "As long" is just that. Not a specified amount of degradation, just more so than if you didn't. Since all the batteries are slightly different and these differences are slightly different, it is hard to know for certain but you can kind of get a horseshoes and handgrenades type answer. I would get anything 2004 and up. 2006 to 2009 has dash improvements and the hybrid badges. I would also make sure to get the 3door SKS and backup cam, both are invaluable.
Put a "want to trade" ad on Craigslist. I saw one here a few months ago where a lady wanted to trade her 2002 for a small SUV. FYI, having put 170,000 miles on a 2004 RAV4, I can guarantee you that it is a more reliable vehicle than a Prius.
Kris, welcome to the site. Let's put this in perspective. In NJ you aren't old enough to title a car. I'm sorry that the FREE Rav4 isn't good enough for you but it sounds like you don't have enough money to buy what you want or something better. I like looking for used cars on vehix.com & cars.com. Craigslist has a rather poor reputation but I don't have any experiences there. Keep & maintain the Rav4 while saving your money so you can either pay for the next repair or the next car. I understand the "peer pressure" or the "keeping up with your friends" feelings. I've been on the short end of that. It isn't any fun but it isn't fatal. Do keep looking. Know what you want & know what things cost. The worst time to start shopping for a new car is when you NEED a new car. Best wishes on whatever you decide.
