Buying used 2011@173k/25 Service Records/$9k Thoughts?

$9000 is a lot of money for a car with 173k miles

 

If I were you, I wouldn't even buy a Prius, especially with the insane mileage.

You should buy a Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic since you only drive 3 to 4k per year. The Prius is not worth the premium you are going to pay in your situation.




iPhone ?

 

I agree that a prius with 175k miles for 9000 is highly overpriced
having said that, how the car was utilized also determines the quality such that a prius with 50k miles may be in a worse shape than a prius with 175k. and from what I gather you know your car so you'll do your due diligence I am sure.
However, you should also consider the warranty,
the hybrid battery is covered for the first 8 years or the first 100k miles.
If you bought that 175k prius for 9000, you'll be on your own if the battery broke down. (cost 1000-4000 to recondition/repair) other parts will start requiring regular maintenance too.

in terms of financing... I looked into that option once, they offered great rates (we got a quote as low as 1.5% apr) but the catch was that we would need to pay for premium insurance (comprehensive coverage, full tort and other premiums that I didn't really care for) to protect their asset [required by the lender]. we decided that it made no sense to pay an extra 100-200/mo which adds up pretty quickly over the years (200 extra/month over 12 months is 2400 = 1/6 the price of your car.. do it for 5 years of financing and you'd be down $12,000).

I'm currently in the process of purchasing a 2013 ex-rental prius for 12200 (it's usually ~13500 but I managed to get a super slick deal by checking the website every 3 hours like a hound and also found a 100$ online coupon which worked), it's got 55k miles but comes with a 12 month 12k miles powertrain warranty backed by hertz, still got some powertrain warranty on it from the toyota factory not to mention the hybrid warranty.
exterior and interior checks out and a toyota dealership gave us a clean bill of health (par 2 tires which need replacing, hertz have offered to replace them for us if we can get written proof from a third party).

I think you should look around the market and find a better deal than the 9000 (unless you're sure it's the one/you're in a rush to get a car).
kbb is great at giving guideline for the price of the car (they price the 2011 prius IV at 7500 if it's from a private party)
I usually dont even bite unless it's at the lower price end of the spectrum (since tax registration and documentation will add more to the costs)

the ecu flash is probably the prius recall service to reprogram the ECU to stop the prii from acting strangely
some owners keep a detailed receipt history,
regardless of whether you're buying from a dealer/private owner you should ask them about anything which raises red flags.

I know for a fact that you can pick up great vehicles for $15,000, the best I've seen was a 2014 prius trim five with 21,000 miles from enterprise used cars for 14,200.
2011+ Ford fiesta/focus are also another great option. they're quite compact but drive beautifully (more fun to drive than a prius) and have ~33mpg

I have a few tips for sniffing out a good deal for cars, message me if you like

 

welcome! at that mileage, your biggest issues will be hybrid battery, engine oil burning and possible tranny issues. along with the myriad smaller issues all high mileage cars deal with. if 9k allows you to take care of any or all of those potential repairs, and it's the best deal you can find, go for it. all the best!

 

Doesn't have to be a rental,
There are plenty of cars sitting in dealerships with clean carfax 2011-14 40k-75k miles costing ~10k-15k

if OP averages ~5k a year, in order to optimize pay/gain he should realistically look for a car which has the 8 year hybrid battery warranty expire at a similar time that the 100k mileage is reached, by which time he should either try to trade up or sell to minimize depreciation.

The quality of a rental car is largely varied so i agree it's not for everyone, research and preparation is essential.

I for one believe ex rentals are not all bad. I'm taking what i believe to be a minimalized risk in hopes of saving ~$3,000. It may end up backfiring on me with higher costs down the road, but I'm in my early 20's and this is my first car so if it happens i'll take it as a lesson learned.
I highly doubt every rental car is abused like that.

If you think about it, it's most likely that the users will abuse "economy" vehicles that the rentals offer for $26, i don't see too many hooligans shelling out $60 a day to mess with a prius which has worse acceleration, no clutch, can't do doughnuts etc. what would be their motivation of spending more money for less fun?

as a side note, there are more and more people starting to rent out their own vehicles through car share programs, so "one owner" may not end up being what you think it is, 173k miles over 4.5 years averages 43k miles/year. you should interpret that as you see fit.

 

After reading another thread, I checked into what was available from a national rental agency. I found several 2013 & 14 corolla's for sale locally from them in the $12-13k range with only 30k miles. They come with a 12mth/12k bumper to bumper warranty and the remaining factory drivetrain warranty.

FWIW

 

I would say shoot for an older Corolla. My girlfriend just bought a 2007 Corolla with 95k for $7000. Corolla's are the best bargain in my area since there are so many of them and they will last forever.