Conducting my search and am considering a new 2012 or certified used 2010-2011. I found a certified used 2010 with 33k on it, 1 owner, original dealer has kept it for their used stock. They replaced the tires and CHARGED the battery. Selling for 19,800. Appears to be a III (has the shitty navigation system). So I am deferring to the experts, is a CHARGED battery a good thing or a sign of a problematic car? Thanks again for the expertise. EDITED: a misread the Carfax, it was a charged battery not a changed battery - doh.
2010 III may or may not have nav at all. As for whether it's "shitty", well, the 2010-2011 Prius nav systems are similar to the ones in the 04-09 except there are more features on the '10 and '11 (traffic integration, A2DP Bluetooth support, etc.) The '12+ Prius nav systems are very different (well, at least the display audio one). I personally am not dissatisfied w/the nav in my 06 Prius despite using the original DVD that was probably completed sometime in 05. See Thoughts on the navigation system | PriusChat and the two posts I linked to for my thoughts. I won a week test drive of a '10 Lexus HS. The loaner I got in late 09 came w/nav and although it used a mouse-like controller w/force feedback instead of a touchscreen, it was pretty close to that nav on the '10 and '11 Priuses. I too wasn't dissatisfied. It was fine to me.
Agreed. I'm thinking if I go for a new 2012, I will probably stick to the II model, with no extras. Truecar values that at 23,000.
My wife and I just purchased a 2013 Two no extras (except for floor mats) for $22k on Sat. That used one is pretty close to a new one in price.
pricing is regional, so, you can't go by what people pay outside the area you're willing to buy from.
One common entry on a Toyota Carfax is "checked battery and electrical system" due to the complimentary Toyota Care program. I suspect the person making the entry substituted "charged" for "check" or they could have simply charged the 12V battery (not a big deal).
