Considering selling my 2010 Prius II White

In my opinion you're going to have to get pretty lucky to sell that car for what you're asking. You need to find someone headed into a dealership soon determined to buy a Prius II. The car is used, no matter how gently. You take a huge depreciation hit the second you drive a new car off the lot.

Do offer the car for sale here and other car sites if you can... maybe even spend a couple hundred on the [reserve] eBay listing to feel things out- there's a lot of brand new cars on there.

 

Have your company reimburse you by the mile. Then you will *make* money while driving.

 

I liked sporty cars, but as I got older, I realized that the things I hated about the Prius weren't really that bad. It's quiet, rides smoothly, has a lot tech in it, great mileage, plenty of room for 4 people and a hatch that can fit a lot of stuff (not to mention extreme reliability). It's basically the perfect car for 95% of the time I spend driving. During the other 5%, I'd love to have a manual gearbox, 200+ HP, sleek looks and a tight suspension...can't always have it all though.

 

Please be aware of serious engine problems with this model of BMW. I suggest you do some research first.

 

Great point. Even worse, what if he looses his job? A lady that works at one of my clients (still making money) said everyone had to take a 10% paycut last month and another 10% may be coming. So could end up changing jobs

 

If you're wanting a BMW it's a good thing you didn't get the TCH. I loved mine but it is a mushy ride and certainly not something I'd want to drive in the twistes very often.

 

You shouldn't have too much trouble unloading your Prius II since the demand for this particular vehicle is really CRAZY:hippie: .

 

Some food for thought ....

I believe Mazda will be putting the all-new 2010 Mazdaspeed3 out this Fall ...

hatchback, tons of horsepower, manual shift, tears up the twisties.

If you must sell the Prius due to not being happy, this speed 3 would be a lot of car for little coin, the depreciation on the Pri wouldn't hurt as much.

Plus, Mazda's are much more reliable than a BMW.

Hopefully the speed 3 won't come with the 3's 'happy face'.

 

Just a wild thought but can you swing getting a performance 'project car?'

Find an older car, well worn, that meets your performance objectives ... say one with stellar handling but a 'broke engine'. Then rebuild it into your dream car. You might pay say $5-8k for the project car but over time, you can budget in the upgrades:

• blue-print optimum engine
• race style suspension
• quality road tires - performance only, screw long life
• tuned exhaust
• dude, do the interior RIGHTEOUS
• exterior in a custom paint job
• tunes ... a sound system from 'the last trumpet'

The Prius provides reliable transportation and whatever is needed to fetch stuff. The project car becomes 'yours' and like "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" grows younger. <grins>

Just a thought,
Bob Wilson

 

Here's another thought. Maybe your employer will appreciate the fact that you are saving him money on gas.

 

I like how you think, Bob. That is why I have my Prius. It allows me to focus time and resources on my project car: 98 Eclipse GSX.

 

Well I have a 1991 BMW 325i convertible "project" car, and now that I have my Prius IV, I don't even want to drive it! The BMW has been my summer fun car so of course I will keep driving it once the thrill of the Prius dies down a bit.

I would say put your depreciation money towards a project car and keep the Prius. Good luck in your decision!

 

OK, a couple of things.....

1) It appears that soaring gas prices were what got you looking into the prius in the first place. Gas prices have tumbled. But WHY have they tumbled? The biggest driver is the overall economic picture in the world (we can add speculators into this category). While we may see "seasonal" highs and lows, the overall world economy will really drive the direction of gas prices. The world wide economy has fallen on hard times, but it appears to be recovering. Expect gas prices to continue an upward climb (the Fall season may damper the overall upward movement, but I would expect next summer that gas will be notably more expensive that this current summer). For giggles, assume $3.50 - $4.00 per gallon.

2) Trade in value. If we assume that gas prices are tied to world economic woes and that the world economy will be improving from its current state over the next 2-3 years, expect that gas prices will increase to $4 or above per gallon. If that is the case, what is going to be the resale/trade in value of the BMW (gas inefficient) versus the Prius (gas efficient). Likely the Prius will retain its value should you want to trade it in for an updated BMW in 2012.

3) Job. Things change. Your job may not pay for gas in the future or you may change jobs where your gasoline bills are covered. What then? Will you be happy with the BMW when you are paying for the gas out of your own pocket? Sounds like no, or else you would have picked one up this time around. Look forward for the next 3 - 5 years. Where will you be and what would happen if the current state changes. Remember, companies are always looking to cut costs and your company may do that (maybe give you a set "yearly" gasoline stipend, (say up to $1500) instead of just paying for your gas.)

 

It is NEVER an unwise decision to try to conserve our natural resources, and it is a sad state of our society that we feel pressure to justify conservation.

Food for thought.

 

Interesting thought, almost evil, but interesting. I'm out in a conference this week, and somehow during dinner somebody in our big round table (about 10 people) said "I'm glad gas prices are going down but I guess my neighbor is hating it because he just bought that new electric Toyota that he calls green car" ... and then everybody got involved in the conversation but me, and I heard many stupid comments about the Prius until I decided I could not stand that anymore and finally opened my mouth to reveal that I own the new Prius. Of course, people were greatly embarrassed and were trying to politely fix the situation but I made them to feel more and more abashed, I just could not stop myself. Among many tings, I said that I was actually glad that gas prices are going down but unfortunately, that trend could perpetuate the ignorance of the general population about the Prius, or any hybrid for that mater, and therefore encouraging the antiquated culture of buying gas guzzlers and contributing for an anti-green attitude ultimately setting a really bad example for others around us. I think they got my point…

 

Don't worry about the price of gas going up. It will, soon enough. Although the earth is making fossil fuels, it is not at a pace that will ever keep up with current and future demand.

I bought my 2003 Prius, used, in October 2005, while the Katrina gas prices were still digging into everyone's pocket book. But I didn't buy it for Katrina, I bought it for the next gas shortage ... like last year's $4/gal. In fact, the price-performance trade-off with the leading contender, the 2003 Prius came within $50 of break-even the first year.

Bob Wilson