Help me select a prius...

The brake rotor resurfacing may have been required for the Toyota Certified warranty. That makes the deal look good, IMHO, especially if you can plug in at home and/or at work.
Prius brakes can collect some surface rust since the friction brakes are not used as much as a typical car.
The regenerative braking saves some of the energy in the traction battery do it can be reused to propel the car. The friction brakes then stop the vehicle. Of course, in an emergency situation the friction brakes are used sooner.

 

Why would you purchase a Prius before seeing it? A dealer wouldn't price a used car at a price that you'd need to buy it, unseen. And my experience is that many small scratches and imperfections don't show up in photos. Twice in the past, I mentally decided that I was going to purchase a used car before seeing it. I arrived with cash in hand. But I still took a good look at the vehicles before handing over the money.

As far as the plug in Prius....make sure you read the threads here that discuss electricity costs vs gasoline costs. You may not be saving as much with the plug in portion as you might think. That said, I wish I had one.

 

if you're willing to travel, try tampa hybrids, well respected member here.

the above pip you posted looks like a great car.

the rotors may have been damaged due to road salt causing the caliper slide pins to stick. we've seen a bit of that because dealers don't pay attention to them, even though they are supposed to be inspected every 5k.

 

We have things in common. I, also, need to drive 5-6 hours to buy a used car. My city has a terrible selection of private party used cars. The good deals (I tend to buy from private party sellers) are in Los Angeles/Orange County/San Diego. It's more challenging to get a great deal through a dealer- you can get a great car, but the dealer knows it's a great car and will want his profit. With a dealer, make sure you get the carfax, which is something they usually provide for free.

The key is to be patient, if you have that luxury. After looking and looking, you'll eventually see a car that has the mileage, features, and price that you have been waiting for. Finding a good used Prius at the price/miles/condition that I wanted was a challenge. You might be luckier- if the masses in your area prefer SUV's then you could see better pricing on hybrids than out west.

 

you can try auto yours in scottsburg, in. another fabulous prius guy.

 

If you do not want to travel that far, my preferred dealer is in the Washington DC area in Manassas VA. My preferred salesman still drives his Generation 1 Prius. I think he is off sick, though.

 

What do you drive now? And what kind of driving do you do on a regular basis? Anything other than the daily 10 round trip commute?

 

long trips = bad seats, be careful.

 

i can't say. a percentage of people hate them, not sure how many take them on long trips. it's an around town car for me.

 

If this is your only vehicle then a plug in Prius sounds perfect for you! (Or a Volt)

But if you already have a somewhat fuel efficient vehicle and do a lot of driving under 60 or 70 miles then you may want to consider a used Leaf. They are dirt cheap and work great for a second car if you have a different vehicle that can work for road trips.

 

If it is like my base level Prius, some padding to sit on may be helpful for long trips.

 

I've done over 900 miles in one day more than once in a Gen 2 Prius with no particular discomfort. So not everyone hates the seat. Maybe I just got paddled so many times as a kid that I'm immune.

 

I've done about 850 miles in one day (probably a dozen or more times) in my PiP and didn't feel more sore than one should from sitting for more than 13 hours.

 

the first two oil changes were free, and there's no other important maintenance.

 

We have similar tastes in cars. I had a Forester, which was one of the most fun cars that I've ever driven. But rebuilding the engine at 110k miles and averaging 22 mpg cut short the honeymoon. What generation Insight did you have? I searched long and hard for a good deal on a 2nd gen Insight, but struck out. But living in the desert, I had a problem with the Insight's inability to have the engine off and the AC, along with serious oil burning issues in certain model years.

I think if you find the right one, you'll be very happy with the Prius.