Uber driver looking at Prius

I'm in the camp of users here that say get a Prius when it's new, rack up the miles then dump it.

For what you say you can spend, why get something so old? Is that the market for used cars out there in Cali? Because honestly, you could buy my 2016 Prius C for 12k and it just hit 27,000 miles.

{edit} - and yes I would sell it.

 

on the 2011 i would make sure the EGR and MAF sensor were cleaned ,or replaced...After owning multiple prii since 2004...with 300,000 miles on the 04, 250,000 miles on the 09 and i have 40,000 on the 17 prime...i noticed on the the 04, and 09, with high mileage, oil consumption is somewhat of an issue...so be prepared for a quart every 2-3000 miles or so on an engine into 6 digit miles...it gets more pronounced as time goes on...brakes usually go 180,000 miles on a set if you dont drive it like you stole it...im betting the tire warranty does not transfer over...so my 2cents worth...

 

the lie in the advertisement is that the isn't good to go if they haven't done the major service at 100 or 120k, forget which on the gen 3. that's a big one and expensive.

 

here's the thing with prius regarding the two camps: most prius are highly reliable, and require minimal maintenance for the first 100k.
a percentage (we don't know the number) have problems after warranty that can be much more expensive repairs than a straight gasser.

you can mitigate this if you are a serious diy'er. if not, you're bound to a dealer or looking for a good hybrid repair shop, neither of which are cheap.
for instance, someone in northern cali just bought a 2011 with 100,000 miles. she was warned here about the egr circuit. she was desperate and went ahead with the purchase. right after she got it, the engine went haywire and now she can't drive it and is having trouble finding a service place that will do the repairs at a reasonable cost.

but that is just one bad example against many good experiences.

so a prius might do very well for you, as long as you're aware of the potential pitfalls.

 

I suspect there are some financing and tax write off opportunities for you seeing as your vehicle will be used for business not pleasure... Do lots of research on how all that will work for you and aim for a 2016, which was when lots of improvements were introduced. That way the odds of it never giving you any problems will last for many years into the future.

 

I drive a 2013 for uber full time. Thats about 40 to 50 hours a week in the car. Drives 400km a day.
Car has 275.000km on it now. Im a DIYer.
Oil change every 10.000km. EGR is cleaned.
Tranny fluid every 100.000km
Car has ZERO oil consumption.
Car runs like new. I think when you drive a prius so much you probebly have less expensive repairs. This car likes to be driven.

 

With fuel prices as low as they are, I would probably not buy a used hybrid for this kind of service. It's just extra exposure to expensive repair, and the dollar savings on the fuel won't balance it out.

Fuel prices crossing north of $4.25 a gallon would change my mind on this.