Hi everyone, Looking to buy a used Prius, and my budget is $7500. I'm pretty set on the Prius, I know some people like recommending getting a Civic etc with this budget, but I am going for a Prius. A few I was looking at: - a 2007 Prius with 163,000 miles but brand new battery, for $6595 - a 2006 Prius Touring with 90000 miles for $7500, 2 previous owners - a 2006 Prius with 123,000 miles for $6500 - a 2008 Prius Touring with 103,000 for $8000, 2 previous owners I've pulled up their histories on the Toyota website and honestly it's pretty much impossible for me to tell if transaxle fluid has been changed etc so I think that's something I'll do immediately after purchasing. So any advice if these seem like decent deals, questions to ask, or to keep looking...thanks so much! By the way, I live in the Richmond, VA area.
i'm more in favor of low miles, than years. i would skip the first one, second looks like a great price for a touring, if you like that sort of thing. 3 looks okay, but my favorite is the '08. its a great year if you can talk them down on price. all the best!
Thanks for the reply! I like the 08 the best too, that's the lowest they'll go on price, which is still a really great price based on KBB. it's a clean carfax and everything, so I think I might go for it. 2nd for me is also the 2006 touring. By the way, I actually don't know the difference between the touring and regular
For the first one, when you say "new battery", you mean HV battery and not 12v, right? And are you certain that it's a brand-new (not remanufactured) Toyota battery? If it is, and the rest of the car looks good to you (no excessive interior wear, no excessive rust, etc.), I'd ask to take it to get it checked out by the dealer and try to determine the condition of the other major components (transaxle, inverter, engine, cat converter, A/C). If it's a new battery, you've eliminated one major expense risk, so I would lean toward that one.
Bisco, I'm in Virginia (Richmond). Interesting advice, thanks Yakoma. I will have to check if it is new or refurbished. And yes it is an HV battery, not a 12v.
just thinking, i believe you're in a non carb state, so the hybrid warranty is 8/100k. a new battery would be a big plus. however, it's important that they had a factory oem battery installed, and not a rebuilt or salvage unit.
I was looking and I could get a rebuilt one including installation fee for $1200 in my area. Is a brand new one that big of a deal comparably?
The 2006 is misrepresented. It can't be a Touring because 2007 was the first model year. Very few Tourings are misrepresented as the standard but it seems like 90+% of the cars listed as a Touring aren't. Download the brochures for 2006-2008 and compare the list of features to what's in the car so you can determine the package. Make sure you get two fobs and the retractable cover for the deck. Mats are an accessory so you may or may not get those. I wouldn't place too much value on a rebuilt traction battery as there are a number of posts here about the battery failing again. Even though a new battery from Toyota only has a one year warranty I would expect it to last 10+ years. Why has a 2006 passed through two owners with less than 12000 miles per year? How were those miles put on the car? What needs to be fixed that someone didn't want to pay for?
Touring has 16- inch wheels instead of 15 in regular ( read more expensive tires) and different tuning of suspension for sportier ride. Also touring has fog lights. Alex
So right now I'm considering the 08 and the 07 with new battery, which I will double check on tomorrow (the ad says brand new battery). If anyone else has input or advice please chime in!
What JimN said. See if you can get it to an independent mechanic and pay him $50-75 to put it up on the rack and inspect it thoroughly. Big plus if you can locate a Prius expert in your area.
I actually live an hour away from the 07 Prius with new battery. I don't have a car right now so it would be pretty difficult for me to get all the way there and just take to a mechanic if I wasn't buying. Here is a pdf of the service report, maybe some of you guys can take a look and give any input if it looks good? Here's the link for your browser: db.tt/YZ2xQRmP By the way, this 07 only had one owner and looks very well-maintained inside and out.
'replace battery' without any mention of problems or codes, i'm thinking the 12 volt. they sure cleaned the throttle body and maf sensor a lot, sounds like a wallet cleaning.
Yes that replace battery says 12v in the details. But I'm thinking the dealer recently replaced the HV? I'm checking in on that this morning.
That's a scary-nice person gap between Mile 1 and Mile 34,000! Was this a fleet vehicle or a lease perhaps? They could have done the maint off the books, but why since the first 30K is free at Toyota? Not only that, but the first owner put 34K on it in 18 months. That's a ton of mileage in Year 1. After that, it seems to have been cared for well for the most part. There was at least one 10K gap in oil change, but if they were on synthetic it might not matter. Curious about what this is at 134K: 10K SVC FACT REC, PHASE 1 REMEDY PRIUS Looks like it's had a couple of water pumps put in. And it has the cleanest throttle body in the 9-state region. You may want to try to get the Carfax for more info about Year 1, but it still may not be obtainable. Beyond that, the service records don't tell me anything else. More experienced folk may find more. Even if it's an hour away, I wouldn't go there thinking "I'm gonna buy this car". Personally, I would go there wanting to be convinced that this is the right car even if I have to turn around empty-handed. If it's truly a remanufactured or repaired battery, then it's not a deal at all. It may die in your first year and then you're looking at at least $1300 if you DIY or ~$3K for new.
Bisco, I like the 08 also. There are only 2 service records on the Toyota site for it, one in 2010 and one in 2012. Is this a concern? Should I see if the carfax has any more info?
