The reality is the reality however. And you are also evidently looking for a Prius for under 10K. If you've set up a budgetary and desirability set of parameters in which you cannot find a vehicle that satisfies those parameters? Then you should look at other options. If you are putting on 100 miles a day? Even as a fan of Prius, I don't know if a used, 10K or less Prius is a good choice. I think I would want something, nearly anything, with a lower mileage starting point. And that would NOT include looking at any Salvaged Title vehicles. My follow up question would be...if you drive (AS your job) 100 miles a day, and make a LOT of money? Why are you budgeting yourself on the lower end of the spectrum? It would then logically seem to lead to the idea that I'd budget more to get a vehicle that would have MUCH lower miles and potentially offer you many more years of usage. If I'm making a "$hitload" of money? I'm looking at a new vehicle. But only YOU know your own budget. Just seems like you're purposely embracing a set of purchase parameters that make the choice difficult if not nearly impossible, as far as owning a Prius that fits your needs. Something has to give on one side of the ledger or the other.
i'm all over the corolla. that being said, my daughter has an '08 with 100k, and i expect 200k. but, it is a gamble, and anything can go wrong at anytime, no matter how unlikely. and we're in a 10/150 state.
Also, to clarify, when I say Salvage I mean a rebuilt or "prior salvage" as referred to in MN, which is a vehicle that had been in an accident or vandalized, rebuilt, inspected by the state, and issues a "prior salvage" title.
OK, let me beat this dead horse after a day of car shopping. 2009 - 104k - $7k. Is it still that great a gamble at that year and mileage?
i don't think so. that's why i said 'however unlikely'. it's a fairly small risk, but can be expensive. especially if you don't diy.
Well you know your s**t. What's the next most expensive thing to the battery, the transaxle? I looked today at a great Kia Rio with 20k miles on it. Repaired flood damage by one of the most respectable shops/dealers in town. But the Rio is one of the most deadly vehicles to drive. The Corolla is 3 years newer with 28k less miles but is still hail damaged and, even as a steal at 7k, if it gets wrecked I won't get near that back as an insurance claim.
the a/c can be quite expensive, because it's electric. tranny can done for under 2k used. brake actuator, but there's a new extended warranty. for a decent mechanic who will install salvage parts, nothing is too bad.
I'd be all over that Corolla like white on rice... as long as aesthetics are not an issue for you (for instance, you're not in sales or service that requires a certain "image"). You'll never make your money back in fuel savings with the Prius.
You can also edit the title; did you mean to say "Used vs Salvage"? there's a button somewhere around the edge of the posting for that.
Except I couldn't get any kind of collision on it if the hail damage wasn't repaired, so I passed. I'm picking up an '09 Prius today w/ 100k on it for a little less than the corolla. Fingers crossed.
