Background: I bought a 2008 Prius Touring. The main feature of the touring is the drivability of it. It has larger wheels and a tighter hold on the road. It is said that it has less MPG due to this, but it isn't really true. It gets about 53 to 60 MPG if it is driving on the freeway. If always driven on city streets, its mileage goes down to under 50 MPG, to around 46. I was divorced and the car went to my ex, so I own a 2009 Corolla, which is now in purgatory due to inability to get a right side Air Bag in my lifetime. I want to somehow trade it for a Prius, Touring of about 2013. A fairly nice woman at the Toyota Corporate headquarters guessed that it might be possible to get the equivalent of a Prius Touring, by buying the 2013, Prius 5. The issue I am trying to get is the improved feel of the car as you drive it. Other elements of the Touring package such as headlights and such are not important to me. I am positive about the Touring providing the improved drivability, but I need confirmation that the 2013, Prius 5 is such a car.
The 5 has the 17" wheels rather than the 15" ones. I think the 5 is the closest match for the touring gen 2. If I am not mistaken, so does the persona though, which is basically a three with a few extra features and might be cheaper than a 5. You might look into that as well.
Do you know where I can go to look for the Persona, which is a 3 with a few extra features or a 5? I'm in the market to buy one if I can afford it.
When you are searching you can look for "persona series" or "5" in the list of trims. They may be hard to find. I like the cargurus website but there are a large number of websites you can use when searching for used vehicles. Autotrader is another one. They let you search for years, trims, etc and dealers usually post their listings on there in addition to their own websites. You can also try craigslist if you want to buy from a private party. It will probably be cheaper but there are fewer guarantees about what you'd be getting. Also the 3rd generation years are from 2010-2015. They added some small features in 2012
I have looked on CarGurus and AutoTrader. There are some older Prius Touring. The Persona or the 5's are extremely expensive. That is an interesting fact. Also, they seem to be low mileage. I am unable to find the specific Auburn, CA carGurus car for sale. I will keep trying to locate that particular one. KennyGS.
Yes the touring trim ended in 2010 and was replaced with the 5, so the 5s are newer. Good luck with your search!
Not sure about the Gen 2 Touring, but I owned a Gen 3 Persona with 17-inch wheels, and the ride was so loud and harsh that I traded for the Gen 4 Touring after 18 months of driving the Persona. At the time, we had a Gen 2 Standard (15-inch wheels) and I remember I noticed how loud and harsh the Persona was during the first test drive, but I liked the color and interior so we got it anyway. Regretted it and now the Gen 4 Touring is everything I wanted, the tighter ride of the Touring, combined with the smooth/quiet ride of the 15-inch wheels.
If you can afford it, a CPO will give some peace of mind. Otherwise, check the Toyota website that links to individual dealers, Carvana, Edmunds, KBB, Carmax, NADA, cars.com, even Google. Ebay Motors might also work. Craigslist can be OK, but only if you have a mechanic you trust to inspect the car. I found that some of the best and safest deals are from non-Toyota new car dealers trying to sell Prius trade-ins, but I wound up buying a trade-in from a Toyota dealership - timing is everything, because everyone wants good deals - you have to get there first.
I am so glad to read this. I knew this site would eventually come back up and that there would be more info. I haven't bought yet, merely because of that fact!
Shorthand for Certified Previous Owned, a Toyota term, meaning the car has gone through and passed a Toyota sanctioned checklist at a dealership. I believe it includes some warranty? Still, I would take it with a grain of salt.
aha... okay. With a grain of salt indeed. I don't much like my Toyota dealership and feel as though I should be able to buy a Prius from a private party and get a decent deal and a decent car. However, now I have found out that there are all sorts of things to learn about the newer Priuses, and I'm lost at sea again in a whole new way.
At this point, almost every car manufacturer has picked up on the Certified Pre Owned concept - it takes some of the risk out of buying a used car: Top 20 CPO Programs for 2015 - Autotrader Toyota's is here: Certified Used Toyota Vehicles | Pre-Owned Cars, Trucks, SUVs & Hybrids The Toyota CPO cars have to meet mileage and age conditions, are completely inspected and to a certain extent reconditioned, and come with a Toyota powertrain warranty. Costs about 2k over an identical car sold privately or at a non-toyota dealership. Carmax does something similar, but their warranty is optional. If you don't have a relationship with a Prius mechanic you trust, I think these guys are the best at pre-purchase inspections: Alliance Inspection Management |
I have a 2011 Prius Five .... not sure Toyota sold anything called a "touring" when I was looking. I bought our 2011 in January 2012 -- the cars were delayed because of the Tsunami -- I'm not sure when the USA got the 2012's. I remember asking about the touring suspension and my dealer had not seen any. The Five has the 17 wheels/ tires and a different steering box that is designed to make the car a bit more responsive. It does not have a different suspension -- I have not found any negatives to the Five. The Five also comes with LED headlights -- and they could not be ordered with a sunroof. NO Five will have a sunroof. Being the highest trim level they are the most expensive -- also if you wanted the technology package -- the only way to get it was to order the Five. The Five has leather interior -- the NAV package was an option .. but they all had it.
