Still on the hunt for a 3G car at a fair price. Lately, I've been coming across a lot of One models with CarFax indicating a personal use vehicle. Every source I can see says the the One model was "fleet only". Were dealers skirting the rules and selling Ones to private buyers? So much so that I can't find a reliable source of what was missing from a One. But as long as it has cruise (and I've yet to see a One without it), I'm fine. I'm pretty sure that they lack rear speakers, but so what? So what's the deal on Ones titled for personal use?
I did read that the ones were meant for fleet use, but I didn't see anything about any rules. When a business sells off their fleet cars, I would guess they could sell to anyone, even a wholesaler or auction house. But that's just my assumption.
The level 1 gen 3 Prius is quite a unicorn that I've never seen. More likely, its a dealer listing that they just checked that box when they posted the ad. The levels are confusing to most especially since it isn't marked on the tailgate or bumper. For example you can spot a Nissan Armada Platinum by glancing at the tailgate for that word instead of SL or SV. Sometimes you can catch a good deal if the dealer is pricing a higher model using a level 2's book value. Knowing what options separate each trim help you when scrolling through the photos on the listings. Here's some interesting reading on what's missing on a level 1. Seems like a very drab option. 2010 Toyota Prius I Equipment Level: Not Available Any Time Soon
Prius I/One didn't come with cruise control, wheel covers, rear cupholders, EV mode and only had 4 speakers IIRC. It's possible the dealers see that the car is a base model and just picked the lowest number they could in the drop-down menu on their computer software. It was for fleet buyers when new but I'm not aware of any restrictions placed on selling the vehicle as used after the company is done with it.
This is a good call. Just for fun, after reading this thread I went to Autotrader and looked only for 2010-11 Prius Ones. The first four cars I looked at were a pair of Twos, a Four with leather, sunroof and navigation, and a Five. (As a footnote, I recently tried searching for a 2010-11 Five. I'd say over 80% of the cars called Fives visibly weren't.)
