buy or pass? 07' w/161K miles

I just this week paid $7100 for an '08 with 87k miles, from a Toyota dealer. Yes, it's a base model with far fewer toys, but for me, condition is far more important than toys. Bargains are out there.

 

From a distance, 16" wheels each have 7 spokes (easier to check than getting up close with tape measure or looking at the tyres)

 

Too funny. A bad water pump bearing would be squealing when the ICE is running. Clearly the bearing is not bad, but likely the techs hearing aid is in need of replacement. They could have easily loosened the belt to feel if there was any binding on the water pump bearing; if so, replacement would be wise. The water pump is not leaking either. No compelling reason to replace, other than for preventative maintenance, despite the same tech's or two different techs' faulty hearing aid.

Some people replace the water pump around 100K miles, as aggressive preventative maintenance.
I recall someone having 200K miles on their original water pump.

Consider contacting member Ericbecky in Madison. I would trust his advice over a dealers. Maybe he does vehicle inspection/assessment. EV Powers | Hybrid Battery Service & Repair. Prius Insight Civic. 2100 Winnebago St, Madison, WI

 

While the OP would be paying too much, I think you got a sweet deal. For yours, the photos look great, car seems clean, dealer is respected, and the price is right.

Fair retail price for yours would be around $7.6. But based on condition, it could be closer to $8k. That's as per kbb here.

 

I bought an '07 with 175K miles from an original owner for $3,400. It is in amazingly clean shape. Front struts were changed recently, fairly new tires, bluetooth, JBL sound with 6 disk changer. Just a data point for you. I bought it in Connecticut.

 

Not to "show off" but got some fair deals over the years through auction (dealer-only). You can get burned if you are dumb though. And to be honest 3/5 or even 4/5 times price goes too high in my opinion. Have to be very patient (and get lucky).

I got one on left in avatar for $2500 (+$175 auction fee + $400 shipping fee) = $3075 delivered.

I got one on right in avatar for $2000 (+$175 auction fee + $400 shipping fee) = $2575 delivered

The silver one all I did was change filters/oil and recharge AC...Wife drives it and barely put a tank of gas in it so far...Noticed one major problem today --- heat is not getting hot!!! It's one of those tricky issues that could be a few things.

The one I drive I already put 5000 miles on it. And my cost skyrocketed almost $1500 because I did weather tech mats, front KYB struts, front pads/rotors, spark plugs/PCV valve, front wheel bearings, and brand new tires with wheel alignment.

It's all about the timing and luck. For example, the one I got for $2000....the exact same seller ran a Prius with 280K miles on it last week...You run the VIN through toyota dealer website and see it was diagnosed with bad hybrid battery (I wasn't interested in bidding just curious what it would come back with)...You see red triangle on dash in pics also...And the bidders still bid it up to $1800...Yet mine slips by unnoticed for $2000 with half the miles. Doesn't make sense.

In my opinion....when I resell a year from now...I will lose money on the light green one because I already have $4500 into it...I'll probably get $4000 or maybe $3500....That's because I am going to probably put 40,000 miles on it in 1 year and it'll be close to 200k at time of sale. But then again, doing Uber on side, my cost slowly drops to zero. It's a work vehicle.

On the silver one I should hopefully get $4000 or so a year from now with the miles somewhere around 175k or 180k.

They are both exceptionally clean on the inside....And just enough wear/tear on outside (couple dings, couple scratches) that you won't get upset if you find a new scratch/ding ... but still clean

 

Some say, the 2008 Prius was the best year for the series 2 model-- enjoy that low mileage beauty. The ergonomics of the series 2 can't be beat.

 

Nice pictures! (…but I'm curious as to why both cars share the same registration plates? )

 

Lol the silver one originates from texas and had that plate front/back. I figured I would put it on the front of my green prius (no laws on front plate in michigan) but I ended up removing it last week.

 

I tend to look at NADA Black book, and that said $7200. The dealer had it in the lot at $9488. Now they have a very similar car on the lot at $8488. Some people say I'm a good negotiator, but I just told them the deal I wanted and told them I was prepared to leave with the car I arrived in.

 

I'm thinking the OP doesn't necessarily want a "bargain" but a good car at a fair price.
That being said, I think $6,200 is a little high given the age and mileage.
But you could balance that against having a pretty complete maintenance history and ownership history and the vehicle having been inspected.
If I was the Shark circling this deal? I'd probably negotiate for about a $1000 less.

Separately the cliche but true and often repeated advice to anyone buying a used Prius in that age and mileage range is be prepared....even if you don't have to do it, for the possibility of Hybrid Battery Replacement.
I think good, well kept Prius start ending up on the used car market around that age, because people start worrying about the reality of Hybrid Battery replacement.

You could go a significant amount of time still NOT needing a Hybrid battery, but also? You could be driving it tomorrow and discover you need one.
I'd want that Prius at about $1000 less, and I'd want enough set aside to invest into a replacement Hybrid Batttery IF it became necessary.