I am currently looking to buy my first Prius after living for two years in Houston, Texas. So far, after reading as much as I can on the forums, I have decided to go after a 3rd Gen with the following criteria: - Under $7K - Under 170K miles (ideally under 150K, as I understand this is when you are supposed to clean the EGR system, clean the PCV valve and replace the spark plugs) - Trim level is not important (any trim equal or higher than Two would be sufficient for me) - Model year between 2012 - 2015 (trying to avoid issues with the inverter, as well as issues with oil consumption that as far as I know, tend to mostly happen during the 2010-2011 model years) Based on this criteria, I have three candidates: - 2013 Prius Two, $7K, 120K, private seller, located in Houston, Texas - 2013 Prius Three, $7K, 135K, private seller, located in San Antonio, Texas - 2013 Prius Three, $7K, 170K, private dealer, located in San Antonio, Texas I also have considered a "dark horse" option, a $4K, 240K, private dealer 2012 Prius Three option, but I am not willing to check this option out unless I can find a very good Prius-specialized recommendation, and so far I've had no such luck. Any advice on whether I should take this option or not? I should disclose, I am looking to put almost exclusively short-trip city miles on this vehicle by supplementing my income with rideshare services. Other than the considerations above, is there anything else I should consider when checking these cars out? Would you be able to recommend any Prius-specialized pre-purchase inspection mechanics in the Houston and San Antonio areas? Anything else I should consider? Thank you very much for your help!
EGR does have issues but another thing to be concerned about is the hybrid battery (also 12v but that's minor)
