Looking to move from a 07 Prius Touring package 6, 80K miles to a 2011 Prius Four, solar sunroof, nav, but no leather, 31k miles. Price is 23K. Rear bumper skin has been repainted, its noticeable because the car is silver. No accidents on Carfax, clean 1 owner. Trying to figure out if its a good move. I love my 07, but realizing my platinum warranty is almost up and I like the peace of mind it offers. I also love my HID headlamps, which I am not sure the 2011 has, I can't figure out what the headlights are at all! Some input would be greatly appreciated.
I personally, would Not spend 23k on a car that was hit! You can get a new 13II, for that price. I mean there are too many questions around this Boobie trap. Now, if you really knew the whole story, the frame ( which is a unibody) wasn't bent, I bet it was, and no leaks, electrical issues, rattles, maybe if it was exactly what I wanted? Naah, just wouldn't do it! Why would some one sell a $30,000 car with only 30k for 23! Something is fishy in Denmark! IMHO.
Run the other direction. Sounds like one of those rebuilt not reported to Carfax vehicles. Mike Mobile on my SGH-i717
Correct me if I'm wrong, but 2011 Prius IV had Leather standard. In addition to that previously mentioned, Red flags all over this one.
The 2011 still came in leather. Toyota switched over to SofTex in 2012. Prius II-IV/Two-Four come with halogen projector headlights. In the V/Five they come LED headlights. Are you purchasing from a dealer or individual? I would just ask to see what they say about the 2011. But, honestly I would just get a new 2o13 Two or a Three at that price. You could take it to a body shop and have them inspect it to see if just the bumper skin was replaced or there was more damage. Your 2007 is a perfectly fine car. I am sure you have maintained it since you bought it. Have you had any major repairs or anything making you think otherwise to dump it since the warranty is almost up. Many people have double or more mileage and never had a big repair bill besides regular maintenance.
It did. See Toyota Vehicles : Toyota Announces Prices for 2010 Prius / Toyota. There were no significant changes on model year 2011 other than switching from Roman numerals to spelling out the trim levels.
Thank you all for your input, we decided not to go with this. The seller is a 'retiring' dealer, non-Toyota. He claims its a Prius IV but the VIN comes back as a III. Nothing is jiving with this car and it makes us nervous. This is why we love this site... Thank you all for help and input.
The fact that it's the skin of a dead animal for starters... That doesn't bother most people, but lets be real, I'm sure there are a lot more environmentalists, animal lovers, and vegans that own a Prius than any other car. Of course I'm biased in that I am all of the above. I loved that the plastics are made from renewable resources, and I loved the soft-tex.
I love animals, veggies, I like to treat nature with the respect it deserves. So did the Indians, that's why they regarded buffalos as spiritual, but they still wore there skins, to stay warm, to cover there homes, there bones as tools, there meat to nourish them. I love nature but I'm also not some Eco wack job. Respect the earth and its living and non living gifts. Because they are here to be shared. If you enjoy leather and want it no big deal, if not don't get it! Why don't we all just Live and let Live. And stop taking our selves so damn serious.
I don't think the price is wrong. I just paid $19,895 for my 2010 IV from a dealer with 33k miles, one owner (a local person, they left their home address in the Nav when they traded it), perfectly clean Carfax (including maintenance records, oil changes and tire rotations only), solar sunroof, leather, Nav. It was a good deal, but not a killer deal...based on my shopping. I think low $20's is the price for these cars, at least down here. My friend who is a dealer told me my price was good, but still $1.5k over what they go at the dealer auction (which is what really sets the price of cars). The price of Prius goes up and down opposite the price of gas in his experience. To the OP I wouldn't be afraid to by the car based on the painted bumper, but frankly I wouldn't trade a Toyota with 80k miles just because it was out of warranty. When the payments are over for a car, and you can drive it for another 4-5 years with no payments, then you get your value out of buying the car. Think of how many repairs could be purchased with the monthly payments you are not making. And, chances of a major failure in a modern car properly maintained are pretty low. IMHO if you want a new car every three years then lease and get used to car payments for the rest of your life (or buy every three years and stroke a big check every three years...not the best investment plan). To put my opinions in perspective since I'm new here, my Vette is 8 years old and my truck is 16, I've had both since new (I was second owner on each, bought with low miles). And I am a CPA so my views are jaded toward what makes business sense.
Actually it wasn't just the bumper paint, it was just the clue that something may not be right. And looking deeper we realized that it wasn't a good deal after all. Like I stated earlier, the seller listed it and is promoting it as a Prius IV without leather seats (special order he says). The Toyota dealership confirmed with the VIN that it's a Prius III with a pretty sketchy background. The records indicate 2 oil changes at a no name location a radio replacement and a repo at one point in time. So we passed.
