I'm shopping for a second Gen 2 Prius. I bought my first Prius in June of 2018, for 5 grand, in average condition with 140K miles. Recently I see asking prices higher than that, every day, on Car Gurus. A majority of these are listed in similar or worse condition that mine. I'm sort of amazed,but disappointed that, in a-year-and-a-half the asking prices haven't changed.
The used car market is really overheated right now. Everyone and their brother is seeking something with a few more years left under $10k. So cars that should’ve been thrown away are suddenly $1500, the $4k beaters are $7k and so on.
I know right... I never would of imagined 10 year old economy cars with 100K + miles still selling in the $7K - $9K range... And those prices would NOT be that high if used Prius buyers had bad experiences with their purchase.
I'm one of those people who was looking for a reliable used car. I found my Gen 2, at what I perceived was a fair price. As I have started searching for my second Prius, I thought that higher used prices was just my imagination.
That's a 2 part answer. If I need to drop in a 2K1Toaster battery, I'd go most anywhere within the state of Tx. If the car has a decent powerplant already, I'd travel if the expense was reasonable.
So....I recently purchased a 2005 with the intent to resell. Purchased from the original owner, who purchased it in Puerto Rico while stationed there and then brought it home with him. 2005 in Driftwood Pearl with less than 132k miles. It has a tmr-jwap Gen 2 HV battery built using Gen 4 modules from a wrecked 14k mile 2017 Prius and all new sensor and wire harnesses. A new Toyota Inverter Cooling Water Pump installed with new SLLC in the inverter cooling loop. Oil changed with Mobile 1 5w-30 and Toyota filter. New Denso SK16R11 spark plugs. Replaced engine coolant SLLC Transaxle fluid replaced with Toyota WS BFGoodrich Advantage TA Sports with 0.248/0.251 (8/32) front and 0.268/0.265 (8.5/32) rear tread depth (new is 0.297 or 9.5/32) All new bulbs (not the brake leds) and wipers (Rain-X beam style) New Toyota engine air filter and cabin air filter MFD replaced due to the screen having some internal damage making it hard to read from the driver seat. The interior is tan cloth in excellent condition. The seats were covered for almost its entire life. The driver door armrest has some discoloration. Has the heavy rubber floor mats Currently only one SKS FOB. I was planning to drive it for 2 tanks of gas or so to ensure no problems were present, then put up for sale. The car drives great. The first tank finished at 51.5 mpg. This tank is at 49.5 with faster driving and colder weather. The paint has some areas where it needs touchup, mostly at leading edges like the hood and side mirrors. The rear bumper cover has an area where the paint peeled a bit. The clearcoat has some areas where it could use some work. I think all these could be fixed with one kit of touchup paint (comes with an aerosol can of matched paint and clearcoat for about $50). And, as luck would have it, the windshield took a hit last week. There's a chip on the passenger side where a rock? or something hit it. A small chip and some hairline cracks. Totally covered by a dime with room to spare. KBB puts private party value $3500-5500 for my area. I haven't decided 100% if I'm going to sell or keep as a family back-up vehicle. If I were to decide to put it on the Private Sales forum this weekend, what price would draw interest?
I paid $7200 for my '08 with 88k on the clock 2 years ago. It now has 108k. If somebody offered me $6k, I'd be digging the title out of my safe within seconds.
I paid $8k for my 2009 three years ago. It had 105k miles then and has 143k now. I could probably get $6k for it today if I really wanted, but I plan to keep it as long as possible.
Please put it up for private sale. I appreciate the details and the care you have put into it, but the 2nd car is for my wife. Her preference is either going to be for an 08 or 09. She has a newer Ford Fiesta, but she prefers the Prius. She's a short person, and she can see better and get in and out of the Prius easier than her Ford. Basically she wants another one exactly like mine.
I would imagine the competition in larger cities drives your offers down somewhat. Here, next to the capital, the 'Keep Austin Weird' crowd asks inflated pricing. San Antonio follows that market, which doesn't make sense to me.
you're probably right. my daughter had trouble selling her '08 with 130k in great condition last year. finally wound up taking $4,500. after 6 months, iirc
In you area? Your profile says USA... Can't you be specific to a region or you just really paranoid? Or maybe you're in the witness protection program related to the recent crime spree of mobs of Prius drivers robbing banks and then blending in with other Prius drivers in the slow lane?
