Hi folks - I'm brand new to the forum and new to the world of hybrids. I'm looking to trade my gas guzzling minivan for a Prius. I'm looking at two (maybe three?) pre-owned options and wondering which I should buy. What do you guys think? The two main contenders seem to be the same car. One has 30k miles, the other has 50k miles. The higher mileage car has the solar sun roof. Maybe this is a feature I'll love once I own it, but right now I'm not sure I see the benefit. The prices are about the same ($500 dollar difference one way or the other). The higher mileage car is from a dealer in town and they offer free, lifetime oil changes. Not sure if the lower mileage car offers the same, but the dealer is farther away and I probably couldn't regularly take advantage of that even if offered. Unfortunately I can't link to the cars because I'm too new to the forum. If anyone is so inclined, you can look them up: Low miles, no free oil changes: Google "Middletown CT Toyota" search stock number L08964U Solar sun roof, free oil changes: Google Toyota of Wallingford CT and enter stock number P3566 I'm also considering a third option, which is a plug in advanced of the same year (and from local dealer with the free oil changes). A little more expensive. I don't have a garage to store my car in, so I don't know how much of a hassle storing the charging cable would be (can I leave it outside in the elements?). I also have a long highway commute to work and would surely burn all my electricity on the highway before I ever hit city driving (I do a lot of city driving for my job, after my commute). Not sure if it's worth it. Honestly, I think I'm considering this one so heavily because it has leather seats, but I know that's a dumb reason to spend so much more for a car if the plug-in aspect isn't going to mean much to me. That car is also at Toyota of Wallingford and has stock number P3530 I don't know - they all seem so comparable in price and mileage (how much is 20k miles worth? Maybe a lot? I don't know). Any thoughts you all can offer would be very much appreciated!
Okay - so an update. I dug in to the Carfax and the lower mile car was in a front end collision. This makes me lean much more heavily toward the higher mileage car.
How serious was the accident? Be aware that a rebuilt title voids all manufacturer warranties. Most people would advise against buying a hybrid that has been in anything more serious than a fender-bender. A hybrid has many different electrical components whose reliability can be compromised by an accident.
welcome! i would go with the other one too. but not for the free oil changes, they aren't worth it. it just gives them an opportunity to try and sell you something else. and you feel locked in if you're unhappy, because they are free, and you would have to pay somewhere else. all the best!
