Advice on Purchase

OK...that's not too non-typical. In fact my Dad bought a new Toyota Rav 4 with a lifetime power train warranty coming from the dealership.
I just have never heard of this type of offering on a used vehicle.

And of course, this, as you know, is not a full warranty.

Don't mean to rain on your parade. I wish you the best.

I think my nature, and approach with buying a car from a dealership, new or used, is to expect it to be an adversarial experience at some level. Which is kind of a sad commentary about car buying.

But I guess like George in that old episode of Seinfield, I'd rather walk into the dealership with a paranoid level of "They're trying to screw me over" than walk in believing that they are giving me things for free because they like my shoes. I know that it isn't always the case, but I generally feel dealerships are often shark tanks.

I love researching cars. .....I hate the actual car dealership buying experience.

So you may have to excuse any subconscious paranoia I may be transferring to your buying process.

 

i think 12k is a smart offer.the warranty isn't bad, i'm just not sure what unnamed parts are not listed. are you a carb state? that would give you 10/150k on the battery and inverter, otherwise 8/100.

 

MN appears to not be a CARB state.

 

so you would have around 2 years left on your hybrid warranty. ask them if they'll cover it on the lifetime, as it's an essential part of the power train.

 

More likely as a 2009, it simply doesn't meet the standard of being a Certified Pre-Owned Hybrid. I think Toyota has an vehicle age limit on the program. I doubt Toyota would let dealerships "replace" their CPO program with their own.

 

I would want to look carefully around the headlight and underneath with a strong flashlight for any signs of accident damage. a clean carfax is good, but sometimes folks get the work done on the side and so carfax gets no report of the accident. the headlight might be damaged or the bulb might not have been put in correctly allowing moisture into the headlight. any bent metal near the headlight, under the fender, radiator support, etc. would make it a no go.
if you find no signs of a wreck, it should be a great car, but it will ride like an econobox because it is an econobox. a set of good 205/60r15 tires will help. and by good I don't mean kumho or some imported cheapo junk tires, or even the pathetic goodyear integritys which Toyota never should have used on these cars.

 

Superstition.- I'll say it once again.
My concern wouldn't necessarily BE the condensation in the headlight, but why it exists in the first place. That can be a symptom that manifests after a vehicle has been in a wreck and fixed.

Have you looked at the Carfax? Is its history presented as being accident free?
As stated above....Carfax isn't perfect..but at least it's something. I'd be suspicious if the Carfax hasn't been offered. Usually if the vehicle has a clean Carfax, the dealership WANT'S you to know about it, as a selling feature. They'll be sliding it under your nose and telling you how great it is.
If you haven't been presented with a carfax report...be suspicious as to why, and ask for one.

A reason the vehicle may not be sold as a Toyota Certified Used Hybrid IS if it has been in an accident. So I'm just suspicious.

A lot of vehicles sitting on a lot, drive nicely and look good. But if you buy it, you're going to own it conceivably for a long time. Which means you want it to drive nicely and look good 6 months from now.

Yes...I approach buying a vehicle suspiciously. And just because a dealership is a "Major" dealership in the area, doesn't necessarily guarantee much of anything...other than they sell a lot of Toyota's on volume.

I bought my new Prius from a "Major" Toyota dealer in my area, and the Prius is fine. However, I've changed dealerships, to a smaller but higher rated service department dealership because of my disappointment with the 'Big" Toyota dealerships post purchase support.

 

You can't go wrong with any clean Gen2 Prius with a good history. They are pretty indestructible. I personally would not pay the premium for the super low mileage this car has. These cars have been known to go well over 500,000 miles in taxi service which is a pretty rough life. In my experience most battery failures occur on low mileage cars that have been sitting or cars with real dirty/dusty interiors (dog hair is a battery killer). These batteries age in time more than mileage. Look for a nice 2008-2009 with 75k-100k miles and save yourself about $4000 which is more than enough to pay for a brand new hybrid battery from the Toyota dealer if necessary (you probably won't need one for years).

That power train warranty basically only covers engine and transmission with a $300 deductible. Engine and transmission failures are extremely rare on Prii that have been maintained. The failures that I have seen are cars with 200-300k and/or lack of maintenance. I have installed several used engines and transmissions with low mileage that can be had for around $200.Moisture in headlights is extremely common on cars that have been detailed and pressure washed. It can usually be dried out by removing the turn signal bulb and the cornering bulb and parking in the sun on a hot afternoon. This is unlikely in Bloomington this time of year (I lived there until I was 19) but you can accomplish this with a hair dryer also.

 

is this the only used prius for sale in minnersoter?

 

Never buy a car for full asking price.

 

Spoken like one that likes to haggle.

Some dealerships really DO embrace the NO Haggle policy and that they sell the vehicles for the price they post. This may be one of those dealerships.

If so? You don't really have much choice but to pay the price the dealers is asking IF you want the vehicle.

The OP say's "They said they don't negotiate. Period. I knew that's what was said when we first started looking".

Well? Knowing how seriously a dealership enforces this policy is important especially if "haggling" or negotiating IS something you want and intend to do.

There's one Toyota dealership where I live, and the no haggle approach is the whole motto of the dealership.

As someone who HATES haggling, I kind of respect the Here's The Price...approach, as long as it really is enforced and consistent policy.

 

I think you missed the point with this statement:
"As someone who HATES haggling, I kind of respect the Here's The Price...approach, as long as it really is enforced and consistent policy."

No haggle dealerships are just fine. Assuming they actually price their cars fairly. If the cars aren't priced well then "no haggle" doesn't really work. Sometimes haggling is completely necessary to negotiate a fair market price.

I bought our two Prii at times when demand was extremely high. Paid sticker for both of them and didn't feel cheated. In fact, at the time sticker was a deal because most everyone was paying $2-5K over sticker. Our Touring was one of the first to deliver in CA and our v was one of two in the whole state with the color /options we wanted. If I paid sticker right now I don't think it would be a good deal, but that's because the demand has changed.

I actually think the price is pretty good for this 09. I agree that you could find one with 75-100K miles on it for less, but those additional miles are wear on the whole car too, including things like seats and buttons. I wouldn't be surprised if this was a summer only car for someone given the location. Sounds like a great find.

 

Don't think I missed the point. Think I was just giving my personal opinion and viewpoint.

The OP in this case was evidently told early on in the process that the dealership didn't negotiate or haggle. He evidently thought they weren't sincere. They were...and that's the way a growing number of dealerships are now operating.

I don't like the "Camel Trader" haggle nature of car purchase. And I think with the internet and other services, we are moving away from that way of buying a car.

With all the resources now available to educate potential buyers as to the value and price paid for a vehicle, even at a "Haggle" dealership, there isn't much a dealership can get a way with, assuming the buyer has spent just a little time on the internet.

I know some people actually enjoy....getting that deal. Some people actually WANT to haggle. I want a fair price, which includes a fair profit margin for the dealership, and that's it.

If you like to haggle? You can still find those dealerships that will put you through an exhausting day of back and forth negotiating, passing slips of paper back and forth, and sigh...finally giving you that "great deal, that they are taking food out of their babies mouths to facilitate".

I PERSONALLY... hate going through any process like that.

 

congrats!

 

Congrats!

I think one task all potential prius owners should do is to get the HV battery assessed before negotiating, if at all possible, especially on the cars that are coming up on 8, 9, 10 yrs old. It should be on the used car purchase check list for hybrids. Regardless of warranties, it just seems a necessary check.

Or maybe I'm being overly paranoid...not just my usual paranoid.

They should have included the second fob for free . Sorry to hear that they skimped on that.

 

He needs to ck and see if he has a maintenance schedule that has to b followed and done at the selling dealer. I had same and did not read fine print. Had maintenance done at dealer closer to home and lost lifetime thing

 

What is the best way to get the HV battery assessed? Do you recommend doing this regularly? Do you have any other suggestions for what I should do? I just bought a 2009 Prius with 28,000 miles and would obviously like to avoid as many unforeseen issues as possible...