I need some advice on buying a used prius....

I am thinking about buying a used prius, a 2006 or 2007 with around 30k miles on it. I need some advice on what to do to insure that the car is mechanicaly sound before purchase. Should I take it to a dealer to have it checked out before buying? Or would I be better off taking it to an independent mechanic? Or am I better off buying a certified one from a dealer? I have never bought a used car before (only new) so I just need some advice on what to do before buying a used one.

Thanks,

Jessica.

Normally I would take a used car to a trusted or highly-recommended independent mechanic. But since the Prius has some components only a dealer can work on, I think I'd take it to a trusted dealer. "Trusted" is crucial here.

Just my opinion.

Ditto daniel. Any "Prius certified" technician with Toyota's proprietary tools can do the work, but most of them are at Toyota dealers.

Try the Car Talk section of cars.com for service recommendations:
Cars.com: Auto Maintenance Tips From Car Talk

Thanks for the responses and info. I got the 2005 Prius and am enjoying the "newness" of the experience. It's a cool car and I'll spend the better part of this weekend reading/learing about it.

IMHO, there's not a whole lot that can go wrong in the first 30k miles (unless it's a lemon). you're still under full warranty for another 6k, i'd just buy it and drive it. i didn't get mine inspected when i got it (at 15.8k miles) and now i'm at 18.3 and all's well so far, had it serviced shortly after getting it just to make sure the 15k was done, and thats it.

Did you get copies of both the Owner's Manual and the Scheduled Maintenance Guide? If not, buy them, from a dealer or online. They will save you money and bother.

I believe you can still buy the extended 100,000 mile warranty on a used vehicle. I believe Prius chat still sells it too somewhere, you may want to look into it if you are worried about it, but historically the Prius is a pretty reliable vehicle.