Which used Prius should I buy?

Assuming that all of them were bought and operated in CA or other CARB states, I'd lean towards the one w/the lowest mileage. As an FYI, those that were bought and operated in CARB states means that you have a 10 year/150K mile HV battery warranty and 15 year/150K mile emissions warranty.

You can take a look at the warranty information booklet for more details...

 

I'd ge the lowest mileage one try to work them down on the price from 13k to 12k.

 

Test drive all but the one with 147K miles. Mileage is not always the best indication of condition. Some people are very, very hard on their cars, and the Prius is not exception. A good indication would be the MPG for the current tank of gas on the MFD. A low reading there indicates a potential problem, like failing 12V battery, and/or an owner who drives the car aggressively. Make sure you get one with Smart Key, where the door will unlock when you touch the handle and the car can be started without having the key in the slot.

 

I just picked up a 2007 with 105k miles for an advertised price of $12.5k on Autotrader - I would say, be willing to travel to get the car you want.

I drove about 400 miles, but I got a nicely optioned model (HIDs, JBL, backup, smart key) in fantastic condition.

 

Mileage is *moot* on a Prius & other parallel hybrids like the Ford Escape, or the Camry.

So, knowing that you can easily do half a million miles w/o worries, take the mileage out of the equation.

You now have a choice between a base at 9500 or a fully loaded for an extra 2 grand. I'd take the 11400 one in a heartbeat.

 

I may be selling mine, PM me if interested. I'm not in LA but a quick Southwest flight is worth the trip.

I would agree that miles are important but ownership history and care are more important that miles.
You can have a 50k mile car with several owners and zero maintenance records, and I would pass it up every time for the single owner, 100k mile car with full records.
(I am not describing my car here, it's just an example).

 

go for what YOU like and your gut tells you...after all its YOU who will be driving it and making the payments

 

I disagree. The higher the mileage, the closer it is to being totally out of warranty. Some 2nd gen folks have had their HV battery fail both in and out of warranty (one notable one is http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...5-prius-gen2-traction-battery-experience.html at 194K miles).

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...-000-mile-prius-should-i-buy.html#post1305335 are words from one of our repair experts. I'd say Patrick is maybe a bit more cautious or alarmist than others here, but then again, IIRC, he's had HV batteries replaced on 2 of his hybrids.

With higher mileage, there is the greater probability that something could fail. If it's expensive (e.g. power split device, inverter, HV battery) and out of warranty, that could easily eat up most of the savings. We also don't know if the transmission fluid was ever changed on any of these. If it hasn't been changed on any, I'd do it immediately, but if the 147K miles one hadn't had a change yet, I'd steer clear...

There's also http://priuschat.com/forums/toyota-...9-combination-meter-intermittent-display.html, but at least pEEf can fix it for a lot less than getting a new meter from a dealer.

Also, if they haven't been replaced, wear items (e.g. brakes, struts, belts, etc.) will more likely need replacement soon/sooner.

Sure there are high mileage Priuses like http://priuschat.com/forums/hybrid-...ery-reliable-vancouver-yellow-cab-update.html, but I myself currently have a few problems on my 06 at ~53K miles, some of which I'm not going to bother fixing (e.g. interior buzzes, http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...8300-volume-gone-wild-then-stops-working.html and http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...ront-end-rattle-knock-noises.html#post1306322). I've also had the buttons on the radio stop working once (also a known issue).

I've had a few other problems too... most were fixed under warranty.