WHat would you do - Gen II used vs Gen III

Go for the gen3 if you can afford it. Better mileage for most people. NEW ! Slightly roomier. Latest edition in the evolutionary chain.

John

 

My suggestion would be to try and find a 2010-11 with leather and other options you would like. It may be inline with the 2008 price which without knowing the prices up front sounds a bit high compared to a 2012 Prius. In my book if you can afford it newer is always better. I'm sure i'll get flamed for that statement.

 

Go with the gen 3 , not a case of preference the gen 3 is a lot better car in may ways.

 

Go for the gen 3. If leather is a big deal, you can always have that negotiated into the deal when you buy it.

 

i am in the same boat as you. I am still shopping around, but it seem that Gen III is more comfortable, better sound insulation, gas mileage in general, and feels more like a car. This is what I learned from reading from this forumn. I wish this forumn have a search function so I can look for a specific topic though. I am hoping to get a 2010 with a nav...but alot of dealers are charging it like they are new cars...I was hoping to get it under 20k...

 

Yeah I agree. I was thinking to myself, why don't i get a new one instead.. but the reason why i want to get used one is to justify the price of the vehicle. It takes 5 years to recoupe the cost between a 33mpg and a 55mpg in which the whicle is like 6 to 7k difference in price..Getting a base seem so plain in there and the reason why people are getting the gen III because of the tech as well...But i am also debating in getting a toyota camry hybrid which the cost is almost the same...but with 10 fewer mpg but has better comfort and room and etc

 

I wouldn't worry about 40k miles at all. Even more so since it has an extended warranty till 75,000 miles. The thing I'd check is that the extended warranty is transferable and how the owner maintained the car. Service records? You can create an account online at https://auth2.toyota.com/owners/web/pages/home and put in the vin number to see service records IF they were done at a Toyota dealer. Even after 75000 miles the hybrid batteries are covered for 8 years 100,000 miles I do believe. You figure 40k miles is just a little over 3 years of driving for the average person, so if your concerned about the hybrid system on a used prius with 40,000 miles realize that a new prius will be old in 3 years with likely a similar number of miles on it, granted you'll know the history but its still a hybrid. I know others have stated accounts of prius taxis with 250-300k on them running strong.

If its not about money which it doesn't seem to be really. I'd boil it down to wants and needs. Is there a specific need for leather? What about the technology that would be available on the 2012, would you use it? Check your insurance rates is there a much of a difference between the two?
Do you have kids or plan on having kids soon? If so go with the used that way you won't have to worry about it getting a bit abused.

Many considerations. The part of me that hates suprise repairs would want me to go new, the cheap part of me that hates spending more money would go used.

 

A $24k car that lasts 20 years is costing $1200 per year. A 2008 has already used up 4 years of life. Gen 3, unless you clearly prefer the Gen 2 after a test drive.

 

Having owned both if I had to choose I would opt for the Gen3. I find the Gen3 has a slightly more comfortable driving position and the extra power is useful at times.

 

Wait for the Gen IV. I'm not kidding. This is my new MO from now until the Gen IV comes out.

 

Ok if you don't wanna wait for the Gen IV, then get the used Gen II. More than half the people in this thread don't know that the Gen III is actually not that much better/solid because, well, they're newbs and weren't around during the Gen IIs hayday. Yeah, I'm playing that card.

They're both good cars. Obviously, though Gen II is the smarter choice money-wise.

 

I am in a similar position. Me and my wife both have Gen II's and we are looking at acquiring a Gen III. So we took a 2010 for a testdrive. It is a very different vehicle compared to our current Prii. Firmer suspension, no leather seats, roomier, no navigation, different instrument layout, different seats with lumbar support, more fuel efficient, much more power, less wind and road noise, different cornering and handling, and so the list goes on. Currently we are staying with our Prii but if the price was less and the dealer willing to give me more for my Prius then I would have taken the Gen III. Luckily we are in no hurry so we can afford to wait for a bargain deal to come our way. Also our current Prii are wonderfull vehicles that causes our hearts to say "Keep the Gen II" while our heads say "Go for the newer Gen III". I also read about some 2010 Prii that blew their inverters recently. More reason for me to wait for a 2011 or 2012 model. If I were you I would most probably go with the 2012 Gen III. Whichever way you go, I am sure you won't be sorry. Enjoy!

 

One distinct advantage the Gen III offers is the lack of a fuel bladder in the gas tank, so you have a gas gauge rather than a "guess gauge".

How much of a hurry are you to getting a new (or new to you) Prius? With gasoline prices so high right now, there is a premium on Prius pricing (say that 5x fast). If gas stabilizes or drops down a bit, supplies of new prii will build up and that puts pressure on the used Prii prices.

If you don't want to wait.....new = nice. And in a few years, you could replace the cloth interior with leather and get that new car smell all over again.

 

The OP's in CA. For CA (and CARB states), the HV battery is warranted for 10 years/150K miles as long as the car was purchased, registered and operated in CA or CARB states.

 

I dont' think you can calculate that way... I don't think most people will keep their vehicle for 20 years. I would say 10 year is probably a max and after that, you will probably want a new car because u prius is too old, rattle, etc..

 

Ehhhhhhhh I think you're wrong.

Yeah I think the type of people own BMWs will flip a new car every 2 years, but at 10 years old, a Toyota is just starting to break in. Why do you think there are so many old Toyotas and Hondas on the roads? That and times just flies man. It flies.

 

I would not buy a 4 year old prius for 5k less than a new one.