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Limited budget... need opinions

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by chris4355, Jul 30, 2013.

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  1. chris4355

    chris4355 New Member

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    Since you are wondering... I am a first time buyer hence why the original issues with the bank, but I am completely out of debt and working as an engineer. Student loans are paid off. I'm not swimming in money or anything but I am doing alright; and I have money saved. My goal was to finance a Prius without touching my savings and emergency fund by selling my car at a good price. I pulled it off, problem was my bank (credit union) gave me a rate of 1.69 and a max loan of 15k - so I was only working with that at first; but then I found out I could do more - I just did not ask for it...

    Truth is, the initial loss in value of a new car coming straight out of the lot is in a way negated by the 0% apr. Another option is to purchase a used Prius, 2010, at 40,000 miles - where they are offering it for 3 year at 0% as well. Asking $18,500, if I can haggle it down a bit I may get the used 3 year option instead.

    I have become very wary of purchasing used, I was very honest selling my car and told buyers every detail, it took me 4 weeks to sell it because of that, but I did it the honest way- unfortunately I did not get the same treatment dealing with other private sellers. Nobody seems honest over the phone, and I feel as though they think I will suddenly overlook all the cars flaws only because I made the drive there. A little honesty goes a long way in making me feel safe buying the car. That last visit with the Prius IV was the last straw. My friend speculated the frame was bent because there was a slightly larger gap on one side of the fenders panel than the other, it was larger on the opposite side of the changed rim. I then took it for a test drive it was not driving straight. To top it all off, the hood was clearly repainted, cheaply. Why would someone who has never had an accident paint a 2.5 year old car?
    It was way too fishy.
     
    #21 chris4355, Aug 2, 2013
  2. WE0H

    WE0H Senior Member

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    That is why I buy new ;)

    Mike
     
    #22 WE0H, Aug 2, 2013
  3. evpv

    evpv Active Member

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    You should be able to get a 2013 II for right around $21,000 before taxes in SoCal. Check the weekend newspaper adverts.
     
    #23 evpv, Aug 2, 2013
  4. tumbleweed

    tumbleweed Senior Member

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    Buy a new one! you will be glad you did. As pointed out above the Toyota Nav System is not very good and too expensive, I know because I have one. A Garmin with lifetime maps is a much better system and lots cheaper.
     
    #24 tumbleweed, Aug 2, 2013
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  5. chris4355

    chris4355 New Member

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    Ya after playing with the nav system on a few prii, I'm definitely not interested - phone can do much better.
     
    #25 chris4355, Aug 2, 2013
  6. djasonw

    djasonw Active Member

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    I still have my loaded 04 and I rarely use the built in NAV. I prefer to use the Tom Tom app with HD traffic on my iPhone. I just got a 2013 Prius II and the level of equipment is fine for my needs. The only stand alone option I'd like is the radar cruise. Obviously I'm not going to spend thousands just to get one feature.
     
    #26 djasonw, Aug 3, 2013
  7. Drdiesel

    Drdiesel Active Member

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    Buy new even if you're forced to use some savings. Get a year-end 2013 closeout deal going.
    You can get a zero interest loan as well as rebates. Do your homework online and compare apple's
    to apple's. Nail down the price on the model you want. Find out what the average price paid is through true car
    and other online info. Call all the dealers in your area after you look at the cars they have available and make an offer.
    If they won't take it, move on until you get a taker on the car you know they have with the level of trim you want and by it.
    I did this when I bought my 2013 C. My local dealer would only drop his price by 80 bucks. He wanted 480 more than
    I wanted to pay. Another dealer had the same car and took my offer. I bought it the same day. It helps to work on the deal and know what the car can be purchased for, before you start visiting any dealer. Make sure they have it and make an offer on it. It works best just before the end of the month. They're motivated to sell cars to make the monthly sales number higher :eek:
     
    #27 Drdiesel, Aug 3, 2013
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  8. chris4355

    chris4355 New Member

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    I went from one dealer to another, eventually I went with this guy who helped me out a couple of weeks ago. Got a brand new Silver Prius, 2013, for $22,500 before taxes; at 0%. I love the car and am trying to find excuses to drive it around =)
     
    #28 chris4355, Aug 3, 2013
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  9. tumbleweed

    tumbleweed Senior Member

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    Congratulations, you made a good choice by getting a new one.

    I am sure I wasted a lot of gas the first year or so of Prius ownership just driving around and experimenting with mileage etc. This is good because it made me a better Prius driver and I probably made up for the wasted fuel later by getting better mileage.
     
    #29 tumbleweed, Aug 3, 2013
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  10. WE0H

    WE0H Senior Member

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    Welcome to the Prius addiction [​IMG]

    Mike [​IMG]
     
    #30 WE0H, Aug 3, 2013
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