Looking, and Need Convincing

Well Bean Town is in Taxxachusetts which is a CARB state, so make sure car was orig purchased in a CARB state and you have 150k miles 10 yr guarantee on the big stuff.

I also have an idea for used Plug-In Prius PiP someday, and thinking about those advanced features, but I don't know too much about it. You might consider a PiP too if you can find one.

 

Convincing uh?

Pro - If you can get a Toyota extended warranty might be OK.
Pro - 2013 still newish., etc.
Pro - May only need typical servicing - brake fluid flush, trans filer, weatherstrip lubrication.

Con - A used car
Con - Price, what was new out the door in 2013? Maybe $25K. Then take three years depreciation. Would need Blue Book and other info to value also.
Con - 85K mileage....a little high for me.

Opinion: Since you are asking this question reads like this is NOT the car for you.

In my area, used Prius' are priced way over book, yes because of demand here.
So, continue to look for the car you really want and valuing your time investment, spend a little more to purchase it.
That's the insight I can offer....

Good hunting!

 

Convince or un-convince yourself.
All used cars come with risk.

I did think it was funny that you said,

So only over 67,000 unaccounted for miles.

Listen, you already know, there is no way to know everything about a used car, even with all the tools available. You can only minimize the risk, not totally divorce yourself from it.
So my advice is find the deal that represents the least amount of compromise in terms of what you really want- on all levels.

Since you're asking "Should I look at?' ....sure why not? Looking isn't buying and you conceivably aren't going to buy ANY vehicle without looking at it first anyway.

I've walked away from deals based just on "gut" instinct. Looking at the vehicle might clarify the whole situation. You might find issues that make it real easy to say no. You might think it looks so great it makes saying yes easier.

Since this evidently would be the 3rd car in your household, I must assume this isn't an emergency of urgent situation, which would give you the luxury of looking and being able to walk away.

Sure take a look...but as far as convincing yourself? That's up to you. No way over the internet can I or anyone really tell you whether a used car deal is going to be bad, good or great.

You appear to be using most of the tools available in evaluating a used vehicle, of course an independent pre-purchase inspection is one, depending on how much you are willing to invest in time and money in evaluation.

 

Well keep in mind you still get 8-yrs and 100k miles in the standard warranty case. So its not the end of the world, just nice to have the extra. My car is almost 10 yrs and over 150k miles and nothing happened.

 

New Hampshire quit being a CARB state in 2009.

It is OK if it has been registered in a Non CARB state, only the purchase state and the current state matter. (as I read the Warranty)

 

We bought, just this month, a 2012 Prius v 5 with 115,000 miles on it from a Toyota dealer. It was a long distance negotiation. A fly in and drive 17 hours home over two days. We paid $11,700. Car has immaculate interior (two tone ash leatherette), silver exterior with weird puncture ding right rear door trailing edge at bottom near rocker panel, nearly new Hankook tires, 3 key FOBS, and no other options beside the usual model 5 things. We fixed the weird puncture damage for $90 (I think we lucked out as the bodyman did not speak english, operated a parts yard for mostly older vehicles, but he is a true artist.) Cannot see the repair at all. If the Bondo holds in over the long term this was a bargain. Being a Toyota dealer they did oil change, cabin filter, rotation, alignment a a few other things (all appear on the carfax). I think that new Prius sales are being badly hurt by the lower gas prices and that same effect is being felt in the used Prius market as well. The nice thing about buying a used Prius during low gas prices is that you are not paying a "hybrid premium", so, doesn't matter what gas prices are; I just think to myself "I'm getting around for half what most other drivers are paying" or, "my effective fuel costs are half what it says on the pump."
(sine my MPG is about twice what other cars get.)

I would not worry so much about miles (as long as the price reflects higher miles) but rather more on how it "impresses" you when you look at it inside and out. As mentioned, our interior looked like it just came from the factory... says something about the prior owner, and probably indicates he/she was fairly light-weight as the driver's seat was perfect, not a wrinkle. For most cars, mileage holds less negative meaning than it did even 10 years ago.

We drove our Lexus LS400 for 18 years (bought it two years old and 54,000 miles) and, until it was side swiped, looked nearly new inside and out and drove nearly new right up to 230,000 miles with hardly an issue. Then the accident. I think these newer Toyotas will perform in the same way.