Tough Decisions - 2012 Prius 2 vs 3

Hello Prius Chat! I'm reaching out to people who are more well-versed in the Prius world for some advice. I've been searching for a Prius over the last month and I think I have my search narrowed down to two vehicles. Both are 2012 Prii, one is black with 77k miles and the other is White with 66K miles. Both drove nicely, but I have some reservations.

Black Prius: This car is at a Ford dealership and has been in their inventory almost two months. It has higher miles than the white vehicle, but overall is in excellent cosmetic condition. I entered the VIN into the Toyota owners website and it was serviced every 5k miles at a local Toyota dealership. My concern is that I'm taking a 36 month loan to pay it off quickly, but by the time I pay it off, it'll have over 100k miles - should I be worried? Also, it's a Prius 2, so it doesn't have the back-up camera or HD radio.

White Prius: This car is at an affordable auto lot but is newer to their inventory, has been there about a month. The vehicle is in very good condition overall and has fewer miles than the black Prius. I noticed some very tiny rust spots on the wheel wells, but that's to be expected for a vehicle in Minnesota. When I looked at the Car Fax, I noticed that it was first a rental vehicle, then leased, then a personal vehicle - so effectively it's a three-owner vehicle. What my concern is, however, that it's been sold at auction three times during it's life span, and wasn't driven for quite a while as it bounced around. Overall, I like that this one has a back-up camera, HD radio, and lower miles - but I'm concerned about it's history. I couldn't find much of anything in terms of service records, but the dealer assured me they thoroughly inspected the vehicle and added new tires and brakes.

My gut leads me to the black Prius, given the service history and the positive experience I've had at the dealership, but I like the white color better. What are your thoughts regarding the miles vs service/auction history? Any help would be appreciated.

 

I forgot to add, the white Prius is listed at $12,999 and the black Prius is listed at $12,144 (offered $11,500 and walked, but the salesman mentioned he'd work with his manager to get it down to my price).

There is also a 2010 Prius 3 with a Solar Roof that just came on the market, 41,000 miles for $12,995 - with issues I've read about 2010 vehicles, however, I'm a bit concerned even though I like the nicer features.

 

Good point regarding the life of the battery on the 2010 - I've read that the cars prefer to be used, but couldn't get a clear picture whether or not miles or age were tougher on the vehicle. Thank you!

 

I agree with that, I feel fishy about the white Prius and this has confirmed that. The black vehicle has only had two owners, but was sold as certified used before recently being traded-in.

 

I've decided that I'm no longer interested in the white vehicle, but I'm keeping the black as a possible option based on its history of good maintenance.