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Looking for advice on a used(2016) or New Prii

Discussion in 'Newbie Forum' started by wildal99, Jun 7, 2021.

  1. wildal99

    wildal99 New Member

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    Good afternoon everyone.

    I will be buying my first Prius soon to replace my current car (Developing some problems, and will likely need wheel bearing and a cv joint soon), and am torn between a new vs a used one. Being in Western MT, I don't have many options. I have narrowed my options of what is available around me to a new Prius (LE, AWD-e) for about 26.5k, or a used 2016 Prius with 67k miles, listed at 19k.

    I like the savings with the used, but I also am more concerned about what would be cheaper for me over the long term. My concerns with the used 2016 are what kind of maintenance is typical for a Prius of this age, And am concerned about the hybrid system, and combustion engine, since the power train warranty has expired soon, and there are only 3 years left on the hybrid warranty

    I would not mind doing my own maintenance, but as I rent my housing, I would probably have to pay about 35 an hour to rent a garage stall and tools from a local diy auto repair place to do anything major, so maintenance is a moderate concern.

    I guess in the end, my questions are what is the typical lifespan of a Prius, assuming it is taken care of, in miles and years? And when should I expect to have to do maintenance above the typical oil, filters, tires, and brakes.

    Given my (limited) options, what would be the better deal here if I'm looking to keep whichever Prius I purchase, until it starts to cost more to maintain than makes financial sense, or becomes unreliable.

    Finally, if I decide to check out the used Prius, what specifically should I be looking for for issues, and if it has been taken care of?

    Thank you all for your feedback, and I look forward to joining the Prius family.
     
  2. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    Welcome.

    A 2016 with 67k miles is almost new for a Prius. (Assuming the salt isn't eating it alive.) The Gen 4 hasn't been out long enough to know how long they last, but I've read of some with way over 100k miles. If they are anything like the older generations, 200-300k miles should be possible with proper maintenance.

    As for maintenance, you can download the owners manual and the warranty/maintenance guide from Welcome to Toyota Owners

    I'm 68 years old and I have never bought a new car. The depreciation on a new one is huge. But, if you plan to keep it a long long time, it can be nice. And that new AWD-e would be really appealing in snow country. Also, you didn't mention the trim level on the 2016. Some have Lithium batteries and some have NiMH. NiMH performs better in cold weather than Lithium, so Toyota put a NiMH battery in the AWD-e version assuming they are more likely to be driven in snow country rather than palm tree country.

    Also, the AWD-e will not have a spare tire. Some of the regular trims have a spare and some do not. As I recall, for 2016, the trim 2 and trim 3 have spares as does the 3 touring. The trim 2 Eco and trim 4 do not.
     
  3. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    New Prii is not too expensive and after 2018 you get all the Toyota driver assist safety functions (auto stop etc, radar cruise etc)
    Used Gen3 Prius at the moment I am not aware are as many generic big ticket repair items as older Gen2's have.
    As far as collision tests, Gen3 had some issues when the new short overlap test first came out.
    later Gen3's were improved to help that, but probably Gen4 did a better fixes.
    Gen3 is your last bulbous Prius shape so cargo space "to die for" and you still get a mini spare tire.
    Gen4 adopts a cool sedan look, but you'll have to get the no-spare tire option if you want to get anywhere near the Gen3 cargo space. You can go for used Prius v if you need the bigger space. But we opted for 2020 RAV4HV to get the safety feature + space + spare mini.
     
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    consider a new prime, which can be had in the northeast for around 20k
     
  5. davecook89t

    davecook89t Senior Member

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    For the record, a 2016 Prius Liftback is a Gen 4, and if it's a higher trim level (or the lower Trim Level 2 with certain option packages), it will have the driver assist safety functions that were standard on all trims in later years.
     
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  6. wildal99

    wildal99 New Member

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    That sounds like a steal,. I would not have a place to plug it in, but I suppose the larger battery would be useful out here in the mountains for Regen going down, and more power going up. Only thing is, I am out in Western Montana, so not sure how I could take advantage of the pricing / incentives.
     
  7. wildal99

    wildal99 New Member

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    Thanks for your reply,

    Im not sure what trim it is, but from the posting, seems to be a very well-equipped model, with pretty much the works (has the lane assist, HUD, Navigation, radar cruise, auto high/low beams, sirus cd radio with the premium sound, and a sun roof, so probably one of the higher trim levels. I am not allowed to link the post due to being brand new to the forum, so I can't link the posting, unfortunately.

    What trim levels came with which batteries, since it looks like the NI-MH would be better suited for the winter here?

    And I agree, that the depreciation is huge, hence the reason for searching for used cars, but around here, dealers that have used inventory are selling them for more than what I would pay for the new one, unless they are almost 7 or more years old, and there are hardly any private sale postings as well.

    I guess too what is making me nervous about the used, is that it is actually a year older, and has more mileage than my current vehicle which is already having issues (And I took care of it too). For instance, It will probably need a second CV axle soon, as well as it having a known weakness on wheel bearings (typically go out after only 60k), along with the air conditioner failing from a leak in the condenser, and now running a bit rougher than I remember, and the fan speed switch acting up, minor things, but, not exactly inspiring confidence in its reliability / cost of repairs for the future in a car that is only 5 years old), basically I am trying to replace it while it still has some value before it becomes a money pit, and so am worried that a car that is older and with more miles will be just as bad or worse.
     
  8. davecook89t

    davecook89t Senior Member

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    https://cdn.dealereprocess.org/cdn/brochures/toyota/2016-prius.pdf

    The 2016 would be a Three, then, with the Advanced Technology Package, since it has the HUD. That would also mean it has the Lithium-ion battery, which would probably only be a concern in extreme cold (if I was in central and eastern Montana, I might be more hesitant than I would be in western Montana if your weather is anything like say Cranbrook, BC).
     
  9. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    Only the trim 2 came with NiMH battery in 2016. I would not let that be the main decision maker, though. Here's a link to the brochure so you can see all the features.
    https://www.toyotacertified.com/assets/ebrochures/en/2016_prius_ebrochure.pdf
     
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  10. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    In the prime pricing thread, you will see how people from all over the country make a deal on the phone or net, then fly in and drive home.
    Not for everyone, but a great deal for the adventurous
     
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