The grass is alway NOT greener on the other side.

Looks like you can get three more years with what you've got anyway, it's time for brakes now and a new 12 volt battery (optima) jmho,ymmv

 

If I were you, I would keep it. You obviously have a great reliable car you like, so why to change something that works?

 

Here is a list of reasons to keep your current car:

Money is tight and you already have a car that you know and like, so why change?

You current car gets you from point A to point B. What more would a new car would do?

The "newness" and specialness will wear off the new car within minutes after you buy it.

Why become an uncompensated beta tester with all the new technology in the latest Prius?

You can drive your current car another 62k miles and probably still get close to $9k for it, so those are free miles.

Hope this helps.

 

Why were you going to sell it for $9,500 if a dealer would have given you $10,600? Or was the dealer's offer contingent upon your buying a new car? Dealers have room to move on the price of new cars, and one of their tricks is to offer you more than the value of your trade-in and then charge you more for the new car.

Never go into debt to buy a car!

It sounds as though you were going to trade up to the '08 to help your friend. That's a questionable reason for trading.

As to your question: I think you answered it yourself: You like your Prius more than any of the other cars you looked at. Toyotas are very reliable. And you are strapped for cash. (Congratulations on buying a home, by the way!)

So my advice is: Keep the 2004 Prius. Wait a few years and maybe the next major model revision of the Prius will be a PHEV with enough EV range to make a difference in gas consumption.

I had originally intended to trade in my 2004 Prius for the next major model revision. But the 2010 is not enough of a difference for me, and now I only ever drive the Prius for road trips or once a month for longer drives and to keep it limber. I drive the Xebra or the electric Porsche otherwise. The 2004 Prius is a fine car for when I have to burn gas. So unless you were having problems with yours, a 2008 would be no real improvement at all.

 

A paid off car is better than one you have to pay for every month, until and unless you're spending more fixing it than a payment on a new car.

 

I have been looking at a Mini Cooper S for quite a while now. To be honest, I think my Prius is a boring car, at least that's what I think but I like it for the most part. I am young, and want something fun....BUT for now this car is what makes sense for me the most.

It sounds like you like your car for the most part, so why not keep it for a while and just think on it? I decided to think about the Mini purchase for 4 or 5 months and I am realizing that its just not the right choice at this point in my life.

 

This is one of those "It hurts when I do this" kind of problems. Stop doing that and you won't be strapped for cash anymore!

 

71! And I thought I was bad...on my third in 2 years. wow! Finally someone who thinks like I do, cars cars cars. I look at it like this: life is too short to just have one car for ten years as long as you can afford it, there's no problem with it! The Mini S is a load of fun though...

 

For those of us who know nothing about cars (I know all about my own) what kind of car is that? And how old is your son? It can be a bad idea to give too young a boy too fast a car.

 

Looks like Nissan 350Z. A sports car, 280hp 6-cylinder if I am not mistaken. Surely not a good car for a fresh driver, let's hope Sandy's son knows how to drive safely and resposibly.

 

I'm surprised Sandy doesn't give her old Prius to her son, so that she can drive the Nissan...

I've owned ~30 cars over 33 years and my wife has given me a hard time about the substantial depreciation and opportunity cost associated with those vehicles.

One of my neighbors drives a black E-class Mercedes. I told her that her front tires were getting worn, she said no problem, she is going to get a new model. And a couple of weeks later, she was driving her new model. I suppose buying new tires was too easy and inexpensive for her...

I can only surmise that Sandy has bought seven cars per year because she doesn't like to wash her car...

 

Wth?!?!?!? That's awesome. Like Hashirya mommy awesome.

Just a friendly reminder: Watch those apex seals and remember to check the oil! Also, don't forget that you should rev the motor before you shut it off under certain conditions (like on a sport bike). In contrast, the Prius is a relatively low-maintenance car.

One of these days I hope to be able to afford the upkeep on a turbo FD3S (Wankel engine rebuild hell). Right now, I'm looking for an AP2 S2000.