Which used Prius should I get? - newbie needs advice!

Hi everyone,

I started looking at some used Prii on Craigslist, but they normally go for $8,000-$9,500 where I live, and all have well over 100,000 miles. So I started looking at dealers, and thinking maybe I should increase my budget. There seem to be three pretty good possibilities, all supposedly in perfect condition, no accidents:

1. 2010 with navigation & leather seats, 57k miles, $15,000
2. 2009 base, 23k miles, $15,000
3. 2006 base, 61k, $11,500 (can probably get this one for $10,500 or even less)

The 2010 seems like a good deal (priced under KBB), but jeez it's a lot more than I had planned on spending when I first started looking. Is it worth the difference? Not sure if they're negotiable, and it's out of state, so would mean a long drive and an overnight trip.

The 2009 has such low miles, and I may be able to get them to knock a bit off the price. Do the lower miles make it a better buy than the 2010?

The appealing thing about the 2006 is the price, especially since I can probably get it cheaper. When I'm seeing used with 143,000 miles from private sellers for $8,000+, it looks pretty good.

Any advice on these? I like the color of the'09 and '06 (light green), though not sure about the red of the '10 - seems pretty bright. Although color is not my main concern, which is reliability and economy.

I'm hoping to make a decision pretty quick, so thanks in advance!

 

Thanks for the replies. I do like the navigation, but guess I could always buy a portable online for $75. Otherwise, the base model is probably fine. Not crazy about leather seats, actually.

In any case, the 2010 is gone... bait and switch? It wouldn't be the first time. On my first day looking, 3 dealers were advertising older models, and not one of them was actually in stock when i got there. The Toyota dealer tried to tell me that the Prius technology is "too new" to trust, that I'll be sorry buying a used one, and that I should get a recent Corolla instead. She also suggested I "clean toilets" so I could afford to finance a more expensive car!

Anyway, is it really worth another $5,000 or so to get a 2010 or newer (if I can even find one)? Leaning towards that 2006 (though I haven't driven it yet)... Again, is 3 years newer and 35k miles less really worth the $5,000 extra for the 2009?

 

You're so right, Elaine. I think I found the one I'm going to buy - a 2007 pkg. 6 - but the dealers think it's a Touring model pkg. 4. I told them it's definitely not a Touring so they should lower the price, and they responded by saying the Touring model was actually cheaper! Still, it looks like I'm getting a pretty good deal after a lot of back-and-forth.... Not sure of the exact price yet, but will be under $12k. From what I've seen, for this model and year with 55,000 miles is not bad at all.