Need to find a Prius Touring Edition

The 5 has the 17" wheels rather than the 15" ones. I think the 5 is the closest match for the touring gen 2. If I am not mistaken, so does the persona though, which is basically a three with a few extra features and might be cheaper than a 5. You might look into that as well.

 

When you are searching you can look for "persona series" or "5" in the list of trims. They may be hard to find. I like the cargurus website but there are a large number of websites you can use when searching for used vehicles. Autotrader is another one. They let you search for years, trims, etc and dealers usually post their listings on there in addition to their own websites. You can also try craigslist if you want to buy from a private party. It will probably be cheaper but there are fewer guarantees about what you'd be getting. Also the 3rd generation years are from 2010-2015. They added some small features in 2012

 

2013 Toyota Prius For Sale in Auburn, CA - CarGurus

Make sure to pick the trim levels you want.

 

Yes the touring trim ended in 2010 and was replaced with the 5, so the 5s are newer. Good luck with your search!

 

Not sure about the Gen 2 Touring, but I owned a Gen 3 Persona with 17-inch wheels, and the ride was so loud and harsh that I traded for the Gen 4 Touring after 18 months of driving the Persona. At the time, we had a Gen 2 Standard (15-inch wheels) and I remember I noticed how loud and harsh the Persona was during the first test drive, but I liked the color and interior so we got it anyway. Regretted it and now the Gen 4 Touring is everything I wanted, the tighter ride of the Touring, combined with the smooth/quiet ride of the 15-inch wheels.

 

If you can afford it, a CPO will give some peace of mind. Otherwise, check the Toyota website that links to individual dealers, Carvana, Edmunds, KBB, Carmax, NADA, cars.com, even Google. Ebay Motors might also work. Craigslist can be OK, but only if you have a mechanic you trust to inspect the car. I found that some of the best and safest deals are from non-Toyota new car dealers trying to sell Prius trade-ins, but I wound up buying a trade-in from a Toyota dealership - timing is everything, because everyone wants good deals - you have to get there first.

 

Shorthand for Certified Previous Owned, a Toyota term, meaning the car has gone through and passed a Toyota sanctioned checklist at a dealership. I believe it includes some warranty? Still, I would take it with a grain of salt.

 

At this point, almost every car manufacturer has picked up on the Certified Pre Owned concept - it takes some of the risk out of buying a used car: Top 20 CPO Programs for 2015 - Autotrader

Toyota's is here: Certified Used Toyota Vehicles | Pre-Owned Cars, Trucks, SUVs & Hybrids

The Toyota CPO cars have to meet mileage and age conditions, are completely inspected and to a certain extent reconditioned, and come with a Toyota powertrain warranty. Costs about 2k over an identical car sold privately or at a non-toyota dealership.

Carmax does something similar, but their warranty is optional.

If you don't have a relationship with a Prius mechanic you trust, I think these guys are the best at pre-purchase inspections: Alliance Inspection Management |

 

I have a 2011 Prius Five .... not sure Toyota sold anything called a "touring" when I was looking. I bought our 2011 in January 2012 -- the cars were delayed because of the Tsunami -- I'm not sure when the USA got the 2012's. I remember asking about the touring suspension and my dealer had not seen any. The Five has the 17 wheels/ tires and a different steering box that is designed to make the car a bit more responsive. It does not have a different suspension -- I have not found any negatives to the Five. The Five also comes with LED headlights -- and they could not be ordered with a sunroof. NO Five will have a sunroof. Being the highest trim level they are the most expensive -- also if you wanted the technology package -- the only way to get it was to order the Five. The Five has leather interior -- the NAV package was an option .. but they all had it.