Which 09 would you choose?

My opinion -- and it's just that: I wouldn't pay a premium for the lower mileage. 131k is not that much. If the white car is loaded, it should have a mini aux input inside the armrest. True, the nav is all but useless compared to smart phone. The bluetooth connectivity is a great convenience/safety feature for hands-free phone calls -- it works very well and the sound quality is quite decent.

 

$900 is a bargain for 46000 fewer miles. That's what I'd get. Reliability trumps all.

 

If you have the VIN's, you can join and enter them here to see all their history with Toyota dealers: Log into Your Toyota Owners Account | Toyota Owners

Also, make sure the car has two fully functional key FOB's. If not, you're looking at $100 minimum if you DIY but several hundred if you rely on a dealer to make another one.

 

It may not make a difference if your daughter lives locally, but check to see if either vehicle was first sold in a CARB state (extended warranty), and what if any is left of a factory warranty.

Interesting read on CARB : CARB Warranty Ins-and-Outs (and In-Out-Ins) | PriusChat

 

I was in almost an identical position back in Dec 2013 when my old '93 Corolla (292,000 miles on odometer) failed its inspection due to corrosion. There were two used Prii on the local dealer's lot, both about the same mileage (low 80K), both about the same price ($12K9). The very pretty pale green car (Sea Pearl/Pine/SomethingOrOther?) looked very nice, had all sorts of gewgaws (NAV, BlooToof, etc. etc.) but I didn't need the NAV since I use googlemaps on my SmartPhone, and I couldn't get the BlooToof to sync with my phone, so I took a peek at the other example in Magnetic Gray (see my avatar), it was the "Touring" package (16" wheels, tuned suspension, fog-lamps) and it was love at first sight! Check all the details (trace VIN #s on the Toyota Owners' site) and good luck! …and welcome to PriusChat (…but BEWARE! it's habit forming! )

BTW: @fotomoto 's tip re. SKS fobs is spot on! (I got two, babe!)
…also I was sort of "ho hum" re. the Magnetic Gray at the start, but the colour is really growing on me! Looks great just after a wash & wax!
Here you go: Chuggy_fall4 | PriusChat

 

corolla might be a good idea, i wonder if they are as expensive as prius?

 

In favor of the high mileage one, it would have had the 120,000 mile maintenance done in the last year, which means you don't have to worry about spark plugs or fluid changes for a while. It would also probably be more comfortable with the extra features.

In favor of the lower mileage one, that's at least 3 years more of typical driving (15,000 miles per year) than the high mileage one, which is a significant amount of time.

 

The 120k service having been done is a serious consideration, especially if belts, trans fluid, etc. were done at some point in time also. Factoring that in means the higher mileage one is actually going to cost the buyer a lot less over the next few years. It depends, however, on just how many miles the car is going to be driven. The lower miles one could conceivable not need that 120k service for another 3 or 4 years.

StephenJ - As you can see from my signature we've had both versions of the car. You probably won't be disappointed with either one. Right now I'm leaning in favor of the higher mileage car. The leather seats are a big improvement. The upgraded stereo system is a +. The bluetooth for the phone is excellent as a built in safety item. BUT, there are cheap aftermarket speakerphone setups that work really well too. The GPS is worthless.

A couple more things to ask - Are the windows tinted on one car and not the other? Do you know if either one has been kept garaged?

 

Changing oil early (too often) is, essentially, the same as an oil burner, it just moves the over consumption to the front end. And if burning still happens later on, you've used too much on both ends.

 

no, you need toyota tech stream to read the voltages under load. some may have it, you would have to ask.
the downside is that a battery that is healthy today, can be sick tomorrow. kinda like people.

 

What you say makes sense, however, I think your prevention method guarantees a consumption rate of double that of what someone would consume following a 10k OCI or in other words you consume a quart of oil every 2k miles versus someone following the owner's manual. It's not a lot of money either way but it's not about money. It's about waste.

I haven't built any engines but I used to be a courier driving up to 300 miles a day. It was impractical to change oil every 2 weeks so I followed the the owner's manual at 7500 miles. Even a 1992 Honda Accord or Toyota Tercel specified this OCI and that was on conventional 5w30. At 18 years old and knowing nothing, I found it odd that everyone recommended 3000 despite what is written in the owner's manual. My Tercel did consume a lot of oil but it was doing that before I got the car. The other vehicles I drove went above and beyond 200k miles without major issues. I was a 18 year old lead foot driving in hilly San Francisco rush hour traffic, so don't expect that all my highway miles are easier on the car. It's a small sample size so take it with a grain of salt.

A lot of folks I know buy cars looking at reliability before they look at maintenance costs. Sabotaging reliability in favor of lower maintenance costs is a bad business model. Toyota has moved to a 10k OCI recommendation for at least 8 years now retroactively starting with the 2010 Prius. Reliability ratings for Prius are still highest for all cars despite being a hybrid with complicated parts. I've been on Priuschat for over 6 years and what I've found out is that the 10k OCI holds up well on synthetic 0w20. There are a few outliers of course but there are far more like me with 100k+ miles Prius with low to no consumption. That's my opinion anyway.

 

If you've never driven a Prius before, you would be well-advised to take along someone who has or is familiar with the purrs, squeaks and whispers that you will eventually notice as you become familiar with what the car is trying to tell you as it goes along. I'm no expert, although I've had my 2009 Gen II for about 4 years, and I still get surprised by the occasional grunt or squeak coming from under the bonnet (hood). Most recently I was on the highway, cruising along (at the speed limit) and it being a hot and humid day, I had the A/C on, and occasionally I'd hear a distinctive groaning "grunt" coming from behind the dashboard - yes! my Prius is so quiet even when cruising, that the flapping of the A/C doors/baffles can be heard in the cabin, for that was what I was hearing!