Is better to buy a higher mileage Gen 3 for ~12-13k or a lower mileage Gen 3 for ~16k+?

you're in cali, so the battery is warranted for 10/150.

you get what you pay for, so the mileage and cost are really a personal decision.

if it were me, i would decide how long (years and miles) i wanted to keep the car, how old it would be when i was getting concerned about major repairs, and work backward from there.

 

The higher the mileage the more likely that you have existing or imminent issues. In my opinion spending more to get lower mileage (and of course you will check the Carfax for service records) will pay for itself in not having to deal with problems and getting higher resale value when you sell. Go for a trim level that has options you will enjoy having. Good luck!

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Buy within your budget, get the higher mileage car. By the time the car wears out, hopefully your budget will be enough for a Lexus

 

Just be careful what Lexus you test drive.

You'll like them all.

 

I'd stick with your budget and get the best car you can afford for that amount. If you're not firm on your budget, car salespeople will know it and they'll get you to spend a whole lot more that you were ever planning on.

Basically, use your budget to determine the car; don't use the car to determine your budget.

 

the car is built to last 180k on average, but the battery health is more time related than miles. they like to be used.
so, a 2012 with 75k should be good for another 4-5 years, depending on how much you drive it. but there are anomalies, of course.

 

For battery lifetime, based on True Delta data, less than 1% fail in the first 10 years, and after that, 2nd generation Prius batteries seem to fail at approximately 3% and 1st generation Prius batteries seem to fail at 10-15%. According to polls and threads here on Prius Chat, approximately 15% of 2nd generation Prius batteries fail within 200,000 miles. Although some 3rd generation Prius batteries have failed, we do not yet have enough information to spot trends. However, there are similarities between 2nd and 3rd generation batteries.

From an odds standpoint, I'd put your approximate chances of battery failure in a 3rd generation Prius at 1 in 200 or more while the car is under 10 years old, 1 in 33 when the car is between 10-15 years old, and 1 in 6 or less when the car is older than 15 years old.

 

Buy the car you can afford and still have an emergency fund to cover the unexpected. I would prefer newer and lower but it all depends on the specifics of the two cars that are being compared.

Set a limit on how much you are willing to spend on eventual repairs. Any car held long enough and driven enough will become a money pit. Know when it is time to move on.

 

I would go for higher mileage low priced 2012 gen 3. According to KBB, a car's value plummets in the 1st 5 years. For this year 2017, if you buy a 2012, the value of car will stay steady and will depreciate in value with miles driven. Also the few thousands you saved will become your emergency unexpected repair fund. If the car doesn't need any major repairs, the emergency fund will be enough (saved up) to move up on car in the future. Inspect the car yourself and check out the carfax, if it checks out fine then go for it.

 

Usually, the last year of a model is a good one, since Toyota has had years to work out the problems. As per CR, the 2009 is very reliable- certainly not less reliable than the previous years for the gen 2. The only average area for reliability is power equipment. Everything else is above or way above average.

 

I've read exactly the opposite. 2009 is the only model year Prius that Car Complaints gives its "seal of awesome", and the graph on Dashboard Light (below) shows the 2009 model at a lower failure rate than any other model year until 2014 & 2015.If you look at the graph as an overview, pretty much any Prius from 2008 or newer is likely to be reliable, but the 2009 is a little bit more reliable than most years.

 

Seems to me, a Toyota Certified pre-owned Prius is the way to go- most dealers sell them with longer mileage warranties than a new car.

 

i would say an average deal, but cali is different than other places. it's a good deal if it's the best deal you can find. can you talk them down at all?

 

Good info. Not trying to be a smartbutt but where did you get that graph?

 

Toyota Prius Reliability - Dashboard Light

 

That's about the going price for a 2013 with those miles. So that's neither good nor bad. A good deal would be $12,500.