First time buying, gen 3

Hi all, future first time owner of a Prius here (and first time car owner).
Been deliberating between the limited availability of used Priuses in my area (Greater Toronto Area) under 13k. The most recent one was a pretty nice 2011. Drove great, but as most do there was some reddening of parts (rust?), Especially seemingly in the wheels (brakes?). I asked and the dealer said no accidents, but there was a small dent in the front right. I asked the dealer and he said that's not an accident (but I find it suspicious he didn't mention it when asked initially). Battery remained full and seemed to charge well, mpg was staying under 5, only issue came when i activated ev in a parking lot, turned around and drove ~25m out, the battery iindicator dropped to 2 bars and kicked me out of ev for low energy, and didn't recharge even slightly in the 2 km back.

$11,995, + tax = 13,565,
2011 with backup camera and Bluetooth,
120,000 km.

Advice?

 

Oh wow, let me know if you want a buyer
Reassuring news about the brakes, i only checked before the test drive.
Yes, resale value is apparently really high, or if you're in the states maybe you're not taking the low cost of CAD. This is $8,900 USD. Let me know if that changes your thoughts on preposing I look elsewhere.

I wanted a 2012-2013 but all the ones for sale are in worse condition than the 2010-2011s with at least $1000 more in cost. I'd love to get a 2010-2011 but battery worsens with age and there's the whole burning oil problem.

 

Whoops guess that means all Priuses in my area are really friggin expensive. I thought as much but i had nothing to compare to.
What was bad about the midlife update?
Would you recommend dealer or private? And if private, how do I avoid getting scammed?
Also, is it EGR VALVE, not circuitry? New to cars in general but i have a feeling i could learn, i like repairing tech. How difficult is it to diy?

 

Thanks!
Also, you didn't say what your recommendation was, dealer or buyer. Any?

Looking around, I guess I found a few slightly better earlier:
ca,carguru,com/Cars/l-Used-Toyota-Prius-East-York-d15_L438626#listing=216709896

(Wow, really difficult to post URLS)

$14k, 95,000km, "accident in the front".
Haven't test drived, but is that something I should avoid?
I generally avoided all three (2010 and 2015 as well) priuses for sale by this guy, due to mixed reviews:


So... not sure. Also not sure what accidents should immediately disqualify a vehicle purchase (or if I shouldn't bother getting one with ANY)
Debating whether to just gamble on a variety of 200k+ km 2010's for a few thousand.

 

And also,

I see this in almost every pre-2013 prius (excepting one prius v that I saw, but wagons are not for me, otherwise it was PERFECT) in varying degrees. This is a 2010, seems to be 3rd worst for thise rusting issue so far that I've seen (to give you an idea of how bad it gets)
The point on the left with the question mark typically has something slightly hidden that tends to have a LOT of rust.
Any idea why? Should I be concerned? Can I get rid of this somehow?

 

Thanks! By the way, I know inspecting at a mechanic is a must for private, but do you have recommendations about this process?

 

Decided on a 2010 Prius. Ran an odb check, only error was tire pressure sensors malfunction, which I'm told is due to the winter tires not having any.
Dr Prius app shows 68.18% battery expectancy.
I've viewed their maintenance records and they get regular oil changes, mechanic says they've never driven into the shop with low oil, despite being 180,000km.
This car is in shockingly good condition, set aside some creaking sometimes when braking at a higher speed too quickly (not from brakes, something inside on the chassis), a weird quick beep when parking sometimes coming from the rear (I've read that's the backup beep malfunctioning in cold weather momentarily), and I'll be honest I'm not sure how to read oil. Do you measure up to the dot that has streaks of oil, or where the oil is consistent? It had streaks going up to dot 2, it was consistent at dot 1. Negotiated down to
$8000, tinted windows, summer and winter tires. One insured accident where a bicyclist just slammed into the side when it was parked. Not noticeable.
Engine is in much better quality than some 2012s I've seen, very little rust, mostly dust.

Now the question is, I'm looking for a way to finance it. Most banks only allow 7 year old cars, beyond that it's not sufficient collateral.

Spending money:
I will definitively have $6000 in mid January, $2000 more by March. Full-time resumes April.
I currently have $~1000, another to come in a week.
I have minimum until Sunday Dec 30th as the private seller is going on vacation Monday.

Any advice on this matter would be greatly appreciated!

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

Figured out finance. Finally have a reason to be thankful for a high credit score.
Got the keys today, all that's left is to hopefully get all the bureaucracy out of the way hopefully by 5pm Monday, (Christmas+boxing day is closed) or I'll have no Christmas present for myself this year

I'll post pics once I've got the ability to drive the thing, but it needs plates and a safety check (and technically 2 sets of stickers, one temp to get it "safety certified" at the mechanic, if they're open, and one permanent after I get it certified).

And that's if my insurance company gets my insurance sorted out in a timely manner so I can even go register the thing.

Let's hope for a Christmas Miracle!

Anyone have any recommendations for new Prius owners?

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.