2009 Toyota Prius for $15K having 55K Miles is worth in 2023?

Prius prices are hot right now. Can’t blame the dealer for not budging.
New Prius prices have skyrocketed, the new reality.
All you can do is compare to other cars, and KBB.
I agree, if it truly has 55k, and well serviced, you’re got a winner there.
Pop in a new battery when it needs one, and you should get a couple hundred thousand miles of trouble free driving

 

Buy a Gen 2 with new battery for half the price from a well regarded dealer, and pay for your flight.

https://www.tampahybrids.com/listings

 

You're probably right- the 2009 is going to need a new battery before long. So it's probably better to say that it's an $18k car.

It still has a fresh interior and good paint, right? How are the tires?

The suspension bushings will be just as dried out as any other 14 year old car, though the window rubber is probably better than average for having been garaged.

Is that worth it for you? Not sure what you're looking for in terms of a car. Old hybrids tend to turn into money pits, but this one has many fewer miles than most... so it is likely to do somewhat better.

 

Only worth that number if you get a serious warranty included. If someone else falls for it at that price let them have it. I bet it will drop in price very soon.

 

You're heading into battery territory and break accumulator repair or replacement so those things you might as well just buy the parts and have them in your garage ready to go because they are going to be needed I wouldn't pay $15,000 for a Gen too if it had zero miles on it It's still almost 20 years old and been nowhere and sitting see my point the person with the $55,000 mi on this car now it's sitting at a dealership not getting driven at all or everybody's driving it because it's a cool old car. Or what have you but the guy that owned it for this whole time well you divy up that mileage. It ain't nothing to be talking about actually It's a lot to be talking about like nothing's happened A 20-year-old Prius should have $150,000 mi on it at minimum and if it doesn't it's been doing a lot of sitting and that's just as bad as driving it into the ground almost matter of fact the 55,000 mi car may have trouble with the fuel tank and it's bladder soon depending upon how it's spent most of its life sitting another thing to contemplate

 

That price is consistent with what they're selling for if they're super low mileage like that out here on the West Coast... But to be clear, you aren't just buying the pinnacle of Prius simplicity and functionality in the 2009, you're buying a collector's car and if you don't have the ability to protect this car in a garage and keep the mileage low, you're throwing a huge amount of money away.

Meanwhile, there's plenty of people who own a 2004-2009 Prius with barely 100K miles that has dings and stains and they think their Prius isn't worth more than a few thousand dollars because its so old and "beat up." So I suggest you focus on finding a Prius like that and investing in fixing up the minor cosmetic flaws and save $10K in the process.

 

Yeah I wouldn't be much trying to protect it . I'd be driving the hale out of it . Tryna get to 666 fore I expire . The 15K 09 is probably gonna need all the stuff done not now but .

 

Back in 2019 before the used car market exploded you could find a 2017 Plugin Prius Prime for $18K... Now they're up over $25K...

 

A $15k 2009 55k miles Prius is much less reliable than a 2017-2019 $15k Asian 4 cylinder sedan with also 55k miles.

Low miles and maintenance is just half of the reliability equation. Age also takes a toll on reliability especially rubber parts, seals and hoses in all systems (AC, brakes lines, tank and fuel lines, cooling etc), brittle trim parts, rusted bolts etc.

I would pass since adding an HV battery in the next 2-3 years would bring the cost to $18k. A lot of much better and newer reliable alternatives at this price range.

 

Again comes down to what O.P. wants.

If they specifically want a 2nd generation Prius, it will be hard to find a better one, just going by the numbers.

If the goal is to get 8+ years of reliable transportation, GTFO there are MANY better choices.

Just two case examples.

 

No too expensive and way too much!

SM-J737T1 ?

 

way overpriced for a 14 yr old car.. only people who wants a gen2 Prius want to buy that at that asking price.

 

Down here in North Carolina that car would be on a private car lot for about $8,900 possibly a little more and it would quickly go down because we are in car country here in North Carolina people with no money by $100,000 trucks Not sure how or do I care but that's what's happening down here so this old Prius everybody's laughing at that car even though it's the clean beautiful specimen of the car wheels are clean car looks like it's barely been driven which it hasn't. But people go flying by that to look at the 2014 Yaris course it does have the r package and all that on it so there you go people are looking classy badging and references to speed still in their cars or they're completely opposite and they want a leaf /Tesla. I can buy Gen 2 locally anywhere from two $300 at places like LKQ for generally complete cars they've just come in whatever the case maybe I mean 57 $900 have no idea what's wrong with until I get a chance to look at them but can still get them for that kind of money If I go looking around which I don't usually do. Because the two or three I have will probably last the rest of the life I won't need them in other words

 

So the answer is to move to North Carolina?

 

Way overpriced and you are likely to spend another $5k or more in the next one to three years. Right about the time you could get a new one with a warranty with a significant discount for a downpayment equal to either the brake booster or hybrid battery. To say nothing about being $7k upside down on a 2009 car loan which makes it next to impossible to get out without slicing your credit.

Do yourself a favor and either wait or buy an older Camry, Corolla or Civic from a private seller.

Exclude the following low tension oil ring models:

• 2007-2011 Toyota Camry HV (Hybrid)
• 2007-09 Toyota Camry 2.4L (07 Camry is the worst, best 13-15)
• 2009-11 Toyota Corolla XRS
• 2009-13 Toyota Matrix 2AZ Engine
• 2006-08 Toyota RAV4
• 2007-08 Toyota Solara
• 2007-09 Scion tC
• 2008-15 Scion xB
• 2010-14 Prius 1.8L
• 2005 Avalon V6 (vvti gear)
• 2007-10 Sienna (vvti gear)

 

the 2007-2011 Camry hybrid actually has a recall on oil consumption and I was lucky enough to have the pistons (the rings) fixed for free. 202k miles currently and no oil consumption, still a joy to drive. The green bean hybrid battery replacement was done 5 yrs ago (at 150k miles)

 

Anybody who thinks this is a good deal needs one of these:


For comparison you can pick up a 2019 Hyundai Ioniq hybrid for $10k. I know which one I'd prefer

 

$9000 maybe

Used 2009 Toyota Prius Liftback 5D Ratings, Values, Reviews & Awards

 

I will add if the idea of a clean 2009 Prius has you're excited because of the electric technology and gas mileage, I would suggest you will get over that excitement in about one week. Certainly by the time the first car payment comes up. You'll quickly find out that there is no real EV range in a Toyota hybrid. You will eventually find out that many of the wear parts are very expensive. Most mechanics in the Illinois area don't work on Prii so you are going to a dealer or the Car Care Nut with his long wait times. The typical loan with $3k down will still be around $400 a month for three years at todayʻs interest rates. Go conventional engine with decent mpg and wait out this market.