Gen 4: Shopping for a used Prius: General Questions

Hello Community,

Current 2005 owner who is likely going to purchase a Gen 4 as my Gen 2 had the cat stolen, I replaced with a non-CA Cat, and after 3 years I'm getting the p0420 code and the car is up for registration. Long story short, instead of dumping $$$ as much as the car is worth for a CA cat in order to pass smog, I'll probably replace the Gen 2 (190K miles and running strong), with a Gen 4.

As I am narrowing down my search I have some questions that will help me decide on my next Prius..

My budget is $15-$21k. I've seen a one owner, dealer maintained 2017, 66K miles, trim 2, for $19,000 and a couple of 2020 Primes with around 80K-90K miles for $21000. And lots of other vehicles with higher miles for a higher price.

Apple CarPlay is essential as I will likely keep this vehicle for 10 years and about another 100-150K miles.

I'm considering a Prime as we generally drive less than 25 miles per day. Seems like I will need a 2020 Prime as earlier years are not easily retrofitted to a CarPlay unit- Is this correct?
Re: Primes- Does that 25 mile all electric range hold over time or after 5 years and 80K miles does the range on electric significantly diminish? What about at 125-150K + miles... how's the all electric range? Any reasons to avoid Primes?

Regarding 2017-2019 (non-Prime)- Lower level trims with the smaller screens are easy to replace the unit with an aftermarket unit with CarPlay.... is this correct? Is there any reason what I want the higher level trims even though the lager screens can't easily be swapped out for an aftermarket CarPlay unit?

Any years to avoid? Do all 2017+ have the same safety features?

Any other tips or considerations when looking at Gen 4s?


Thank you for all of your help!

 

Re: heat exchanger leak

How common is the problem ? Is it covered under warranty in California?
Thanks !