Which Used Prius Should I buy, and why?

To me, the most important thing is the lower miles, unless you don't plan on keeping it a long time, maybe that's the case. If you will be replacing it with something newer in a few years, then probably either car will easily last that long. I just got an 07 with 29,000 miles on it and i wasn't looking at anything over 40,000 because i plan to drive it into old age, the car's and mine.

HOV stickers were extremely important to me, i drive a long freeway commute and drive on my job all over L.A.County and beyond, i've LOVED being in the diamond lane on the job since i got this car a couple of weeks ago, best thing i ever did.

GPS and leather were important to me.

So i had to hold out for one that had stickers and package 6 and lower miles, preferably still under factory warranty. I paid $20,000.

If the stickers don't matter to you, I think the '07 Touring with Package 6 and 29,000 miles is clearly a better deal for $3000 more, but that's based on my criteria--the GPS is very useful to me, very happy to have it; my previous car had leather seats which i really enjoy. Mine is not a Touring model, and i don't remember now what the differences are between Touring and regular, except for bigger wheels, i would think bigger wheels is a good thing.

Having shopped around Craigs List and Auto Trader and local used dealers for about a month in December, think the prices you are looking at are pretty typical, not the initial asking prices but after negotiation. From what i saw, I think your prices are on the low end, but in the general range. It seemed there were a lot of cars that weren't selling so fast, economy being what it is and everything.

One of the first i looked at, from a private party, was an immaculate 2005 blue, 27,000 miles, with stickers, they were asking $19,995. No package, i think, just Option 1, no back up camera. I was in love with it, the color, the cleanness of it, the stickers, but after i looked some more, i saw some with GPS and leather and also clean and lower miles, for the same money they were asking. I offered them $18,000. They said $19,000, so there was no deal. I wonder if it ever sold. They felt that the stickers made it more valuable. I understand that people had to pay $4000 for the stickers when they bought the car new. yikes. So your 07 with stickers for $14,250 package 3 sounds like a good deal, except for the higher miles. Higher miles was associated with lower prices.

What are your priorities, and why would these two be comparable for you? For me, the 60K miles one would've not even been on my list, though it will probably be excellent. The car i'm replacing now is a 93 Accord SE that had over 80K on it when i bought it, always trouble free. A great car is a great car. But again, for me longevity was a big factor, and GPS, and stickers.

Either way, you can't go wrong. win/win situation.

 

Two thoughts:
1) I always like a lower mileage vehicle. But, if your commute is 10 minutes you are probably not putting a bunch of miles on your vehicle anyway (on an annual basis). These cars will easily go 300K when properly maintained. So I see lower price as a big plus.
2) Most people don't think about resale when they purchase a vehicle. I would put this to you though.... 6-8 months ago you couldn't find a 2007 Prius much under 20K. Gas prices were high over $4/gal.. When gas prices go up maybe as soon as this summer these cars will be in more demand. Maybe not like before. You might be able to sell your car in a couple of years for around what you paid for it. That is another reason I would go for the lower price.

 

Personally I would go with the Touring. It has lower miles, handling should be a little more satisfying than the base model, and I happen to like white and silver better than darker colors. (This is an odd car that I think it looks good in white!)

 

I would go for option #2. 32,000 fewer miles, plus goodies for $3250 seems like a good deal. If you drive 10k miles a year, thats potentially 3 years of extra life left in it. For the extra 38 months, you're only paying $85 per month. IMHO you are overpaying for the option #1 because of the stickers, unless the extras on the option 6 are equally unexciting too you in which you are overpaying for both. In that case I would keep hunting for a low mileage, low package.

Rob

 

What is your price range? That may help narrow it down some. I got an email from a local dealer saying Up to $4,000 off select Prius's. There are also some used ones at some decent prices.

Post some of your criteria so we know what you need/want

 

Congratulations Sean! Package 4 has lots of goodies. 35,000 miles is reasonably low for any Japanese car. On a Prius, it's still in its childhood.
If you drive the So CA freeways without a passenger and you don't like sitting in traffic, you are going to love the HOV stickers. I am still smiling after a month of sailing along in the diamond lanes even in rush hour in Los Angeles, usually those lanes move along nicely.

may your week go fast.