Noob questions on a 2008

A Prius is the last car I'd buy at auction. You need to search the VIN to make certain it's not a salvage and pay a Toyota technician to thoroughly check out the car before you buy it.

Have you test driven one? A few people can't stand the seats.

 

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1) The 70 MPH highway bit is gonna cost you. With that alone, you'd be hard-pressed to get into the mid-40s. If she can slow down, fuel economy will improve.

With the sub-40 MPH segment you'll improve for the overall trip, but it's hard to say whether it will top 50 without knowing more about that segment. Best case for that would be consistent opportunities for pulse and glide (has that popped up in your searches?). With practice she could easily top 60 MPG and more for that segment. Worst case would be mostly stop and go in temperature extremes with the cabin heat (in winter) or AC (in summer) running. In that case, 40 MPG probably is optimistic.

2) Can't comment. The packages change year-to-year, and I can't keep track of them all.

3) Can't comment about an auction car, not being very familiar with what might turn up at at auction.

4) I personally think this is a good time to buy a new Prius or a used one with good maintenance records. There are reports of actual discounts off MSRP for new ones, which mostly has been unheard of in recent past. That almost certainly will go away if gasoline prices spike above $3 or $4 a gallon again. True, the 2010 has some nice features and improvements that the previous generation doesn't have. If you wait, you might pay for it. But then again, you may not. Your choice.

 

If you are used to buying at auction or take someone with you who is well versed in such I see no problem. If on the other hand you have problems (not reported) then the savings could be eaten up in repairs.

As far as lemons go.. the Prius has been named a "best-buy" in consumer report. Outside of standard maintenance (tires, brakes, oil changes, etc.) there aren't a whole bunch of issues with this vehicle.

The differences you might notice on vehicles primarily will be:

Navigation/JBL/6/bluetooth vs non-nav/single CD
Fog Lamps vs. No Fog Lamps
HID Headlamps vs. Standard Halogen
Leather interior vs. Cloth

There are some minor cosmetic things, if memory serves me correct, and a touring edition with upgraded wheels and suspension. Overall, though the base model drives the same as one with leather, nav, and all the other goodies.

Many of these vehicles are sold without floor-mats and cargo covers. Hopefully those will be there for you. In addition many are sold at auction with only one key. If you only get one key try and make sure it has a "Silver" toyota emblem on it. If it has a black emblem you will not be able to enjoy the Smart Key feature. Extra keys are costly.

You might check out John's website. He has great information on packages, colors, maintenance etc..

John's Stuff - Toyota Prius and more

Best of Luck!

 

Can you get a warranty on an auctioned Prius? Buying a used Prius is the one time I would get an extended warranty; so much can be wrong with one that's been in an accident it'll make you ill. $10,000 car -> $15,000 car.

 

Noob here, too. I have been toying with a used Prius as well, but don't have a friend in the car business. There seems to be a wide fluctuation in prices, but I have seen alot of "reduced" prices now on the waiver wire (Autotrader and Cars.com). I think many dealers had hoped that gas would be at $3 by now, and would try to gouge the naive buyer. Could you get an iPhone and check the VIN with a carfax before you bid? If a car is within the 3 year warranty, I'm pretty sure that it would qualify for the discounted warranty through Warranty Shack (Troy). I would definitey get the warranty due to high priced electronic components that are out of the bumper-bumper. As far as body work, I saw a 2005 with 50K (pack 5/nav) and a 2006 with 36K (nav) today on lots that had the heck scratched out of them. And the dealers were asking 15K and 17K respectively!

 

One thing I have noticed is that dealers will jack up the prices for certified pre-owned used. I have seen the same car on a chevy or ford lot for about a grand less. If you want the extended warranty, then, what do you need a "certified" car for? They only give you a powertrain for 100k miles. I have seen toyota dealers list a price for an '05 with 60k miles for $19 grand! I think that they could get more money on a higher mileage vehicle just for making it CPO. But the car you described seems like a good deal.

 

Hate to troll, but I disagree with JIMBOK here.
I have a 2008 with only 5 k mi on it that I have driven on four 200+ mile trips with at highway speeds ranging from 67-80 mph. (Florida highways). I'm averaging 50.2 mpg on these trips according to MFU computer and good old mind math at the pump.
If you can get a 2008 with less than 10k mi, do it. Mine rocks :rockon:

 

Are you really looking to troll or are you just disagreeing? There is a substantial difference. I don't respond to trolls, but I'll give you the benefit of the doubt here since this appears to be genuine disagreement.

Florida's highways and climate are considerably different from Pennsylvania's. Cooler temperatures and hilly terrain can easily cost several MPG.

The Prius MPG Simulator predicts 44.9 MPG under the following conditions:

• 70 MPH, constant speed
• Level terrain, smooth dry pavement
• No winds
• 54F outside air temperature (the average daily temperature for Harrisburg, PA for 2008, according to Weather Underground)
• 300# load, driver and cargo
• No climate control use
• Goodyear Integrity tires inflated to 44/42

Add a few hills and any wind and it will drop considerably. The simulator can't adjust for hills, but it does for winds: A 5 MPH head or cross-wind reduces it by about 3 MPG.

I stand by my assertion.