Hi everyone, My wife and I are hopefully going to make our first car purchase together next weekend. We're looking at 2004-2008 used Priuses. It looks like we can get a good deals because gas prices are low. I did a search but the used prius threads seemed to be a little old. Our criteria is basically <$15,000, <75,000 miles, 2004 and up. Color and trimline really don't matter much to us. So far, I've looked on autotrader and cars.com and seen a pretty good amount of selection (45 cars w/in 100 miles) so we're going to visit some dealers next weekend and buy one. My question to everyone is if there are any things I absolutely need to ask the dealer before we purchase, such as stuff about recalls, etc. and also if anyone has any general recommendations for negotiating with the dealer. Thanks everyone
I would look for a 2006 or newer. There were some changes made to traction control and other systems in the newer models. Tom
Regarding SSCs (aka recalls) there's no need to worry because once you purchase the car you can take it to your local Toyota dealer, have them look up the car's record, and have them apply any outstanding recall work without charge to you. (I'm assuming that you are not thinking about buying a vehicle with a salvage title - in that case you're probably on your own.) If you are buying a car that is not certified by Toyota (and comes with an extended warranty) then I strongly suggest that you have the car inspected by a Prius-trained tech at your local Toyota dealer before you purchase it. Although Prius is generally reliable, if it has an unwarranted electrical problem, this can be very costly to repair. Good luck with your purchase.
Best of luck with your choice. I recently (Oct/Nov 08) purchased an 04 and could not be happier. I agree with Patrick about getting a Prius trained tech to look over your possible purchase. These cars are very reliable. The are practical. They also get some outstanding gas mileage when driven properly.
make sure that whatever you buy has not been in any sort of collisions, especially in the front of the car... You don't want a unnoticeable problem to eventually cause premature failure of expensive components such as the transaxle or inverter... Also, don't jump the prius unless your 1000% sure that you don't cross the wires. (will cost you big bucks if you fry your inverter).
