Advice on Prius purchase

saraf,

I guess I would go for the 2005 [preferably built after April or May of 2005 (build date on the door pillar) because of the problems with the MFD screen freezing up or blanking out & the computer programming issues that could cause an occasional engine shutdown at highway speed on the earlier ones] with the lower mileage (but not because that's the year I already own).

Both cars would be out of the 3-yr/36,000 mile basic factory warranty (over the mileage on one & over the years on the other). The 2007 car is also out of the 5-yr/60,000 mile warranty on the drive train (but not the 5-yr/unlimited mileage on rust through), but the 2005 still has some time left maybe [based on 5 years from the "in-service" date (the day the selling dealer chose to report as the "in-service" date, but NOT necessarily the delivery date or actual registration date)]. If both owners had purchased the official Toyota Financial Services extended warranty & will sign it over to you, then you would be in much better shape on both of them (warranty-wise).

If either car has the HID headlights (if the car has fog lights in the lower grill, it has the HID's), you're less likely to have the headlights fail [expensive replacement---between $300 & $1,000, depending on what the dealer replaces (some financial help/reimbursement may be available from Toyota corporate if you get a case # from their customer experience phone #)] with the 2005 then with the 2007 (the bad/failing bulbs are mostly in the 2006 thru 2009 cars).

The 2007 does have more rear seat headroom than in the 2005, & starting in 2006, almost all of the cars came equiped with a back-up camera that the 2004 & 2005 cars didn't have at all. Also, starting in 2006 the stereo systems had an "aux port/jack" for connecting an Ipod (or headphones?) to.

If either of the cars has the smart key system (with the little black squares on both front door handles & on the rear hatch to the right of the license plate area) you will probably very much like that feature.

One last thing regarding the traction control which ALL Priuses have. On the 2004 & 2005's, if you spin a front wheel in the sand or loose gravel or on wet or icy pavement, the power of your forward movement gets cut to almost nothing, so you can find yourself in a dangerous condition if it happens when you pull out too aggressively onto a busy road. Starting in 2006 Toyota's engineers programmed the traction control to NOT cut the power quite as much as in the 2 previous years.

I hope some of this info helps you to make your decision. If I have forgotten anything, I hope somebody else will also chime in with their info & advice.

Ken (in Bolton,Ct)

 

Sara, how much are you paying?

 

Hard to tell - depends on many variables unknown to me, but if both cars would cost approx. the same and both are in good condition, I would go for the 2007. There were some upgrades to the Prius in 2006 (hi-res MFD for one) which I would like to have. Also, the 2005 might suffer the MFD issue (look around the threads here if you are not familiar with it to make your own opinion).

But, as I said, it depends on many other variables that might overweight my arguments. The less mileage of the 2005 is surely a good thing, but if both were kept in good condition it would not do enough difference for me.

 

Since they are the same price I would definitely get the 2007. It just makes more sense because it is a newer year and higher package with leather. Are they the same color, by the way? If so, I'd also highly consider what color you could "see yourself with," so to speak.

The Prius is very reliable for those long commutes. I use it to drive to work everyday, 40 minutes each way. Definitely makes the ride fun. You'll love it!

 

Hey Sara.

How about an 08 w/ 47k for $15k?
http://www.cars.com/go/search/detai...kId=20088&rpp=50&feedSegId=28705&aff=national

...or an 07 with 30k for a little under $16k?
http://www.cars.com/go/search/detai...kId=20088&rpp=50&feedSegId=28705&aff=national

then there's this 06 w/ 30k miles:
2006 Toyota Prius, $15,980 - Cars.com

Just saying, you have lots of options.

 

[technical error caused double post, please delete]