Asking for advice on buying and owning a Prius C.

I originally was interested in a new Prius Prime because of the federal and state discounts (up to $9,500 off). Although I'm still playing with the idea, I've also been thinking about getting a Prius C instead. I'm looking for one with less than 50,000 miles and for around $10,000.

Any suggestions as to what to look for and what to avoid?

My own personal circumstances are that I live in the Rocky Mountains in Colorado in one of the coldest towns in the state. I average 60 miles per day, usually in one run. (60 miles there, stay the night, 60 miles back. Something like that.) In such a run I can go up and down some 4,000 to 6,000ft over mountain passes. I'm concerned that perhaps the cold might hurt the traction battery. Temperatures well below 0°F (about -15°C) during the winter are common, with it reaching -40°F (-40°C) on occasion. This morning it was 32°F (0°C), but I can also drive through places as hot as 104°F (40°C) at times. Would any of that be of concern for driving a Prius, especially a Prius C?

I usually don't have much of a problem with the snow and usually get a set of studded snow tires on a separate set of rims. But on occasion I find I need to use tire chains. Has anyone else used tire chains on a Prius C?

Basically I'm wanting to replace a 500,000 mile VW Golf diesel that gets 55mpg for me. A Prius seems the best option.

 

Also I'm trying to figure out how battery degradation might affect me. I've seen quite a few Prius cars for sale with dead batteries. I was wondering if the bitter cold around here might be doing that.

 

Thanks!

 

Thanks for all the help from all!

As far as underpowered goes, I'm coming away from two cars. A 1985 VW non-turbo diesel that litterally has less than 40hp at this altitude and a Nissan Leaf that I have to drive 30mph down a 65mph highway if I want to get it out of town to the next charging station.

 

It sounds like the Prime would be less likely to overcharge the battery going down hills??