best combo of options for used gen 2

I'd save money where you can and just get a basic model but make damned sure if has front and rear airbags as well as side curtain airbags. Those are the most important options IMO.

The Nav and JBL system is not great. You could easily install and aftermarket unit under the factory stereo for better value, performance, and many more options like USB, iPod, Bluetooth etc. or you can remove the factory stereo and do a full double DIN nab/DVD system.

 

I wouldn't hesitate to buy a used prius with nav, although around 2 grand new, on a 7 year old car it only adds a hundred or so bucks, so well worth it for something that looks great and can't be stolen if you leave your windows open. The toyota update discs should be bought, maybe not every year but every 5 years or so, they are expensive but you can find someone on craigslist selling copies for less than $30. Most people have smartphones, so the Prius nav is a great supplement to a map app on a smartphone.

A Prius with nav will have every option avail (jbl, HID headlamps, etc). Tire Pressure Monitor System and backup camera were standard on later years (06 or 07), leather became an option later on. With no moonroof avail oem or aftermarket a leather interior will get really hot in the sun, but the cloth interiors are hard to keep clean because they used colors that were too light colored. HID headlamps obviously look better than halogens but many people have problems with them and they are not projector style so they're not going to look as nice as a BMW's HID headlamps.

If I lived in the south and I were going to run one set of wheels and tires year-round and fuel economy was important to me I would buy a used Touring (2007+) as they come with much better looking 16" wheels. I think they are aluminum but its strange because they come with wheel covers which I've never seen on an aluminum wheel. A Touring will also come with HID headlamps, sportier suspension and larger rear spoiler as standard. Navigation is pretty much the only option for touring that I can think of.

But I live up north so I prefer the 15" wheels of non-touring prius which I put winter tires on which allows me to get something really big and cool for the summer, but I do have to warn you that most 17" wheels or larger will hurt your fuel economy unless you spend an absolute fortune on an ultra lightweight set.

 

Mine has nav and was from a selling point for me when i bought mine... the price was already right before i even knew it had nav. with that said and it being in my possession for about a month now i think the prius nav is absolute garbage. google navigator on my droid is superior to it in every possible way.

 

http://priuschat.com/forums/knowled...andard-optional-equipment-some-countries.html might help.

Some people complain bitterly about the factory nav system. IMHO, it's ok. I've posted my thoughts on this vs. my Garmin Nuvi 350 and 1200 before at http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...want-add-navigation-system-my-2005-prius.html and http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...dvd-nav-vs-other-nav-system-2.html#post675023. Now that I no longer have a car w/no nav, I almost NEVER bring my Garmin unit along.

The big problem is that the amount Toyota charges (and carmakers in general) charge for map updates. You can buy 1-2 new Garmin GPS units for the price of a single Toyota nav DVD.

The JBL system is ok. It's more than decent for a stock stereo but doesn't deserve the "premium" moniker when compared to good stereos in luxury cars. The only problem w/going w/anything aftermarket, unless you do a stealth install like F8L's is that your car can become a target for break-ins. I've had a car stereo stolen (and CD wallet full of CDs too) stolen out of another car before. They busted the door lock get in.

My Prius' window was smashed and I lost a fanny pack (accidentally left on the back seat for <1 hour) while parked outside someone's house. So, I lost my Pocket PC (PDA), Jawbone headset, and new cell phone. There were apparently other car break-ins in that neighborhood that night. Didn't matter that it was an upper-middle class area w/a house value on Zillow Zetimate of well over >$1 million.

 

Do make sure you get one that was bought, registered and operated in CA or other eligible CARB states so that you get the 10 year/150K mile HV battery warranty. It's only 8 years/100K miles in non-CARB states.

Or, if it's a high mileage Prius with its HV pack changed to a new one recently, that's might be good bet.

BTW, http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...alth-install-aftermarket-stereo-in-prius.html shows F8L's stealth stereo install.