Clean vs Salvage

Do not buy a salvage car, ever in your life, no matter how good of a deal.

Both options are no good, 2005 owners lack of care for their car inside and out will normally mean maintenance was not done or seriously deferred. Nobody let's registration expire unless there's a reason it couldn't be registered

 

If you are going to invest in a Prius, invest your money wisely.

First and foremost, both of the deals that were described are BAD deals. I will second what JC said about salvage vehicles also. Also the battery (traction) (or big battery - whatever you want to call it) is a factor when looking at a USED Prius. Again both vehicles are BAD deals as both of them are out of warranty and have NO coverage whatsoever on said battery. Don't let anyone fool you when it comes to this item. Rebuild or Refurb is another way of saying it has been fixed in a way that it might last a year or two, a month or two, or worse might not work right from the get go. And even if there is a warranty on said "fixed" battery it is only as good as the individual who warranted said battery. There are way too many stories out there about rebuilt and or refurbed batteries that have went kaput and ended up costing a lot more than initially was planned for.

Now with all that said, this is my idea of a good deal on a Prius.

Look for a Prius that is less than five years old. Make sure that the Prius has less than 75K on the odometer. Make sure that the Prius comes with two working key fobs and a preferably new 12 volt battery. If you can find a CPO (Certified Pre Owned) Prius at a Toyota dealer, you are getting into the territory of Pri that have passed certain criteria and usually are in good to excellent condition. Finally, expect to pay about 50% of what a new Prius would cost (12 to 15K) for a decent car. Any thing less might save you money and then again it might not. Buying a used car is a gamble, because nine times out of ten you are buying some one elses problem. Usually cars only go on the market for one of two reasons. Either the seller got tired of it and wants something new or newer OR the seller is dealing with a "upcoming expensive repair" (problem). If you can get lucky and find the one that was simply sold because someone wanted something newer you might find a gem. A lot of times these "gems" will be one owner vehicles found on "Toyota" lots with LOW miles on it. When I say low I am speaking of 30 or 40 K on the clock. You can expect to pay any where from 15 to 20K or more for a gem. Last but not least what ever you do buy, try to opt for a car that has at least a one year warranty on it. That way you have time to find out if the car has a problem and get it fixed properly.

A Prius is a great car and can save you a lot of money when it comes to gas. However a Prius can also cost a lot to fix if something breaks. Make sure you understand what you are dealing with and getting into before you sign on the dotted line.

Best of luck to you and "Welcome to Prius Chat"!

 

welcome elana! if this is your max budget, be prepared for some major service work in the near future.

a better option would be to look for a non hybrid such as corolla or yaris. all the best!

 

Those seem like really bad deals. Like JC said, never buy a salvaged car. If you had to go for one of those, go for the second Prius with the clean title. The second Prius might be good if everything is working (especially the battery, engine, screen, speedo). The only reason the first Prius looks good is probably because they rebuilt the whole thing. If you could get a low mileage gen 2, with no accidents, you'll probably be fine. I'd make sure that the battery is in good condition first and take it to the mechanic and ask him if everything is in great shape.

 

Most legit finance companies won't loan on a salvage titled vehicle and most insurance companies won't write a full coverage policy either.

 

Salvage does not always mean the car was in a bad accident, it could just be a fender bender, and would cost more to fix then the car is worth. If you know what to look for, sometimes salvage is not a bad way to buy an older car. That being said I would not buy a Prius that has been salvaged as there are two many electrical items that could have been damaged and not fixed properly.

 

While it's possible to get a good deal with a salvage title when it comes to a Prius I would not recommend it. Every salvaged Prius I've looked at had some issue. Also with any salvage vehicle if you get in an accident it's hard to determine the value aka you won't get much to replace your car.

 

One possible exception to the 'salvage = bad' proposition would be cars from autobeyours.com in southern Indiana. That operation expressly exists to rebuild and sell 2nd generation Prii, and everything I've heard (I don't work for them) sounds like the work is done right. Of course, southern Indiana's a bit far from CA.

Only second generation, as far as I know. Nothing earlier, nothing later.

-Chap

 

But you still need to keep in mind that if someone totals your car you are unlikely to get much to replace it from their insurance.

 

I forgot to mention that I'm pretty sure when you buy from autobeyours, you don't get a 'salvage' title. The cars they start with have salvage titles, but I believe their finished rebuilds will be sold with 'rebuilt' titles, which the state supplies after the work is inspected.

I could be wrong, and it's still worth checking with the insurance agent about any coverage limits for a rebuilt title, but anyway....

-Chap

 

I bought salvage prius 2006 at 60k miles in 2013 that had front end collision. I now have 130k miles and car has been rock solid just basic maintanence. I may have been lucky but my salvage prius has been great .

 

i think lucky is a good term. unless you can do it yourself or absolutely know the rebuilder, it's a crapshoot.

 

I grew up with my parents buying salvage cars so I have no problem dealing with their potential issues. DW also grew up with her family buying salvaged cars. She has a lot of problems dealing with their potential issues. So I'll say both options are no good. I won't buy a car with an expired registration. That's your red flag right there. The 2007 looks good for me because I am cheap and I have the funds to repair should my gamble not pay off. BUT I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.

 

i can't wait for elana to get back from vacation, and let us know what road she's going down.