haven't noticed a price drop recently

might be a good time to sell

 

The used car market is really overheated right now. Everyone and their brother is seeking something with a few more years left under $10k. So cars that should’ve been thrown away are suddenly $1500, the $4k beaters are $7k and so on.

 

I know right... I never would of imagined 10 year old economy cars with 100K + miles still selling in the $7K - $9K range... And those prices would NOT be that high if used Prius buyers had bad experiences with their purchase.

 

George, how far are you willing to travel?

 

In my area, the lowest-priced local 2008-2009 Prius is a 2009 model with 160,000 miles for $6000.

 

So....I recently purchased a 2005 with the intent to resell. Purchased from the original owner, who purchased it in Puerto Rico while stationed there and then brought it home with him.

2005 in Driftwood Pearl with less than 132k miles.

1. It has a tmr-jwap Gen 2 HV battery built using Gen 4 modules from a wrecked 14k mile 2017 Prius and all new sensor and wire harnesses.
2. A new Toyota Inverter Cooling Water Pump installed with new SLLC in the inverter cooling loop.
3. Oil changed with Mobile 1 5w-30 and Toyota filter.
4. New Denso SK16R11 spark plugs.
5. Replaced engine coolant SLLC
6. Transaxle fluid replaced with Toyota WS
7. BFGoodrich Advantage TA Sports with 0.248/0.251 (8/32) front and 0.268/0.265 (8.5/32) rear tread depth (new is 0.297 or 9.5/32)
8. All new bulbs (not the brake leds) and wipers (Rain-X beam style)
9. New Toyota engine air filter and cabin air filter
10. MFD replaced due to the screen having some internal damage making it hard to read from the driver seat.
11. The interior is tan cloth in excellent condition. The seats were covered for almost its entire life. The driver door armrest has some discoloration.
12. Has the heavy rubber floor mats
13. Currently only one SKS FOB.

I was planning to drive it for 2 tanks of gas or so to ensure no problems were present, then put up for sale. The car drives great. The first tank finished at 51.5 mpg. This tank is at 49.5 with faster driving and colder weather.

The paint has some areas where it needs touchup, mostly at leading edges like the hood and side mirrors. The rear bumper cover has an area where the paint peeled a bit. The clearcoat has some areas where it could use some work. I think all these could be fixed with one kit of touchup paint (comes with an aerosol can of matched paint and clearcoat for about $50).

And, as luck would have it, the windshield took a hit last week. There's a chip on the passenger side where a rock? or something hit it. A small chip and some hairline cracks. Totally covered by a dime with room to spare.

KBB puts private party value $3500-5500 for my area. I haven't decided 100% if I'm going to sell or keep as a family back-up vehicle. If I were to decide to put it on the Private Sales forum this weekend, what price would draw interest?

 

I paid $7200 for my '08 with 88k on the clock 2 years ago. It now has 108k. If somebody offered me $6k, I'd be digging the title out of my safe within seconds.

 

I paid $8k for my 2009 three years ago. It had 105k miles then and has 143k now. I could probably get $6k for it today if I really wanted, but I plan to keep it as long as possible.

 

you're probably right. my daughter had trouble selling her '08 with 130k in great condition last year. finally wound up taking $4,500. after 6 months, iirc

 

In you area? Your profile says USA... Can't you be specific to a region or you just really paranoid? Or maybe you're in the witness protection program related to the recent crime spree of mobs of Prius drivers robbing banks and then blending in with other Prius drivers in the slow lane?