Looking for a second gen Prius

Yes, it is really worth it to grab a 3rd gen if you can. One Priuschatter just bought
a 2010 for $14.1 + tax, title, & license about a week ago.

2007 is waaaaaay too old to spend 12 large on. Some are over six years old now.

And, your GF probably would prefer the performance of the gen 3 - it's a little quicker than the gen 2.

But if you're going to get a gen 2 - make it a 09 or an 08 manufactured in
May to August 2008 if you can find one. The newer the better.

12 large is still a lot of money, spend it wisely.

 

For your area the price seems to be pretty much inline. But you might want to expand your search area. Further south in Fl or north in northern Va and above seem to have better pricing. There are also the areas that the mid south states dealers go to buy theirs at auction.

You will be doing good to get a Gen3 for less than 14k. If you really don't want a payment, good for you. Don't do it! With the money you have you can find a good car that will last years and save you lots of gas money and have money left over. I would not rule out private sales. The low trade in values that dealers offer encourage many to sell privately and often lower than dealer prices.

The options, like so many buying decisions, depend on your preference. I love the SKS smart key (never take it out of the pocket), and the CD changer. I have the navigation but a smart phone or other portable GPS is better I think. Low rolling resistance tires will save gas. A 12V battery 2 years old or newer will likely save you a couple hundred for a while. Figure they need replacing about every 5 years. A one owner is good but a good service record is better. The lower the miles the higher the price but your mileage tolerance may be dictated by your annual mileage and how many years you hope to keep it. That said, even high mileage Prius' have very good reliability reputations. Was just reading today about a taxi Prius finally getting replaced with 920,000 miles with the original hybrid equipment.

 

Here more examples.

PRIUS 2008 85K Miles

2006 Toyota Prius HYBRID - 1 Owner, ALL Records. Leather, Camera 50MPg

 

Mike, after looking closely at the 07 in Smyrna, GA my thoughts are you should look around some more. Try to find one that has the backup cam in it and also has the "Smart Key System". Also, if you can find a little newer one (08 or 09), I would go with that.

Nothing wrong with that one, but it is a base model and IMO you will appreciate the backup cam and the SKS. Look for a Prius that has the black buttons by the front doors and on the back hatch. When you see that, you will know the car has the SKS on it. With SKS, the keyfob stays in your pocket or purse at all times. Without, you have to constantly put the fob in the dash and then remove it when you exit the car.

Good luck with your search.

Ron

 

i would look for a private party sale if you can find one. if we were selling our 08 pkg. II with 45,000 miles, it would only be worth $14,000. or so. at least in our area.

 

That's a penny size black rubber button on front door handles, as well as on hatch door. You can push it to lock the car, when you have your SKS key in pocket.

I am glad that someone is paying cash for used Prius. Too many people over spend their hard earned money on interest, buying more than they really need.

In my opinion, there is not much difference between 2006 and 2009 model, so go with the 2006 - 2007 is a good way to save some money. I bought my 2004 at 105K for $8K back in 2010, now at 176K and maintenance cost is close to nothing. If I am in the market for another car, I will buy 2006 - 2007 with high mileages (100K+) and good condition, for less than $9K

Good luck and let us know the result.

 

You should get one with a back-up cam, forget about blue tooth (junk at least in the Prius) and I think the Nav is stupid as well. Just get a good external Nav system. You have to have the smart key that you never take out of your pocket/purse. I would be more interested in how well maintained it is and on finding an excellent mechanic to check it out. My car is in great shape with over 100K miles, but I am vigilant about having it cared for. Even so, it is hard to make sure dealers do things right. I have found an excellent independent shop and am now feeling like I can trade our second car for a Prius.

We get 49 to 53 MPG most of the time, but we are not aggressive drivers at all. We camp with our's and no other car can do that as well. So, if you camp, you will find that an added bonus.

 

I completely disagree that the Blue Tooth on the '07 is junk. I am in my vehicle alot, and during conversations, people often can't tell I am driving. My Samsung Galaxy S2 even plays my voice mail via the Blue Tooth!

If you end up with a Gen 2, look for a Touring Edition. That's what I have. My wife has a Gen II model 2. The difference in the ride is definately noticeable. The 16" tires are the same as OEM was in Japan for ALL Prii of that period, and the ride is tighter and gives your more road feel with the stiffer suspension.

The HID headlights are much brighter then the halogens and I find that particularly useful as my eyes age.

The stereo is also upgraded to 9 speakers and while not in league with higher priced luxury vehicles definately sounds crisper and doesn't have the muddy base sound from the door mounted speakers.

The Touring Edition also has SKS, all the airbags, fog lights (they look cool, but don't really do much), and a bigger rear wing (same as fog lights, looks cool, but doesn't do anything, maybe lower your gas mileage by 0.000000002%).

Good luck! You stopped at the right place for advice... Now, you just have to sift through it!

 

AllenZ described what the buttons look like. Here is a link of a car I found on Google. Look closely at the front door handles and you will see the button. I don't see it on the car in Smyrna looking at the pictures.

http://randygrenier.com/innerlight/uploaded_images/gray_prius-733706.JPG

Here's a real good look at the handle and the black button.

http://priuschat.com/attachments/sks-button-jpg.46502/

Also, inside the cabin there should be a button under the steering column to turn off the SKS system. It looks like this.

http://www.artsautomotive.com/classic/Prius30K-050.jpg

To verify if the car has a backup cam, put the car in "ready" mode, then step on the brake and place the shifter into "R". Look at the MFD, if there is a backup cam installed the MFD should change over to the camera.

http://0.tqn.com/d/cars/1/0/1/m/ag_07prius_backupcam.jpg

Also "keyless entry" and SKS are two separate things. IIRC, all of the Prius have keyless entry. As I stated earlier, with SKS the key fob stays in your pocket or purse at all times. You simply walk up to the car, touch the inside of the handle and the door will unlock. Then you enter the car, close the door, foot on brake, press Power and drive off. At the end of your trip, you again push the Power button, exit the car and close all doors. After that you push one of the three black buttons and all the doors will lock.

Without SKS you have to push buttons on the keyfob to unlock and then put the keyfob in the dash to start.

Ron

 

If, for some reason, you end up looking at the GEN III, don't look for the black buttons on the door handle, as they are no longer there.

We own both the GEN II and the GEN III, and we love them both. I would suggest just looking for a well maintained Prius with the features and cost that you want, and not really concern yourself with the generation. We actually bought our GEN II after owning the GEN III for a couple years because we needed a replacement for our other car that was on its last leg. I love the GEN II.

I love the Bluetooth, the SKS, and the backup cam. I don't think I would ever buy another car without these features.


iPad ? HD

 

Concerning the Gen III Prius, not only did they discontinue the black buttons but if you do desire the backup cam you have to get a higher package number. IIRC, the backup cam only comes with Package 4 and higher. On the Gen II, the backup cam is included with the Package 2. Furthermore, IIRC you have to have the navigation package installed on the Gen III to get the backup cam. On the Gen II, you do not require the navigation package to have the backup cam.

I have seen reports in the past of Gen II owners who bought a Gen III and then went back to the Gen II. The one's who did that were unhappy with the new console, the location of the shifter and the fact that the backup cam was only available in the higher packages.

I am not knocking the Gen III, however there are distinct differences in both models, and some folks do appreciate the Gen II over the Gen III. In other cases, the tables are reversed. It boils down to each individuals likes and dislikes.

Bottom line is this, when you find the Prius you like you will know it. Then the only other thing is can you afford the Prius you are looking at.

Ron

 

Blu tooth is junk, but the Touring is sooooo much better than the regular.