Lotsa salvage Prius'

"crashed" on ebay could very well be stolen. Ebay is the perfect place to fence stolen items.

 

What keywords are you using to find these auctions? I used "prius crash", "prius crashed", "prius accident", etc, and found no crashed Prii...

 

Could these be flooded Prius from the Gulf Coast? If it is too good to be true it is too good too be trlue.

 

I favor jeffn's second idea - Prius run good and people like them/keep them. But, they get crashed out of the fleet much like any vehicle. Attempts to resell under a salvage title follow.

Over time I have collected a lot of images of crashed Prius. It seems that about 2/3 are front end damage. Curious, I looked for stats at the NHTSA or someplace, where it seemed that only 1/3 of totalled vehicles are front-ended. This led me to wonder if maybe Prius drivers watch the little TV too much.

Eyes up, everybody...There are plenty of HV batteries available already and I don't need yours!

 

I think "Salvage" Priuses are ending up on e-bay at a high rate because they are "totaled" with relatively little damage. Although many discussions here have centered on how Prius owners are (relatively) safe drivers, they cost a fortune for even a tiny accident (see the threads about the guy whose wife backed into the Prius, and the guy that ran over the street lamp during Wilma). A tiny problem costs $$$ to fix when only OEM parts can be used. This is definitely going to raise insurance rates for us, despite being safer on the road

*shrug*

 

<_< A "Salvage" title can result from what I'd call a "fender bender" in normal terms; however, I believe there are some warranty problems and certainly resale values with "Salvage" on a title. Thus... the lower asking and selling prices. In tracking eBay Prius postings, I see many more "Reserve Prices" on new Prii at MSRP and above than I do "Salvage" listings. A significant number of dealers post their new Prii on eBay, at a mixture of MSRP and inflated prices.

As always "Caveat Emptor" prevails. I bought my Prius on eBay with ~4,000 miles on the odometer, clear title, previously owned by a Toyota employee. I paid ~$100 below MSRP, the "penalty" being the 4,000 miles. The Prius was virtually new having been maintained by the premier Toyota Prius dealer in the area "for a Toyota employee." Wouldn't you expect the maintenance would have been excellent? After a year, I'm pleased with the Prius, no problems, just good performance. We currently have three Toyotas: '04 Prius, '96 Camry, and '88 Camry wagon.

 

Why did the previous owner sell it?

 

Howdy richard schumacher

The Prius had been purchased for his 82-year-old father-in-law whose failing health resulted in death prior to enjoying the Prius. Toyota employees can purchase for their family members at a substantially discounted price. I'm confident that the Seller in this transaction made a comfortable if not substantial profit - but - I was more interested in my end of the transaction - availability (I waited 6 days) - price (I paid essentially MSRP) - condition (virtually new) - CarFax report perfect.