Need advice: 2005 Prius w 62,000 miles for college student...

Highly unlikely. It'll cost less for gas and that's about it. The Prius is a very reliable car but 5 years is difficult to overcome. And this comes from the owner of 2005 Prius that has been bullet proof for 135,000 miles. I'd trade my Prius for a 2010 Mazda 3 for $1000 any day. Heck, I'd trade without cash if anyone would take me up on it.

Also, don't overlook safety enhancements between 2005 and 2010. Notably standard ESC and TPMS.

 

Take the Mazda if he's worked hard for his money. Probably get it for $4500

The prius will need a new hybrid battery one day (soon) and it'll set him back $3000.

He probably won't want that expense in the next few years.

I recently bought a 2005 garaged prius with 107000. Wasn't driven much. It needed the following.

New hybrid battery
New shocks and struts
New inverter pump
New water pump
Alignment

So if I were to pay for all of that, it would be another $5000 in repairs on a 2005

 

At the years and prices you said, the Mazda is a better value.

 

Mazda for the win here. The HV battery, if not already replaced with a new genuine Toyota HV battery, at this age is a liability for your son.

 

I'll second all the above. JC91006 nailed it with the extra costs that are surely due.

$ 6,000 for a 2005 Prius is a used car salesman's dream. and the buyer's nightmare.

As to needing a car, many of the new jobs for college grads are in big cities where developers are building "car free" housing, i.e. no parking garage spaces.

 

I was looking for a similar deal when shopping for my kids and found an 06 Prius w/only 44k miles (same story of a very old owner). Although I have repaired the originial HV battery and it runs fine, it will need a new one. If I'd have found that Mazda, I'd probably gone for that. Most cars at the age/price range around here usually have a ton of miles or really poor condition (previous wrecks, owners ditching their problems, etc).

In my opinion, one major pro of the Prius is the hatch design. Most young drivers will be moving........ frequently. Most 3's around here are the sedan; hatches are rare.

 

No Brainer.

Get an independent wrench to do a looky-see of the Mazda, but there's really nothing to compare.

 

My sister always buys older, low mileage vehicles, previously owned by folks "in their 80's ". . . . She lives in the Retirement State of Florida where, she tells me, these deals are plentiful.

Good luck on the purchase.

 

Mazda.

 

In Florida, I might believe that story. In Maryland, not so much. Every car is driven by an elderly woman once a week to church on Sundays.

 

Is there a difference in insurance costs?
(Multiplied by four (OK 6) years of college.)

At the moment I'd be swayed to the Mazda...IMO easier to repair perhaps plus noting the comments from other co-members.

 

People who buy "older, low mileage vehicles, previously owned by folks "in their 80's " often get decent cars.....but there's a down-side to this strategery that needs to be considered as well.

Getting old isn't for wimps.
Your hearing's been diminished by unmuffled activities like working in pre-OSHA factories, and eyesight is often not what it used to be.
As careful as geezers drive, sometimes their cars make louder noises than their hips do before it rises to a "I'd better get that looked at!" level.....and their cars are more likely to have parking lot battle damage or previous trips to the Beat-N-Bang Body Shop from the optical challenges of driving in a 20-20 world with less than pristine vision.
My beloved neighbor is over 80 and he's on his second set of rims this year.
You also don't see many octogenarians dragging out the ramps and jacks when it comes time to crawl under the car and change the oil.
THAT MEANS.....
The same college drop-out down at the grease factory that doesn't give a crap about a millennials car also works on their grandparent's car.
Mom and Dad still think that they live in a world of tune-ups, carbureted ICEs, and cars that still need lube jobs.
About the only 2 advantages that old folks have over today's generation is that (1) there's still some deep-seeded instinct about raising the hood BEFORE the car's check engine light is illuminated and (2) to them The Fast and Furious was a 1955 film-noir starring John Ireland and Dorothy Malone that didn't inspire anybody to hack up small import cars.

Pushes always go to the dealer....and.....

You ALWAYS have a car checked out when you buy it.

 

Why don't you get that Prius checked out and see what it needs? It's 12 years old so it's not going to be perfect. Pay a Toyota dealer 2 hours labor $300 and have them look it over for you. Better than flying blind

I just don't like the idea of this car going to a college kid, that won't have any means of fixing it when it breaks. A hybrid has so many computers that can fail (on top of the expensive transaxle, battery, sensors, engine issues).....he'll be caught up in fixing the car and not his studies.

 

Well, it certainly makes the Mazda a bad buy, and the Prius is a better buy with the price drop, but the most important factor for older cars is how they were maintained. If you can get hold of the maintenance records and they look solid, and if a test drive and inspection show the vehicle is sound, then go for it. But I'd be suspicious of any car where you can't access maintenance records. Prii are generally very reliable, but you want to make sure you're doing everything you can to ensure this one isn't a fluke.

 

That's what I was thinking when I said:

Many fall into the "too good to be true" category.

A 2005 Prius is going to need an HV battery soon rather than later. Period. If the additional cost ($3k-ish for new, much less for questionable used/rebuilt), then check it out. If you know the VIN, you can find out what Toyota dealers have done to it over the years here: Toyota Owners Official Web Site

 

Yes buy it. Then start setting money aside for a new battery.

 

In that case, it sounds good! I bought my car a couple weeks ago after having a similar experience. (everything checked out, repair & maintenance all done at the Toyota dealer I bought it from, etc.) Depending on your level of optimism and/or which statistics you read, there is still a chance (somewhere between 3 and 15%, depending on source) that the battery or something else big will go wrong in the next 4 years, but it seems like you did your due diligence. As long as regular maintenance continues, it sounds like the car will work well.