Need your recommendation whether to buy used 2009 or 2010 Prius III

Drive both and see what one you like driving more. The are alot of differences between the two. Some 09 and older owners "say" they hate the 2010+ and most owners of the 2010+ say they like them better than the older model. Just drive them both for a while and get the one you like driving better.

 

What options/packages do each have? http://priuschat.com/forums/knowled...andard-optional-equipment-some-countries.html and Toyota Vehicles : Toyota Announces Prices for 2010 Prius / Toyota should help.

Is the 2010 really a Prius model III (Three)?

One thing I'd check on both is whether they were bought and registered in MA (or other CARB states) for their entire life (in order to get the 10 year/150K mile HV battery warranty). MA is a CARB state as are a handful of others.

What do you mean by "the new electric car"? Which are you referring to?

 

I have both a 2008 and a 2010. I vote for the 2010. More power on the freeway and I get 5 mpg higher. Plus the car does not get pushed around by cross winds like the Gen II. Plus better seats.

Things I don't like about the 2010:
poor FM reception. 1 door smart key. dash rattles.

 

I would check to see if the 2009 is really a Touring model. If it has 15 inch wheels then it's not a Touring. I think the 16 inch wheels on the Touring model have 7 spokes. Used car dealers will often misrepresent the standard Prius. a $500 to $1000 mistake

 

Why? What's your price per kwh? Per State Electric Profiles, it's pretty high in MA.

We don't know the details or price of the final PHV Prius but see the remarks about cost in the article linked to from http://priuschat.com/forums/toyota-prius-phv-plug-in/89834-sae-article-prius-phv.html.

 

I would go with a 2009 for 15k. I bought a 2005 for 10k with 100k on the clock. It runs good with no problems. I save about 150/month in fuel.

2009 should be most reliable car with least rattles but should be cheaper than 2010 since its a new body style, engine and hybrid system. 2010 is a better design but many report about rattles. This would be constant for all 2400 miles per month. Having a quiet and reliable car are more important to me.

Also look into non hybrid compact cars. Over last few years compact cars have started to cross 40miles/gallon. New elantra looks really promising. It is simple and cheap. It won.t give you 50 miles per gallon but it is not a bad car

What about prius C? Are you willing to go smaller if for a new car and higher gas mileage. It all depends on your taste.

Anyways good luck with whatever you get.

 

The 2009 is likely to be more reliable in the long run than the 2010. No offense to those that have 2010.

 

That's based upon EPA highway estimates. '11 Elantra w/automatic gets EPA estimated 33 mpg combined vs. 50 of the '10-'11 Prius.

 

I would go for the 2010 for the following reasons

1. No bladder in the gas tank, thus more accurate fuel mileage estimation.
2. The bigger engine which allows lower RPM's at highway speeds which means better highway MPG (which you are doing a lot of).
3. Standard Halogen headlights instead of HID headlights (assuming the touring is a package 5 or 6). The HID headlights were problematic for Toyota and very expensive to replace ($400+ for headlights and I think closer to $700).
4. No belts, improved inverter coolent system, and other engine/hybrid improvements.

Do take both for a test drive. Check to see if the 2010 rattles a lot (people have had an issue with this). Also, see if you like the "feel" of the sandpaper like steering wheel. You might want to see about getting a leather covered steering wheel from a junk yard or finding a shop to add it on for you.

Good luck!

 

Agree about the above except costs of #3. You can buy replacement HID bulbs for the 06-09 Priuses for $50.96 at Amazon right now. See http://www.amazon.com/Philips-Xenon-Headlight-Bulb-Pack/dp/B00480J4J6. The failing bulb that I removed from my 06 Prius (as shipped from the factory) was a German made Philips D4R, just like the replacement I bought. It was <$55 at the time I bought it.

I would say that the 3rd gen is overall a superior car but....

I tend to agree. 09 was the last model year of a car that started production sometime in 03 vs. '10 being the 1st model year of a redesign.

 

I would do the 2010, having looked at both myself before I decided...

 

Why do you think that?

 

Just buy them both and tell the dealer you'll take them for $35k. Then you can drive whatever your heart desires that day.

 

with 600k per week get car with lower mileage.Way too many miles for 2010, wait till find one with lower miles, around 20to25k max.
definitely 2010 vs 09.
i sat in 09 and it felt tight around elbows area.

 

Why lower miles? The OP will put on 30,000 + miles per year on the car, thus the 20,000 mile difference (45k vs 25k) would only mean about 8 months driving. Besides, a 2010 may have been bought in mid 2009, which would put it at 20k miles per year or so.

 

I was basing my numbers on the numerous posts about people having the HID's go out and the multi hundred dollar repair bills to have them replaced. I seem to recall that Toyota was replacing an entire assembly, but were able to scale back the amount of things being replaced on the HID's to reduce costs.

Still, ugh.

 

Get the '09. The technology is mature. From what I've read, the '10 has some issues which I wouldn't want to buy my way into.

Check out the clanking engine videos on YouTube, the TSB which seems to address the issue but never really got much attention, and the persistent problems '10 owners continue to discuss here (long after the TSB came out).

Also, judging by my dearly departed '06, it was a fairly tight car. The current generation Prius sounds like it has more than its share of rattles.

Aesthetically, I think the bridge between the seats might look cool, but not having it really opened up the interior. Just my opinion though.

I think the '10 drives better though, has a bit more power, you know, it's a more recent generation. But, for me, especially buying used, that's not enough.

I'd get the '09 in a heartbeat, assuming that both cars are straight, maintained correctly, and otherwise haven't been abused.

 

I'd go for the 2010, for most of the the reasons folks gave here (except for the ones who didn't go for the 2010), as a matter of general principles (economy plus power, etc.).
In fact, that's what I did in 2009, when I waited for the 2010 and bought it after test driving the 2009. I'm still glad that I did.

But those were new cars.

When buying used cars, so much depends on the condition of the specific car you are buying. Have each checked out by a mechanic who knows the Prius, get the Carfax on them (as the ads say), drive each of them.