New to the prius world, need some advice before purchasing

Besides being in the wrong sub-forum, should be Prius 3rd gen, I would find one with less than 100k as repairs can be expensive and most mechanics don't work on the expensive repairs like the inverter and high voltage battery. Each can be well over $2k assuming you can find a non-dealer source.

 

There is the Prius V which is a hatchback and the Prius v which is a station wagon first available in 2012. People confuse the two all the time.

So you are using the car for commercial use and can write off the expenses. You want reliable because, when you can't go, neither can that trailer load of stuff you are escorting. While the Prius is a wonderfully reliable car, any 160k car is going to be prone to more failures than a much younger car as parts both age out (think rubber and plastic) and wear out, even if more slowly on most Prius models.

Is 50-60k miles significant? Tell me the maintenance history of the two cars and we will know something. Tell me the phase of the moon and how lucky you are and we'll know more important factors.

 

I've looked at a 2010 Prius V, which is fully loaded (leather, Navi,the works) and has 162,000 miles on it. Original batteries and transaxle (i think thats what its called) I believe. The seller is asking 7,000 dollars, and aside from 2 of the tires showing that they will need to be replaced within the next few thousand miles or so its in good shape. In my area theres also 2010 Prius' that do not have as many options for around the same price with about 100 to 115k miles on them.

If it is the original 12 volt battery, it is 7 years old and you should be budgeting $200 to replace it 'soon'
I would recommend you drain and fill the transaxle with ATF WS (and change 2 washers) Always open the fill hole before the drain hole. The should be about $40 DIY, and about $110 at a dealer. Do it every 90,000 miles.
You live in NY, so you have a 10 year and 150,000 mile warranty on the hybrid battery, so a car originally sold in a CARB state under that has some backing by Toyota that the 167,000 mile Prius doesn't.

The 2014 list of CARB States in the US | PriusChat

Do you all think it is worth the extra mileage for the comfort factor?

I would go for a Prius with some Hybrid warranty left, to help protect you from unscrupulous sellers.

What sort of maintenance repairs should I expect to run into?

First, if it was maintained at a Toyota dealer and you have the VIN, you can see what the dealer has already done, so you don't need to do it twice.

Track Your Service Records with Your Toyota Owners Account

Here is the schedule Toyota recommends (I would ignore what the Dealer recommends)

http://www.toyota.com/t3Portal/document/omms-s/T-MMS-10Prius/pdf/2010_Prius_WMG_0W20_lr.pdf

At 100,000 miles the coolant in both the engine loop and the inverter loop should have been replaced.
At 120,000 miles the spark plugs should have been replaced.
At 150,000 miles the Cabin and engine air filters should have been replaced, an oil and filter change done with 0-w20.

It is 7 years old, have someone inspect the brakes, ideally the dealer. there is a good chance they need to be bled, and lubricated. Stopping is good.

Is the difference of 50-60k miles a big deal for these cars?

Not so much for the car as the warranty, you do not want a bad battery the the seller has masked.

And finally, what would you do if you had to choose?

I would get a Prius under a Warranty, so I did not have to trust the seller.

I am going to be using this as an oversize load escort vehicle and It is going to get its fair share of highway and city miles. Thank you all in advance.

Oddly, the 2012 Prius v is an entirely different car, a station wagon. If there is any change you need to carry cargo (tarps straps short pieces of lumber, etc. I would look at that car.

Oh and one more thing, someone told me once that If you want to get roasted on the internet you ask a question, but if you want to get the right answer to the question all you have to do is post the wrong answer.

I think we are tolerant of 'stupid' questions but really defensive of 'have you stopped beating your wife' questions.

 

I'd recommend you get the lowest mileage car you can afford. 160k miles is very high to start, especially when you are doing 140+ miles a day.

A prius is a prius, no need to get fancy on a work vehicle that will get tons of rock chips behind large load big rigs

 

Getting a used prius with half that mileage could last over twice as long. Like others have said, it depends on how knowledgeable and meticulous the owner was with maintenance and how/where it was driven. If you dislike repairing cars avoid high mileage

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If you figure most Prii are designed to last roughly 200,000 miles on average, then a 50,000 mile difference is the same as a quarter of the life expectancy of the car. And since you'll be driving a lot of daily miles, I think it's probably worth giving up some comforts to get a car with average miles instead of high miles. Plus, you can always buy add-on leather seats later for $500 or less from Clazzio if it's that important. Navigation on the car won't be updated nearly as much as navigation on a smartphone, so it's more accurate and convenient to sync or plug in your phone than to use the Toyota-provided navigation.