Potential Prius Purchase

Well I put down nothing on my Pri, $13k bank note at 5.99% and my payment is $243/mo for 60mos. You're financing less and hopefully you can get a similar rate - but I'd put down as much as you can to get the payments down.

You'll be saving mucho money with a Prius payment ~$200/mo or less because of the gas savings. The car payment will basically make itself.

Shop around. My Credit Union matched another CU's rate. Also, read the papers carefully. The CU tacked on "life and disability insurance" that added $30 to the monthly payment. Thankfully I caught it. Im 32 and dont plan on dying or getting disabled anytime soon, lol, so I told them NO way, take it off.

Also, its unlikely you will need GAP insurance either. Toyotas hold their resale values nicely. But thats up to you.

 

I say you'd be hard pressed to get them to go lower than $11k (but I would still try). The NADA value (retail) is $12,000 and KBB is over $13,000 so, the price they are asking is reasonable and they probably will get that price from someone else. The fact that you don't have much money doesn't matter to them b/c someone else will. I would start by offering them $10,500 and go from there (this is just advice based on the pics, you will be on the scene so adjust as necessary). The only way I would pay the full 11,900 is if they threw in a tranny fluid service (free). If you can get it out the door for 11,9, that would be a good deal. Is there any warranty on it? If not, I would try to get it out the door for $11k.

There are so many factors that go into this that it is impossible for any of us to advise you on it. Making a choice for a car is an extremely personal decision. All I say is based on my beliefs, likes and needs. Yours may (and probably are) be totally different. I would hate to hear that you got the car based on my advice and it turned out to be a terrible experience but, I would love for the opposite to be true. My opinion is that you should have no issues with this car but, I say that with baited breath .

 

Someone help me with something on this car. I noticed there are no emblems on the back and no hybrid emblems on the side. Is this common for an 05? My 06 has "Toyota" "Prius" and the "Hybrid Synergy Drive" emblem on the back and the "Hybrid" emblems on both sides. This car has none. I looked at '05 images on line and some have them and some don't.

 

People take the emblems off cars all the time to make it look "cleaner".

Correction: I just went to Ebay and looked at 2005 Prius's and none of them have the "hybrid" emblems on the fenders like my 2007 does! It does have 1 emblem on the liftgate that says "Toyota Synergy Drive" or something to that effect.

 

Yeah, I think that's normal for an 05.

 

I don't know if you'll read this b4 tomorrow but, check to see if the cars has 2 working smart key fobs. If it doesn't use that as a bargaining tool. Tell them to take $300 off the price or give you a second working fob for free. You will really want two working key fobs.

 

Well, did you get the car?

 

If your finances are that tight, you might consider getting a used Camry or Corolla instead of the Prius. The mileage is just a little less, and they are still quality cars that have good longevity. Either that or wait until next year when you know more about your finances and start putting back the amount you would be paying for the Prius monthly now. That would help you later on and give you a better foothold for things to come.

The Prius is a nice car, but there are other car's out there that are nice too. There are a lot of cars available today that will give you 35-40 MPG. The Prius averages 46 to 48 for most drivers. Remember YMMV.

Ron

 

We owned a 2007 and 2008. They were very reliable cars and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend a Prius based on quality and reliability

 

Unless the wheels are falling off your old one, keep your old one until your financial situation gets better. A fixed car payment can be crushing to your credit when you don't have a gig. The car you don't have is an emotional purchase. Finances don't care about how you feel.
Be smart. Don't buy the Prius even if it's a pretty good deal.

 

I believe the power steering is electric right? Why would there be a power steering pump?

 

I am glad you mentioned this otherwise my inverter must be toast as I have jumped it twice in 6 years, but never noticed any damage from jumping.

 

If you ever damage it, you will know for sure. The car won't do much of anything. As long as you never reverse the polarity, you can safely jump a Prius. You just need to follow the instructions closely that are detailed in the owner's manual.

 

Power steering requires a power steering pump. Prius' pump just happens to be driven electrically instead of with a belt. The same is true with the AC compressor and on the current series; the water pump.

I am wanting to buy a nicer car (than her '89 Civic) for my girlfriend and decided against Prius because of that unlikely but possible high dollar repair that the typical civic or corolla is less subject to. They probably are not an ideal choice for someone where a couple of thousand dollars in an unexpected repair might be disasterous. Also, there are more "dealer only" repair/maintenance items on the Prius, which thankfully seems to require them less often.

 

My understanding is Prius starting with Gen II ( not sure about Gen I) has a completely electric power steering. There by Electric motor rather than hydraulic motor assists the driver. So there should not be any pump for power steering. The three fluid reservoirs are Engine coolant, Inverter coolant, and break fluid. There is no power steering fluid anywhere. Am I wrong?

I completely agree with what you mentioned about AC compressor. My understanding is in both Gen II and Gen III water pump is also electrically powered. Difference in Gen II and Gen III is in Oil pump. In Gen II oil pump is powered by serpentine belt. In Gen III there are no belts. Oil pump is electrically powered as well.

 

To the best of my knowledge, there is no power steering fluid reservoir in the Gen 2 Prius. However, the Gen 2 Prius water pump is belt driven, whereas the Gen 3 water pump is not driven by a belt. I cannot say if the Gen 3 Prius water pump is driven electrically, or gear driven. I do know that the Gen 3 does not have any belts.

Ron

 

Just to clear any questions up, anytime you have fluid, you have to have some sort of a pump (whether its electrical or mechanical). In Gen I - III, the pwr strg pump is electrical. In a Gen I, the AC compressor is mechanical, Gen II and III it is electric, The Gen I/II engine coolant pump is mechanical (belt driven) and the Gen III is electric.

 

OK, I stand corrected. The Gen II power steering IS electric but not by means of an electric pump and fluid. The electric motor acts directly upon the rack, same as with my Gen I Honda Insight. I went out and looked at the car to be certain; no reservoir. The oil pump, as with all or almost all, engines, is an internal engine component and would not be belt driven.

My water pump is driven by a single belt but the current series has also electrified THAT component. Since AC operation and the use of power steering is cyclical, the benefit in using electric drives is readily apparent. But since the water pump is normally stopped with the engine, I'm not certain as to why this was done. It certainly removes a maintenance item, the belt. There may be a benefit in being able to run the water pump slightly longer (after autostop) to help equalize engine temps during hot weather but I do not actually know. Someone else probably DOES. I wonder if any thought was given to using a variable speed electric water pump in place of a conventional thermostat? OFF during warm up and flying like that proverbial hamster on a wheel when taxed?