Purchasing used Prius from a NON-Toyota Independent Used Car Dealer -- IS IT SAFE?

If you belong to a credit union finance through them. If you find a car you like and can agree on a price from your dealer, insist that you be allowed to take it to a Toyota dealer and have them check it out. Should cost circa $150, well worth it.

 

When you purchase from the craigslist, don't buy any car that has the "Savage" title. Even if the car has perfect carfax record, don't trust it, have a "Use Car Inspector" look over the body and frame to see if the car has gone through a collision. Again, any car that has collision damage is not worth buying no matter what is the price.

After you passed the collision inspection, next come the mechanical inspection of the drive train. Not an easy task, but unless you do the work, you maybe throwing your hard earned money away.

 

Even if you are getting the car from the dealer, don't trust that the car has not been in a collision. Get the car inspected by your "Used Car Inspector".

 

You can register the VIN at Toyota Owners Official Website: Service Coupons, Owners Manuals, Service Scheduling and More to see the dealer service history. A used Prius usually doesn't sell for much less than a new one. If you are seeing a deep discount on cars with the same package then there will almost always be something wrong (or repaired) on the cheap one. Just an observation from reading many threads here: all the garbage seems to float to Craigslist.

 

I personally have been lurking eBay and Craigslist for my New or Used Prius. I kind of wondered about the pricing on the new ones that others have paid. I'm currently looking for any white one with a solar roof package. Don't care about any other things as long as it's 2010-2012. I will be purchasing it with cash so if I were to buy a 2012 "end of the year" discounted leftover models or whatever, do you think I will get a better deal than another potential buyer making payments? My budget was anywhere from 18000-25000 all paid for. Now I'm not going to pay 25K for a used Prius 3,4, even 5. I just see that some prices are ridiculous (used ones) as it's very close to the brand new ones. I will continue to read and research on this wonderful forum for further details. Thanks guys.

 

Calvin,

I had the same idea initially since the used and new price is only a couple thousands difference, it is better to get a new one.

Also, when you buy it from a third party, you are on your own. The car most likely have an accident and it was repaired that you can't tell the difference. Even if the car have a car-fax, it is not 100% guarantee that the car did not have an accident. Really!

If you plan to keep the car for a long time, it is better to get a new one. You can then be sure that you take care of the maintenance so it can last at least 300,000 miles or more.

 

"I will be purchasing it with cash so if I were to buy a 2012 "end of the year" discounted leftover models or whatever, do you think I will get a better deal than another potential buyer making payments?"


It depends. Toyota Financial is (or was) offering a rebate when borrowing through them. If your Region & your dealer participate in the program and the TFS rate is competitive with other financing then it will be cheaper to finance through them. Everyone doesn't qualify for the best rate so you have to work the numbers for yourself.

 

The balance of the manufacturer's warranty is still in effect. Damage is not covered.

 

Guys, what about those so called Salvaged ones which was stolen and or stripped. Again, there's a good chance that those didn't get into any collisions but just "molested". Anyhow I've seen some really nice 2010-2011 Prius III and IV's with solar options for about 18K or even less depending on their mileage (some are actually quite low in mileage). I've bought an old skool '88 MR2 which had a salvaged title and mechanically there was nothing wrong with it. Only some slight wheel/alignment problems after all those years of ownership. I'm a car person myself but the Prius looks like an advance vehicle electronically from the future so I just thought I do some questioning first that's all. Even if I bought a salvaged vehicle with low mileage (say 20-40K), would I still be covered with Toyota's standard warranty of up to 100K miles? Just wondering that's all. I'm San Gabriel valley, CA. Thanks guys!

 

When you have the title "Salvage", it means the cost of the repair is more than the cost of the car. So, Insurance company just pay you the market cost of the car instead of repairing it.

When you have wheel/alignment issue, it means the frame is bent. That is a good indication that the car has been in an accident. If you don't care for mis-aligment of a caster or camber angle on your wheels, then it does not matter. Your tires wear will be abnormal. Potentially, after some usage, you will notice that you may need to replace the tire prematurely. Those are the cost that you may have deal with. If you pay attention to the noise coming from the wheels in high speed, you can notice these problems.

I knew people who drive Salvage title, as long as the person does not care about or ignorant about what it means, then it does not matter.

 

OK, since this is a high tech vehicle, I decided to not look at any "Salvage" vehicles. There are also ones that show that it's clean but not salvaged. Those are the fender bender ones I guess or the cost of repair is much less than the market value. I think I just may have to get a BRAND NEW one then. It's not worth the headache I guess. Now I have a problem deciding for a 2012 Prius Plug In Base (I've read that we can get it out the door for about 28K here in Cali) or simply a 2012 Prius III/IV for perhaps 25K? Decisions Decisions!!!

 

Money usually is a problem with most of us. Most of us work for somebody earning a living. All I can suggest is, you can get the extra money by working on any extra jobs that you can find.

I still remember that I was a paper boy when I started working at 12 years old. I saved every thing so I can buy the things that I wanted. It will make you appreciate the things you bought much more when you know how hard you have worked for it. I can't say that for a lot of kids these days when things are given to them and money came from their parents.