Setting a budget

Hi all, I'm new to driving in general, nevermind actually buying a car, so I'm sure I'll have lots of questions. I'm moving from NYC out West, so I'm going to need a car, and have settled on a used Prius. I'm trying to decide between spending $10K on the car and leaving some of my moving budget for other stuff, or spending closer to $14K. I could buy the car in Phoenix or Los Angeles, but Phoenix seems cheaper. Any rough idea of what I could get for $10K versus $14K? TIA!

 

To provide a little more context, I hope not to spend much on maintenance. I was arbitrarily going for 50K miles or less, no accidents/structural damage, and I heard the Prius had some design enhancements in 2012 so I was hoping for 2012 or later. Being a new driver I don't really care about many specific features other than general safety I guess.

 

Thanks for the tips! Definitely food for thought. Not sure if it's the best site to look, but TrueCar definitely has fewer Prii 2012 or later for less than 50,000 in the $12K range in Los Angeles as opposed to Phoenix. What kind of fees am I looking at for an out of state car? Maybe $1000 in taxes? And is the heat in Phoenix harder on the battery? The selection of used Prii looks even worse in NYC, plus I don't have time to drive it across country, so I don't think that's ideal.