Trade in value vs. time

Good advice on the private sale. The kbb value here has the private party value of ~$12,700 for very good condition for Tulsa (just to use an example in Ok). For excellent condition it's ~$13,200. Trade in value is ~$11,000, like the OP estimated. If the Prius is in very good condition, you're looking at a gap of around $2,300.

To answer the OP's question, the bank will be able to tell you exactly how much you'll owe in 12 months, as I'm not sure how much of your payments are going towards interest vs equity. Then you can compare that with the estimated value of your car in a year. We can anticipate that your value next year should be in the neighborhood of the '12 Prius 3 today. And with the mileage increased to ~63,000, then the value might be around $11,900 if it's in very good condition.

 

My back is premium when it comes to seating in general so when I was on the hunt for a Prius, it had to be a gen 3 make iv or v because of the 8-way seat adjustment option package. I didn't care for a 3 or below and knew that I had to invest more cash to get the 8-way, my back is very very happy now.

You can just trade for another gen 3 make 4 or 5, if you want a 2016 then you better do it quick. KBB says the 1st 4 years of a new car's value plummets drastically, year 5 is when it gradually plateaus under normal average mileage driving.

If your III has solar then you can increase the price by $500 to $1,000 depending on the condition of the panel.