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used 2008 vs new?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by camner, Aug 14, 2010.

  1. camner

    camner Junior Member

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    I've been happy 2007 owner for 3 years and we (my wife) and I are considering purchasing another.

    We've been looking at a 2008 Prius with about 41K on it (it was purchased in late 2007), one owner/no accidents (according to Carfax).

    It's a package 5, and we can get it for $17,500 in the Pacific Northwest, vs about $25,000 (both excluding tax, title, etc.) for a 2010 Prius III.

    I've pulled the service record, and there are no records for the 1st two years recorded (hopefully they are just missing, because all the records since then show a well maintained vehicle).

    The only possibly worrisome record says:
    TECH FOUND TIMING COVER LEAKING OIL, INSP BY SVC MGR AND SIGN FOR REPAIRS ~|~POOR ADHESION OF SEALANT OF FRONT TIMING GEAR COVER 65/55 OFP 15100-21050 ~|~RESEALED TIMING GEAR COVER (AKA. OIL PUMP) ​

    So, a couple of questions for the experts from here:

    1. Is this a serious issue?
    2. Is the car a reasonable value? KBB would seem to indicate so.
    3. Is a $7-$8K "discount" from new a reasonable tradeoff?
     
    #1 camner, Aug 14, 2010
  2. Colonel Ronson

    Colonel Ronson New Member

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    Just get a new prius. If there's this kind of problem, i'd be wreary.

    a Prius III is not $25,000. It'd only be $25,000 if you were crazy enough to pay the MSRP, which nobody ever does. Many people here have bought a Prius III in the $22800+ range before TTTL. Is there any reason you want a Prius III? All it has over the Prius II is the JBL sound system and bluetooth, thats it. If those two aren't important to you, save yourself $1000 and get a Prius II. I got mine for $21,650 but many are getting less now that there are factory incentives and some are getting USAA discounts for $3k under invoice (invoice is $22800ish)
     
    #2 Colonel Ronson, Aug 14, 2010
    1 person likes this.
  3. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Two
    The timing cover is on the front of the engine, which faces the passenger side of the car. As the service note indicates, the oil pump is integrated with the timing cover. Apparently there was an engine oil leak which was repaired.

    If this concerns you then you might get under the car or else have it raised up so that you can look under the engine to see whether there are any fluid leaks or other issues.

    If this was the only problem, I would not be concerned.
     
    #3 Patrick Wong, Aug 14, 2010
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    Plug-in Base
    it's a little high for an 8, but you don't have to pay what they are asking for either. my 8 has 20,000 miles and i love it. but i'm this close to going for a ten. if you can afford it, i would.
     
    #4 bisco, Aug 15, 2010
  5. KK6PD

    KK6PD _ . _ . / _ _ . _

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    I love my '08, Pkg V, and if I had to replace it tomorrow, no question I would go for another '08 or '09! I just like the Gen II style!!
     
    #5 KK6PD, Aug 15, 2010
  6. vertex

    vertex Active Member

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    Let me see. You save $8000 including taxes at best. 41K miles means that for the car to reach zero value with linear depreciation you would need to drive another 90K miles, with no major expenses (after all, everything was new on the first 41K).
    I think 15K is the right price, or buy new!
     
    #6 vertex, Aug 15, 2010
  7. bunbury

    bunbury New Member

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    where and how do you get the service records?

    I just bought a certified pre-owned 09 Prius and would be interested to see if it was well taken care of. Though, it's only 1 year old.
     
    #7 bunbury, Aug 17, 2010
  8. Rockin Prius

    Rockin Prius New Member

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    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
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    We bought an 08 10,000 miles on it in the spring with the base package for 17,300.

    So price wise with the pkg 5 and a few more miles... I say you are close price wise...

    I was told I paid too much by some on the forum...but I did my research in my area in a 300 mile radius and that was a good price... I paid it and we LOVE it!

    I would not worry about the problem just have it checked first... Good Luck!
     
    #8 Rockin Prius, Aug 17, 2010
  9. camner

    camner Junior Member

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    Thanks to all for your sage advice. After a star crossed effort to purchase the vehicle described (it would take too long to give all the sordid details!), we ended up with a 2007 Package 6 with half the miles (21K original owner miles) and a completely unblemished repair record.

    We're pretty happy campers now with two 2007 Prii in our garage!
     
    #9 camner, Aug 17, 2010
  10. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    excellent! all the best!:cheer2:
     
    #10 bisco, Aug 17, 2010
  11. camner

    camner Junior Member

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    Well, there are a couple of ways of doing this. First, the selling dealer can pull the service records (though see caveat below) and show them to you. Second, if you go to Toyota Owners Online | Official Toyota Owners Website you can register your Toyota vehicles there. BUT, there's no way for the website to know whether the VIN you enter is for a car you already own or one that you're looking at. So, I just registered a couple of cars that I was looking at and pulled their service records (no personally identifying info is there) and then I deleted the cars.

    CAVEAT: the service records are not always complete...I noticed some vehicles with no records between the original purchase in 2007 or 2008 until they came back into the system as used vehicles. I'd speculate that the conversion of Toyota dealerships to the system used by Toyota to track all this stuff was gradual.

    Made for interesting (and quite helpful) reading!
     
    #11 camner, Aug 17, 2010
  12. cthindi

    cthindi Member

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    How much did you pay for the car you bought? I might be looking for one more soon.
     
    #12 cthindi, Aug 17, 2010
  13. camner

    camner Junior Member

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    I paid $18,200 for a certified preowned 2007 Package 6 Touring Edition with 21K miles on it. I know that this price is considered high by some folks here on PriusChat but in the Pacific Northwest the going rate seems to be higher. I talked with a dealer in Seattle that was "discounting" a 2008 Package 6 with 42K miles from a list price of over $22,000 to a price of $20,900 and wouldn't budge an inch from that (I declined). Other Seattle/Tacoma area dealers were quoting similar prices (though I didn't actually make any other offers). I found the car I wanted for the price I was willing to pay in Portland (OR).

    The car was in near mint condition and the dealer put on 4 new tires (Yokohama ENVigor).
     
    #13 camner, Aug 17, 2010
    1 person likes this.
  14. MuttleyHybrid

    MuttleyHybrid New Member

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    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
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    N/A
    It sounds like a great car, especially with that option package. Make the dealer an offer you feel comfortable with. I agree that their asking price is high. I bought an 08 a few months ago, with option package 4, I believe, has the JBL, Xenon lights, bluetooth, but no NAV. I got it certified for $13,000. It had 58,000 miles on it, but they had it listed on the lot for $14,900. 3 months, and 11k miles and 50+ mpg later...I have not regretted my purchase!

    But a new one DOES sound nice....eh?
     
    #14 MuttleyHybrid, Aug 18, 2010
  15. Rockin Prius

    Rockin Prius New Member

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    Congratulations !!!! :cheer2:
    Seems like you found the car for you...you have to love it when a plan comes together! :D

    Price wise... I still think your in the ball park... comparing apples to apples (with package/miles). Good Luck with it!
     
    #15 Rockin Prius, Aug 18, 2010
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