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Used 2009 Prius One - About to purchase - Would you go for it?

Discussion in 'Dealers & Pricing' started by HolyCow, May 15, 2014.

  1. HolyCow

    HolyCow Junior Member

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    II

    Oh yah, I learned that the hard way. I'm all patience, now.
     
  2. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    financing 2/3 of the amount would be $4000-$4500 down and how much monthly? Loan term? With that type of money, you can easily finance a new one. Only thing you would have is slightly longer payment term. But you get the feeling of owning a reliable new car from day 1.

    In the Los Angeles area, many of the used Prius cars are way over priced. You can tell from the examples you have now. But if you're talking new car, in the Los Angeles area, you can get nearly $5000 off with the rebates included or financing at 0%. It's much more attractive to buy a new one if you can afford it. When you sell the car, you will retain much more of the value, as you can see how expensive they are in the used market.
     
  3. HolyCow

    HolyCow Junior Member

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    I really appreciate everyones input. Thank you to everyone who chimed in. It's safe to say these are ok to walk away from and I won't be missing out on much if I can't get a little out of the buyers. My aim is to really get a good inspection and base my decision off of that of course. I feel these are priced on the High Market range and with that in mind they should be near perfect condition with almost brand new tires and brakes, a get-in-and-go car so to speak. Anything that might need attention soon would be room for me. I've still got some homework to do as I lack the VIN for both of these cars so CarFax and Recall services need to be looked at.
     
  4. HolyCow

    HolyCow Junior Member

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    Actually it would be more than that. I've got an approval for 8k, 60 months at 4%. Anything else will be cash added on top. I have to keep insurance in mind. I do like the Gen II and am very good with taking care of my cars. I also rent and don't make a lot of money at all. Everything is going into consideration. I prefer to have my insurance at liability as well but am forced to buy comprehensive collision because of loan terms.

    As much as a new car sounds good I really could only afford a monthly payment of $150 at most.
     
  5. HolyCow

    HolyCow Junior Member

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    I'm not familiar with any of the new car buying rebates as I haven't even considered buying new. Is that $5,000 off sticker price right off the bat? Financing at 0% sounds good but if my payments are going to be $239 a month or anything in this ball park I'm afraid it's no go.
     
  6. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    If you can't make a $239 month payment, then you should move on and concentrate on a used one. The new ones with 0% at 60 months would still get you at least a $300 payment for $6000 down.

    Seeing that you are on a budget, I'd suggest you should try and get into a used car at around $10000-$11000. You would then have enough money for any unknowns that come with the car.
     
  7. HolyCow

    HolyCow Junior Member

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    Too many miles!
     
  8. usnavystgc

    usnavystgc Die Hard DIYer and Ebike enthusiast.

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    Well, not for a Prius but, Ok now that we know a little more, we can help you better. Do you care about the year? because I saw several low mileage 05's for cheap on autotrader. Me personally, I would go for an 05 or above with SKS and I would lean toward buying from a Private Seller.
     
  9. usnavystgc

    usnavystgc Die Hard DIYer and Ebike enthusiast.

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    JC, don't you have a Prius to sell him lol. :)
     
  10. HolyCow

    HolyCow Junior Member

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    Sounds about right. $11,000 is really the comfort zone. I wouldn't have a problem shelling out another $2k if I knew it was going to last longer and is fresher. I found a Prius that has been in a minor accident right before the 2nd owner got a hold of it. It's at 78k miles right now and the 3rd owner had also hit the driver rear quarter against something which they had a $500 repair bill for so it's been through a lot and I'm not so comfortable with that one at 12,800 although I do like the blue color. Patience! Patience!
     
  11. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    LOL. unfortunately all mine have become collectibles with higher mileage.
     
  12. HolyCow

    HolyCow Junior Member

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    I'm not a him! I'm a her!
     
  13. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Don't go for a salvage car or one that's been in a major accident. There are many electronic parts to the Prius and they are VERY expensive to fix. If your comfort zone is around $11000 - $12000, I think you are in good shape.

    Remember being in CA, you have a CARB warranty on the car that's good for 10 years or 150k miles. That's a big bonus. So you can actually find a car that has 80,000 miles on it and it would still be very reliable and still have a reasonable warranty left on it.
     
  14. HolyCow

    HolyCow Junior Member

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    I do and I don't, I'd like to find some happy medium in regards to that but I tend to stretch towards the newer end of what I can afford. Just adds that extra piece of mind that I have so many more years or miles out of the battery life.
     
  15. HolyCow

    HolyCow Junior Member

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    I boil it down to my area. Where I live there are tons of people with a lot of money they can spend in a heart beat on a car for $14k even it it is overpriced. Therefore, the ads keep that in mind. Someone like me who wants to get the best deal will have to do a lot of homework and might have to do the walk away and hope no one shells out the asking price and wait a week. We'll see, I'm not going head over heels for this thing just need a good reliable car with some piece of mind. And thanks to you guys I'm getting the "overpriced" vibe. :) I will take that in with my inspection.
     
  16. HolyCow

    HolyCow Junior Member

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    Yeah, salvage was never to my liking and accidents always scare me away, even minor ones because these car's are different mechanically.

    I am aware of that extra warranty in California. It's one of those things that makes this car attainable for someone with a budget like mine. At least it adds piece of mind.
     
  17. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    It's peace of mind........:)

    Does your bank have any restrictions on purchasing used? I remember last time I sold to someone that got a loan from a credit union, it had to be no more than a certain amount of miles and had to be no older than a set amount of years.
     
  18. HolyCow

    HolyCow Junior Member

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    Yep, even that can be bought.

    Ah! I forgot about that. Yes. Thank you for reminding me! It can't be older than 5 years! How I forgot, Haha. Little ol' me, I need to take my Ginkgo and Sunflower Lecithin before I try to buy a 2008 or older. It looks like 2009 is my only option.
     
  19. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Now that will make your search more challenging.
     
  20. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    I also think if you are buying from a private party, the bank has to do an inspection to make sure it's within their criteria before they issue a check