Wanting to purchase a 2010

What features does it have? But with 203,000 miles, that is A LOT!
Was it maintained? Have they cleaned the EGR Cooler, a few times? What about the head gasket?
You need to find out if it's a 2, 3, 4 and put that into the Kelly Blue Book and see what it says.
Unless you can do the work, or want to do the work, maybe you should pass, as Sam Spade 2 suggests and
look for a newer one with less miles. They ARE out there, take your time.

 

I have a 2010 Prius III. 96K miles. It does use about a quart but only after 10K miles. I am thinking of selling it for the new RAV 4 hybrid but I am wary about getting a new model year vehicle. It has been reliable.

 

10k miles is oil change time, so that should be ok.

 

I also have a 2010 with 96,000 miles that uses some oil. We also have a new Rav4 hybrid (replacement for our 11 Y,O. Murano) and are happy with that. Lots of factors to consider. I still use the Prius as my around town car. My wife drives the Rav by herself and we use the Rav4 when going out together. I consider the Prius as "cheap to keep" and likely to be reliable for several more years, still drives like new.

Here is a link to my initial review of The Rav4 hybrid and subsequent discussion: 2019 Rav4 Hybrid review with periodic updates | PriusChat

 

IMO, there's a fair amount of silliness in this thread. The Prius is not perfect, and some problems were addressed after 2010. But in general, Consumer Reports' independent owner survey of problems shows the 2010 Prius was one of the most reliable cars ever made, and about as reliable a used car as subsequent years if one equalizes for age and mileage. The mass panic that's gripped some corners of this site about the inverter problems and the oil usage give a very exaggerated picture of a car that's generally quite trouble-free. As with any used car, look for a clean example that looks like it's been well cared for, lacks evidence of a crash and has service records. Beyond that, these cars have gone up in price the last couple years as Uber and Lyft drivers have discovered they have a pretty roomy back seat and cost virtually nothing to run, so they're not the bargain-priced used car to buy. Shop with an eye to whether the gas savings and low upkeep will compensate for what you're being asked to pay.

 

I bought my 2010 as a “back lot bargain” knowing that it had engine issues. 11 months ago I became one of the first people to use the Gen 4 short block to replace the blown engine from a failed head gasket. I wouldn’t trade any of my experiences with it for anything. Besides, added up, purchase cost + repairs to blown engine + experiences gained, I am still money ahead of where I would have been with my 16 mpg in town Crown Vic Police Interceptor.

 

On CR, there were very little differences between the 2010 MY and the years after- including the engine major and engine minor. As I have written elsewhere, the non-hybrid problems discussed on this board appear to be in relation to other Prius model years. But as per the CR surveys, they are not problems when compared to other makes and models.

With that being said, I’d still avoid the 2010 due to posts on this board. There seems to be fewer head gasket related posts for the '11-'15 MY, IIRC.