Would You Recommend a Specific Trim Level?

i think 2 is the best value. what do you get with 3, upgraded stereo? better off replacing the h/u. what about 3 door sks?

 

how long are you gong to keep it? .... I ask because getting an 11-12 with low miles will be cheaper .. as they age out the options add less and less to the car. We have an 11 five -- I wanted the LED headlights and the 17 wheels .. did not want the sunroof. The fives don't come with sunroof. In 2012 they stopped the leather -- its the softex as you mention. The softex with kids would be a plus -- I think all the 4 have navigation and backup.

They sold many more 2&3's

 

We have a 2010 Prius II and have a 5 and 4 year old. Owned the car through their infancy and it has served us well. It has cloth seats and we have had no issues with it yet.

We went the less options route as we did not see the value in some of the "upgrades". Standard stereo is fine, the seats are comfortable enough and glad we did not get the nav unit (we use or phones for directions).

146 k miles and going strong. As @yeldogt said there are more of the 2s and 3s out there. Any year gen 3 IMO is good.

Good luck.

 

We recently got a 2010 Prius 5. Of course, as the cars get older, you pay less of a difference to move up in trim level; older used car buyers simply aren't willing to pay a lot more to move up. To me, the one thing worth paying extra for in the upper Prius trims is the seats. Not just for the upholstery itself, but because of the adjustable lumber support and more multi-adjustable seat bottom position.

Not everyone with a 2 or 3 agrees that the seats are all-day comfortable; they've generated a lot of complaints on this board, as you'll find if you run a search. I mention this because I notice you said you do a lot of highway driving, which implies longer stretches behind the wheel. It might be worth the investment to you; nothing affects your enjoyment of a car more than whether you're seated comfortably.

 

Just re-read the location of the OP as Boston. Leather / Softex gets you heated seats if that is important to you. Sunroof, 3 door SKS & leather pointed me to the 4 I got. Buddy at work has a 13 or 14 level 2. The guages, tail lights, and turn signals were upgraded on 12 and up. Also different front seat cup holders 12 and up.

If you really want to dig deep into the changes among the Gen3 years, check out this thread. The first post is really long. At the bottom of that 1st post is a link to a spreadsheet with all the changes through those years.
3G Prius (2010-2015) Standard and Optional Equipment (Some Countries) | PriusChat

 

I went through this decision about a year ago. I actually prefer cloth seats, so I knew my decision was between a two or a three. For me, the premium for a three (was about $600 then) would definitely be worth it. However, we were in somewhat of a hurry, and a three wasn't available in the year/color/mileage/condition I wanted. So, I went with a two and had the backup camera and XM installed later.

• I would definitely miss the backup camera. It was about $220 for the kit and installation.
• I would definitely miss XM (radio options in my city are terrible). It was about $320 for the kit and installation.
• We use our phones for navigation. Mobile apps are way better than the installed navigation from what I read.
• We do sometimes regret not having the 3-door smart key system (available on three or higher), which allows you to unlock the driver's door, passenger's door, and hatch with a touch (instead of pressing the key fob button). The two only has smart key on the driver's door. More discussion on that here: How useful is three-door SKS vs. one-door? | PriusChat

You can get the specific list of features for each trim level from the e-brochure: Pre-Owned Toyota Prius | Certified Used Hybrid Car (scroll down a little to "download an e-brochure" on the left).

 

I have a three with nav and I do like the JBL but I really don't make use of the nav. I find it easier to use my samsung note (the non, exploding one) if I need to map something quick.

 

I purchased a Five precisely for the Radar Cruise Control. Yes, you still need to pay attention, but lets you relax more as you are not making constant speed decisions. If you can afford a Gen 4, then it is active down to stop/go, which I have on another car, and that's totally amazing, but I wanted a Gen 3 for the extra room.

My experience with the lane assist is that its less of a big deal. Keeping a car in the lane is almost a subconscious act. I also think it should be a little more aggressive in sounding the alert. My other car is more vigilant.

 

If you're considering one with sunroof, be sure to sit in it, perhaps in the non-adjustable front passenger seat. Personally, I don't "get" sunroofs. But if you're on the fence, do check it out, have a sit, see how much headroom you have: the sunroof does reduce it. Ours has the JBL sound system, which sounds good to me, but I'm pretty clueless: could be the base sound system would be ok too. The base model may not have touch activation lock/unlock, or not on both front doors and the hatch? Something to look into.