The Prius you know, or the Prius you don't?
July 26, 2017 8:09 PM Subscribe
Two used cars, same model and year (2010 Prius).
Different mileage, prices, and ownership records.
Which to choose?
Both 2010 Prius, with identical trim. Both owners are selling to upgrade to new hybrids.
Both cars have passed regional safety tests.
Both will be fully inspected at Toyota dealerships - assume both come back clean.
Once purchased, this car will be driven 4 hours a day for work- 45,000-50,000km a year, about 30-35k of that highway. Reliability and fuel savings are both very important.
Black Prius - $5800
338,000km
Has had 2 owners:
First Owner was an older man, 6 years, drove 200,000 km- mostly highway, took good care of it.
Current Owner is a younger man, 1 year driven as Uber for 100,000 km- mostly city, decent care.
He feels pretty trustworthy, based on 30 mins talking about car.
Owner says no accidents or problems, and says first owner seemed very conscientious.
We do not have the full service record. Car has changed provinces (Quebec to Ontario).
Car looks good- physically clean, no visible damage.
Recent work: New spark plugs, synthetic oil change, new brake pads & rotors, new air filter.
OR.....
Grey Prius - $8500 (actually $9000, but includes a set of good winter tires)
178,982km
Single owner: middle-aged man, mostly highway driven.
Owner is very trustworthy about car, based on 2 hrs together... but he made many gross racist comments, and to be honest I feel distaste at buying from him.
No accidents, no problems.
Conscientiously dealership serviced with all receipts.
Cloth seats are smelly due to dogs- he agreed to get them detailed, but is likely to go cheap.
Recent work: New brake pads, rotors, fluid; New drive battery fluid; Regular synthetic oil changes & filter changes. Starter battery is under 2 years old.
Which one to choose?
Thank you!
Both 2010 Prius, with identical trim. Both owners are selling to upgrade to new hybrids.
Both cars have passed regional safety tests.
Both will be fully inspected at Toyota dealerships - assume both come back clean.
Once purchased, this car will be driven 4 hours a day for work- 45,000-50,000km a year, about 30-35k of that highway. Reliability and fuel savings are both very important.
Black Prius - $5800
338,000km
Has had 2 owners:
First Owner was an older man, 6 years, drove 200,000 km- mostly highway, took good care of it.
Current Owner is a younger man, 1 year driven as Uber for 100,000 km- mostly city, decent care.
He feels pretty trustworthy, based on 30 mins talking about car.
Owner says no accidents or problems, and says first owner seemed very conscientious.
We do not have the full service record. Car has changed provinces (Quebec to Ontario).
Car looks good- physically clean, no visible damage.
Recent work: New spark plugs, synthetic oil change, new brake pads & rotors, new air filter.
OR.....
Grey Prius - $8500 (actually $9000, but includes a set of good winter tires)
178,982km
Single owner: middle-aged man, mostly highway driven.
Owner is very trustworthy about car, based on 2 hrs together... but he made many gross racist comments, and to be honest I feel distaste at buying from him.
No accidents, no problems.
Conscientiously dealership serviced with all receipts.
Cloth seats are smelly due to dogs- he agreed to get them detailed, but is likely to go cheap.
Recent work: New brake pads, rotors, fluid; New drive battery fluid; Regular synthetic oil changes & filter changes. Starter battery is under 2 years old.
Which one to choose?
Thank you!
Driving 50,000km/year, 18 months from now:
- the black Prius will be at ~413,000km.
- the grey Prius will be at ~254,000km.
Buy the grey Prius with the known record and the lower mileage. And the winter tires.
posted by current resident at 8:47 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
- the black Prius will be at ~413,000km.
- the grey Prius will be at ~254,000km.
Buy the grey Prius with the known record and the lower mileage. And the winter tires.
posted by current resident at 8:47 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
"driven for Uber" would probably be a deal killer for me, just based on the type of driving that would entail.
posted by jferg at 8:58 PM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by jferg at 8:58 PM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
Grey Prius, for sure. Buying or not buying based on owner's beliefs/values doesn't seem right to me. It's an automobile purchase, not a moral question. But the car's record seems much better, with lower mileage (kilometerage?).
I agree with jferg about the Uber usage being a deal-killer as well. When we bought our 2009 Prius (new), one of our concerns was the longevity of the hyrid battery, and everyone told us the story of the Vancouver taxicab that had gone 250K miles on its original hybrid battery, so cars for hire aren't especially Prius-killers... but it's still hard, probably primarily city driving. And honestly, you just don't know where that thing's been...
posted by lhauser at 9:19 PM on July 26, 2017
I agree with jferg about the Uber usage being a deal-killer as well. When we bought our 2009 Prius (new), one of our concerns was the longevity of the hyrid battery, and everyone told us the story of the Vancouver taxicab that had gone 250K miles on its original hybrid battery, so cars for hire aren't especially Prius-killers... but it's still hard, probably primarily city driving. And honestly, you just don't know where that thing's been...
posted by lhauser at 9:19 PM on July 26, 2017
How about neither, I think you are asking this question because you have doubts about both of them, there is always another car - keep looking.
posted by Lanark at 3:53 AM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by Lanark at 3:53 AM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
The grey Prius is clearly the better deal of the two, but either car would be a foolish purchase for the amount of driving you'll be doing and the degree of reliability you require. Spend more and buy a much newer car with far fewer miles on it.
posted by jon1270 at 4:07 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by jon1270 at 4:07 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Unless you have the rear camera Prius's are really hard to back up in tight spots. In tight turns that thick thing that comes up along the side of the windshield from the hood to the roof blocks what you need to see and they have really low clearance for anything steep. The seats in the new ones cause lower back pain for many on extended trips. I'd stay away unless you live somewhere completely flat.
posted by Mr. Yuck at 9:20 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Mr. Yuck at 9:20 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
I would buy the lower mile car or find another one to buy. I absolutely wouldn't buy the higher mileage car with the amount of miles you're planning on driving.
posted by cnc at 4:17 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by cnc at 4:17 PM on July 27, 2017
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by primethyme at 8:19 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]