Used cars on craigslist in 2021
November 9, 2021 12:29 PM Subscribe
Talk to me about strategies for buying a low-cost used car, from a private party on craigslist, in 2021 (or 2022). My main criterion is a car that is reliable and not a money pit. Almost everything else (price, looks, style) can be compromised on. My last 2 cars have been a Honda Civic and a Honda Fit; so far I've been looking at older relatively low-mileage Priuses (like this one that I'm test driving in a couple hours). I see that the used car market is low on inventory and that prices at the cheap end are double what I'm used to.
Some questions that I have...
Where is the best bang-for-the-buck value in used cars right now? Here's a representative set of options available in my area as of this writing:
- 2005 Prius with 120,000 miles selling for $5000 (test-driving this afternoon, current most likely option)
- 2007 Prius with 175,000 miles selling for $6500
- 2009 Prius with 150,000 miles selling for $8000
- 2012 Prius with 150,000 miles selling for $10,000
They all feel wildly overpriced to me. But of these options, is my money better spent to go for newer-but-more-miles or older-but-less-miles? In general I want the "least overpriced, least likely to need expensive repairs" option.
I'm also probably going to sell this car in about a year, so projected resale value is relevant.
In my area, cars are getting snapped up within about 24 hours of being posted on craigslist. What are the modern tools (email alerts, text alerts, apps, etc.) to get notified of postings as soon as possible?
2004-2009 (gen 2) Priuses above 130k miles are known for using up oil, sometimes quite a lot (1 quart per 800 miles, say). No leaks, but the piston design is such that the oil gets into the engine and burns up. Priuses also need the big battery replaced sometime above 150k miles, at a cost of $1500 or so, though some cars make it to 200k miles just fine. Yet everyone says "Priuses are so reliable." Are these issues problematic enough that I should only look at Priuses with 125k miles or less, regardless of year?
Car reliability websites I should be looking at? So far I've got carcomplaints.com and dashboard-light.com.
Other cars I should be looking at, that are maybe less overpriced than a Prius?
Some questions that I have...
Where is the best bang-for-the-buck value in used cars right now? Here's a representative set of options available in my area as of this writing:
- 2005 Prius with 120,000 miles selling for $5000 (test-driving this afternoon, current most likely option)
- 2007 Prius with 175,000 miles selling for $6500
- 2009 Prius with 150,000 miles selling for $8000
- 2012 Prius with 150,000 miles selling for $10,000
They all feel wildly overpriced to me. But of these options, is my money better spent to go for newer-but-more-miles or older-but-less-miles? In general I want the "least overpriced, least likely to need expensive repairs" option.
I'm also probably going to sell this car in about a year, so projected resale value is relevant.
In my area, cars are getting snapped up within about 24 hours of being posted on craigslist. What are the modern tools (email alerts, text alerts, apps, etc.) to get notified of postings as soon as possible?
2004-2009 (gen 2) Priuses above 130k miles are known for using up oil, sometimes quite a lot (1 quart per 800 miles, say). No leaks, but the piston design is such that the oil gets into the engine and burns up. Priuses also need the big battery replaced sometime above 150k miles, at a cost of $1500 or so, though some cars make it to 200k miles just fine. Yet everyone says "Priuses are so reliable." Are these issues problematic enough that I should only look at Priuses with 125k miles or less, regardless of year?
Car reliability websites I should be looking at? So far I've got carcomplaints.com and dashboard-light.com.
Other cars I should be looking at, that are maybe less overpriced than a Prius?
I'd strongly consider the 2005. In that 3rd photo, showing the left side from the rear, it shows a pretty good dent. I'd have some concerns about the hatchback sealing properly. Ideally, I'd look inside while someone hosed that area down, or take it through a car wash on your test drive and climb back there for a good look. Also the front license plate is pretty munched and the hood looks like it's taken a mild hit, so I'd pay a little extra attention to how the car drives, is it wildly out of alignment or anything? But on a car from 2005, what can one really ask for? If there was nothing majorly wrong, and if the replacement battery is indeed legit, I'd pounce on it.
posted by xedrik at 2:22 PM on November 9, 2021
posted by xedrik at 2:22 PM on November 9, 2021
I think the 2005 sounds good- also note that it has a shield for the catalytic converter, which is really important because the cats from Priuses of that age are especially likely to be stolen (maybe ask if theirs was replaced, because usually people get the covers after it's too late).
posted by pinochiette at 3:19 PM on November 9, 2021
posted by pinochiette at 3:19 PM on November 9, 2021
Response by poster: 2005 fell through, didn't even get to test drive it. Answers to the other questions still welcome, please.
posted by danceswithlight at 4:13 PM on November 9, 2021
posted by danceswithlight at 4:13 PM on November 9, 2021
I bought an 2010 prius in early 2021 for $10,000 (CAD) with 120k km (75k miles) as a data point. There were cheaper options either older years or more mileage. But I choose a newer year because I live on a climate where the roads are salted 5 months of the year and rust on the body will kill a car sooner than an engine like a prius would die. If that is not your climate, an older year might be a good bet.
If you are looking at resale value, I'd stick to Toyota or Honda as they tend to hold their value well. I used visualping.io (https://visualping.io/blog/how-to-set-up-craigslist-alerts-to-find-the-best-deals/) to set up Kijiji alerts (my local classified site) and it worked well for me. This page (https://techniciansnow.com/heres-how-to-set-up-craigslist-alerts/) has some alternatives for Craigslist that look interesting.
Is leasing a car for the year an option if you plan on reselling anyways? I've never leased a car but have friends who have and they have maintance packages included which may help with the money pit concern.
posted by snowysoul at 4:34 PM on November 9, 2021 [1 favorite]
If you are looking at resale value, I'd stick to Toyota or Honda as they tend to hold their value well. I used visualping.io (https://visualping.io/blog/how-to-set-up-craigslist-alerts-to-find-the-best-deals/) to set up Kijiji alerts (my local classified site) and it worked well for me. This page (https://techniciansnow.com/heres-how-to-set-up-craigslist-alerts/) has some alternatives for Craigslist that look interesting.
Is leasing a car for the year an option if you plan on reselling anyways? I've never leased a car but have friends who have and they have maintance packages included which may help with the money pit concern.
posted by snowysoul at 4:34 PM on November 9, 2021 [1 favorite]
I bought a 2013 prius private party in August (paid $10k, 95k miles). I set up alerts on cargurus and Craigslist and was pretty patient. I'm in RI and purchased the car in western mass.
The prius chat forums have a ton of info on what to look for and avoid. I'm not an expert by any means, but here's the takeaways I took from a ton of research:
- with regards to the battery, my understanding is that the age of the battery is more important than miles driven. Sitting without being used much can be bad for the batteries so a low mileage older prius is potentially not as good a deal as if it were a regular car.
- the 3rd gen (2010-2015) have issues with burning oil and head gasket issues. Sounds like the 2013-2015 are slightly better than 2010-2012.
- you can purchase a OBD2 reader and use the Dr Prius app to test battery health. I did not bother with this.
Good luck. I have an extra carfax report credit left over that I'm not going to use. Memail me if you'd like it.
posted by geegollygosh at 5:54 PM on November 9, 2021
The prius chat forums have a ton of info on what to look for and avoid. I'm not an expert by any means, but here's the takeaways I took from a ton of research:
- with regards to the battery, my understanding is that the age of the battery is more important than miles driven. Sitting without being used much can be bad for the batteries so a low mileage older prius is potentially not as good a deal as if it were a regular car.
- the 3rd gen (2010-2015) have issues with burning oil and head gasket issues. Sounds like the 2013-2015 are slightly better than 2010-2012.
- you can purchase a OBD2 reader and use the Dr Prius app to test battery health. I did not bother with this.
Good luck. I have an extra carfax report credit left over that I'm not going to use. Memail me if you'd like it.
posted by geegollygosh at 5:54 PM on November 9, 2021
Facebook Marketplace is worth checking too.
posted by nouvelle-personne at 6:50 PM on November 9, 2021
posted by nouvelle-personne at 6:50 PM on November 9, 2021
The inventory of used cars on Craigslist, which I check constantly in several cities for various reasons, is atrocious. So many salvage titles. So many pieces of shit selling for $7500. So few decent cars at any price, far fewer under $10K. It’s the worst market I’ve ever seen and I’ve been buying used cars since 1982.
In this market if you find something you like it’s very very tempting to forego a mechanic inspection and sellers know they have another buyer so they’re increasingly reluctant to allow an inspection or negotiate on price.
I would still never buy a used car without getting it inspected. Just yesterday there was an AskMe about a 150k Prius (they really are not bulletproof, Mefi has blinders on about Toyota vehicles in my opinion) the asker bought used last year for $5000 and which now needs a $4000 (quoted) repair due to a broken motor mount leading to a broken axle. A motor mount is a wear item. Wear items wear out.
Also, price out a new battery before you agree there’s no reason to test the battery health.
My advice about buying a used car right now is, unless you’re a mechanic yourself, (and even if you are — I can fix a lot of stuff and own an OBD reader and have decades of experience owning beaters, and I would still pay a real mechanic to check a car that wasn’t beater money) — is just don’t if you can possibly avoid it. The thousands you may save waiting a few more months will pay for a lot of Uber rides. These prices are not realistic or sustainable and in my view there’s a huge amount of profiteering going on (including from companies like Carvana and Vroom, neither of which I trust at all) that just has to come to an end soon as people start assessing the value proposition and as new car inventory improves, which it will.
A Prius with 150k miles is like any reliable car with 150k miles. They don’t last forever and only a few go well past 200k miles, and those are well maintained from the start, which you don’t control buying a high mileage used one. Miles are miles from the point of view of wear items like suspension systems. Inspection is a must.
posted by spitbull at 5:02 AM on November 10, 2021 [3 favorites]
In this market if you find something you like it’s very very tempting to forego a mechanic inspection and sellers know they have another buyer so they’re increasingly reluctant to allow an inspection or negotiate on price.
I would still never buy a used car without getting it inspected. Just yesterday there was an AskMe about a 150k Prius (they really are not bulletproof, Mefi has blinders on about Toyota vehicles in my opinion) the asker bought used last year for $5000 and which now needs a $4000 (quoted) repair due to a broken motor mount leading to a broken axle. A motor mount is a wear item. Wear items wear out.
Also, price out a new battery before you agree there’s no reason to test the battery health.
My advice about buying a used car right now is, unless you’re a mechanic yourself, (and even if you are — I can fix a lot of stuff and own an OBD reader and have decades of experience owning beaters, and I would still pay a real mechanic to check a car that wasn’t beater money) — is just don’t if you can possibly avoid it. The thousands you may save waiting a few more months will pay for a lot of Uber rides. These prices are not realistic or sustainable and in my view there’s a huge amount of profiteering going on (including from companies like Carvana and Vroom, neither of which I trust at all) that just has to come to an end soon as people start assessing the value proposition and as new car inventory improves, which it will.
A Prius with 150k miles is like any reliable car with 150k miles. They don’t last forever and only a few go well past 200k miles, and those are well maintained from the start, which you don’t control buying a high mileage used one. Miles are miles from the point of view of wear items like suspension systems. Inspection is a must.
posted by spitbull at 5:02 AM on November 10, 2021 [3 favorites]
A new battery will run you $3000-5000 installed, I believe. Toyota warranties Prius batteries to 100K or 150k (depends on state and model year) or 8-10 years for a reason.
Every single car on your list is past the predicted lifetime for its hybrid battery, and if it hasn’t been replaced you should automatically add the cost of a battery to the price of the car. Maybe it’s in a year or 10k miles. Maybe it’s in 3 months. Maybe it’s two years. It’s simply a cost of ownership. And it’s as predictable as rain.
The aforementioned prior AskMe about the 150k Prius with a busted motor mount and axle had already had its battery done, btw. Look for those, but good luck. It’s a huge reason people sell 100-150k mile Prii.
posted by spitbull at 5:15 AM on November 10, 2021 [1 favorite]
Every single car on your list is past the predicted lifetime for its hybrid battery, and if it hasn’t been replaced you should automatically add the cost of a battery to the price of the car. Maybe it’s in a year or 10k miles. Maybe it’s in 3 months. Maybe it’s two years. It’s simply a cost of ownership. And it’s as predictable as rain.
The aforementioned prior AskMe about the 150k Prius with a busted motor mount and axle had already had its battery done, btw. Look for those, but good luck. It’s a huge reason people sell 100-150k mile Prii.
posted by spitbull at 5:15 AM on November 10, 2021 [1 favorite]
I want to add the observation that many people buy a Prius hybrid for the excellent fuel mileage. But you will not be likely to recoup a $4000 battery replacement on a vehicle you drive 100k miles vs. a pure ICE vehicle that gets 15 mpg less on average. Do the math. My 2014 Mazda3 gets an average of about 34 mpg combined, slightly better in reality as I’m lately doing much more highway than city driving so let’s call it 35. Prii vary a bit but let’s use the 2012 at its best numbers and call it 50mpg combined. So over 100k miles you need about 875 fewer gallons of gas to run the Prius than the Mazda. At $4 a gallon that’s roughly a $3500 difference. That might be the lowest cost you could get an aftermarket battery for if you tried real hard to save money. I’m seeing estimates of up to $5000 for OEM.
At best it’s a wash. There are other reasons it’s good to burn less carbon of course, but as a strictly economic matter, you might be just as well advised to be looking at Corollas if you want to stay with Toyota, and avoiding the hybrid battery problem (and the robust Prius premium in this weird market, although honestly im a fan of avoiding the “Toyota tax” entirely, based as it is on the myth that Toyota makes far more reliable cars than their immediate competition.)
posted by spitbull at 3:36 PM on November 10, 2021
At best it’s a wash. There are other reasons it’s good to burn less carbon of course, but as a strictly economic matter, you might be just as well advised to be looking at Corollas if you want to stay with Toyota, and avoiding the hybrid battery problem (and the robust Prius premium in this weird market, although honestly im a fan of avoiding the “Toyota tax” entirely, based as it is on the myth that Toyota makes far more reliable cars than their immediate competition.)
posted by spitbull at 3:36 PM on November 10, 2021
I just have to boil the above point into a quip: the only way you save really big money on gasoline driving a Prius is by selling it before it needs a new hybrid battery. Now you know why there seem to be a good number of 125-50k Prii available on the market, but very few with significantly lower mileage. Prius buyers tend to be the sort who can do math.
Ain’t no secret super deals in the automotive market. None.
posted by spitbull at 3:10 AM on November 11, 2021
Ain’t no secret super deals in the automotive market. None.
posted by spitbull at 3:10 AM on November 11, 2021
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by quince at 1:07 PM on November 9, 2021