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  • Getting ready to buy a 2005-2007 Prius, anyone selling?

    We're ready to replace one of our older cars, so in the next few months we're interested in buying a 2005-2007 Prius on Oahu.

    We'll be searching through Craigslist and the usual hardcopy classifieds but if you're looking for flexibility on the sale date (and the assurance of knowing exactly when your car will be sold) then we're able to oblige.

    I care more about the mechanical/electrical condition than the color, cleanliness, dings, or extra features.
    Youth may be wasted on the young, but retirement is wasted on the old.
    Live like you're dying, invest like you're immortal.
    We grow old if we stop playing, but it's never too late to have a happy childhood.
    Forget about who you were-- discover who you are.

  • #2
    Re: Getting ready to buy a 2005-2007 Prius... anyone selling?

    Not many folks can fix a Prius yet. So why not go to a dealer and get yourself a new one. Credit union financing makes the payment barely $300 a month.
    FutureNewsNetwork.com
    Energy answers are already here.

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    • #3
      Re: Getting ready to buy a 2005-2007 Prius... anyone selling?

      Nords,
      Good luck on the car search. I've only seen a few 1st-gen Priuses for sale. An '05 model with a plug-in conversion would be pretty sweet though. 100 mpg anyone?
      "If it's brown, it's cooked. If it's black, it's f***ed" - G. Ramsey

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      • #4
        Re: Getting ready to buy a 2005-2007 Prius, anyone selling?

        Originally posted by timkona View Post
        Not many folks can fix a Prius yet. So why not go to a dealer and get yourself a new one. Credit union financing makes the payment barely $300 a month.
        We could end up going that way, but we haven't bought new since 1981 and we don't plan to start now. And if it matters to the seller, we're paying cash (certified check).

        I'm much more comfortable with a used car than with new. And, gosh, after that thread on new car break-in periods I'd be terrified to miss any maintenance requirements!

        Originally posted by MixedPlateBroker View Post
        Nords,
        Good luck on the car search. I've only seen a few 1st-gen Priuses for sale.
        I haven't seen anything in the 2001-2003 era for a while, although we've seen an occasional 2004. We've been seeing the later models every week or two, and there's a dealer in Aiea who turns over some used ones. I'm hoping that business ramps up as school lets out and summer moving season starts.

        Originally posted by MixedPlateBroker View Post
        Nords,
        Good luck on the car search. I've only seen a few 1st-gen Priuses for sale. An '05 model with a plug-in conversion would be pretty sweet though. 100 mpg anyone?
        That's the long-term plan, including the software hack to minimize the engine use. In a couple years (especially with $200/barrel oil) this may all be aftermarket from something like "Hybrids 'R' Us".

        Of course we'd also need another photovoltaic array to generate the extra kilowatts to fill the tank... I'm still researching the math on that one. Guess I need to find more roof space too.
        Youth may be wasted on the young, but retirement is wasted on the old.
        Live like you're dying, invest like you're immortal.
        We grow old if we stop playing, but it's never too late to have a happy childhood.
        Forget about who you were-- discover who you are.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Getting ready to buy a 2005-2007 Prius, anyone selling?

          Whoa....this is something I just learned of today and though not conclusively saying I won't own a Prius it does warrant a lot more research before buying a used Prius, or hoping to own one more than four or more years. Yikes....


          http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news0...ars.html#prius

          Whoa! just learned this, too.....dang,

          "Though the batteries of the hybrid cars come for a long period, before harboring a need to be replaced, you have to replace them at least on completing 80,000 miles. It depends on your usage and way of running the car. Each battery pack costs about $5,000 to $8,000, which is dependent on the model of the car. This may turn out to be rather expensive on your budget in the long run; moreover if you are a frequent traveler with the car." (source "http://www.allhybridcars.com/hybrid-car-problems.html)

          Also, they are not anywhere near 100MPG....man, now that would really make them tempting to buy, but....they keep costing so much down the road that gotta really study this idea.
          Last edited by Karen; April 30, 2008, 05:22 PM.
          Stop being lost in thought where our problems thrive.~

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          • #6
            Re: Getting ready to buy a 2005-2007 Prius, anyone selling?
            1. Toyota covers their battery packs for 15 years or 150,000 miles.
            2. 100 mpg is the maximum for a Prius with an aftermarket plug-in conversion (see hyperlink in my last post).
            That's all. Carry on.
            "If it's brown, it's cooked. If it's black, it's f***ed" - G. Ramsey

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Getting ready to buy a 2005-2007 Prius, anyone selling?

              Originally posted by MixedPlateBroker View Post
              1. Toyota covers their battery packs for 15 years or 150,000 miles.
              2. 100 mpg is the maximum for a Prius with an aftermarket plug-in conversion (see hyperlink in my last post).
              That's all. Carry on.

              eh! you're sposed to be working!

              ...oops. i'm sposed to be doing homework.

              anyway, back on topic, the whole battery thing is why i opted not to get a prius, even tho eric thinks it would be infinitely cool to sneak up on people in silent mode.

              or did they make next gen pri-i? (latin plural) pri-oi? (greek plural?) prius-es (modern english plural?) noisier at <30 mph in response to advocates for the blind?
              superbia (pride), avaritia (greed), luxuria (lust), invidia (envy), gula (gluttony), ira (wrath) & acedia (sloth)--the seven deadly sins.

              "when you wake up in the morning, tell yourself: the people i deal with today will be meddling, ungrateful, arrogant, dishonest, jealous, and surly..."--meditations, marcus aurelius (make sure you read the rest of the passage, ya lazy wankers!)

              nothing humiliates like the truth.--me, in conversation w/mixedplatebroker re 3rd party, 2009-11-11, 1213

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              • #8
                Re: Getting ready to buy a 2005-2007 Prius, anyone selling?

                At www.toyotapriusbattery.com it says

                " It should be noted that the Prius traction batteries are under warranty for 8-10 years or 100,000 miles, and so will be replaced for free before then in the case of failure. However, should the battery fail outside this timeline, the estimated cost of traction battery replacement is $3,000."

                Aha! perhaps as the Prius ages the warranty Toyota allows it is getting better, but make ONE little alteration to your Prius and Toyota can be very strict in nullifying the warranty.

                The life of the car itself is said to be 180,000 Mi.

                Toyota is getting quite a reputation for finding reasons to nullify the warranties on the batteries in these cars. The various car forums online can sure give one a complete pic of which car and which hybrid, if any to buy.

                Consumer Reports found that for the 2004 Prius, they got gas mileage of 35 city driving, and 50 mpg. hiway. That's pretty darn good.
                Last edited by Karen; April 30, 2008, 09:06 PM.
                Stop being lost in thought where our problems thrive.~

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Getting ready to buy a 2005-2007 Prius, anyone selling?

                  Nords, the Prius was the first car to be certified by the IRS for a 2,000 dollar tax deduction! THAT's huge...find out if it's still allowed.

                  PS....Consumerreports.com has a lot of owners that have posted comments about the Prius. I was surprised that several posted that tires wear out on the thing way too quickly, like just 25K mi. for one owner. The biggest complaint I saw out of a couple hundred posts was that the thing didn't get the claimed gas mileage, but the 35/50 is still noticeably better than my new Corolla.
                  Stop being lost in thought where our problems thrive.~

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                  • #10
                    Re: Getting ready to buy a 2005-2007 Prius, anyone selling?

                    Nords, this is a cool forum that I found...

                    www.priuschat.com and it looks really full and actively used. No better place to research any and all years of this car than a forum like this, and hear from tons of Prius owners, past and present. The tax issue is covered there and everything else about the car.

                    One of my daughters and her hubby are talking about selling their Lexus SUV and going hybrid. They're looking at the Prius and Honda's version. I'm gonna point them to this forum.
                    Stop being lost in thought where our problems thrive.~

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                    • #11
                      Re: Getting ready to buy a 2005-2007 Prius, anyone selling?

                      Yep, I agree those are all issues, although I suspect the car's real battery life has yet to be determined. The electrical engineers seem more optimistic than other drivers.

                      By driving only 3000-4000 miles/year we hope to be low enough on charge/discharge cycles to see things get sorted out before our batteries reach that same point.

                      IIRC the tax credits only apply to original owners, not subsequent owners.

                      Thanks for PriusChat-- I'll try that one too.
                      Youth may be wasted on the young, but retirement is wasted on the old.
                      Live like you're dying, invest like you're immortal.
                      We grow old if we stop playing, but it's never too late to have a happy childhood.
                      Forget about who you were-- discover who you are.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Getting ready to buy a 2005-2007 Prius, anyone selling?

                        If you're gonna buy a new car, leasing one might be the way to go, especially with these hybrids. That way, you'll avoid the heavy maintenance costs.

                        Personally, I wouldn't buy a new car unless I'm doing well financially. 2-yr old cars are good. A lot cheaper and most of the kinks are worked out by then.

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                        • #13
                          Re: Getting ready to buy a 2005-2007 Prius, anyone selling?

                          Nords, let us know what you decide. Having it but not using it to commute in or something of less driving does sound like an optimal situation to buy one for.

                          Bob, I'm in my fifties and just bought my second new car that's personally mine, a couple of mos. ago. They do depreciate right off the lot and I was careful to buy cars that are known for holding their value. My Camry proved that claim true by bringing over 8grand when it had turned 10yrs. old.
                          Stop being lost in thought where our problems thrive.~

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                          • #14
                            Re: Getting ready to buy a 2005-2007 Prius, anyone selling?

                            Well, never mind the car-buying questions; things came together awfully fast. Last week we bought a silver 2006 baseline model with 23K miles and new tires-- $21,500, a little over bluebook. (I've never owned a used car that still has the original warranty.) The owner lives next to his office and was groping for reasons to drive the car.

                            A Kanupepa print ad led to Edmunds.com research which led to our seller's AutoTrader.com ad. I later found his month-old Craigslist ad, and he says he's probably met every tire-kicker on the island.

                            My biggest snivel, if it even merits that term, is that the radio antenna is right spang in the middle of where the longboard rack will sit. But the rack is high enough and the antenna is flexible enough that it'll stay below the board. At least the interior's big enough to hold a 9'0" when I'm paddling out by myself.

                            We're already at 45 mpg while teaching a student driver. I expected good gas mileage but I'm even more impressed with the acceleration that comes from a gas engine and an electric motor working together.
                            Youth may be wasted on the young, but retirement is wasted on the old.
                            Live like you're dying, invest like you're immortal.
                            We grow old if we stop playing, but it's never too late to have a happy childhood.
                            Forget about who you were-- discover who you are.

                            Comment

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