The Prius is one of the most reliable automobiles ever made but buying one used was quite an experience. It took me 6 months.
Looking for a deal on a good unit?? Forget it. Want to do your research? Nope. If you spot what appears to be a good Prius, you had better show up with the cash and seal the deal on the first visit or the car will be gone by the next morning.
The short story is, I finally got a good one at a good price and have been delighted with it. The Prius is highly recommended. Although I tend to stay away from dealers for maintenance, I have to say that the Prius I drove that were dealer maintained were simply nicer than the ones which did not have a dealer history.
Cheers,
John M.
I don't know where you live, but I shopped for a used 2010 Prius in the Vancouver area last fall. Including as far east as Chilliwack, there were at least 6 for sale at any given time of just this one model year. That's enough that I was able to negotiate selling prices about $5000 below asking prices. For instance, 2010's with the solar roof, about 100,000km and Toyota certified condition, for about $18,000. They seemed to last on the market for 6 weeks. I ended up with an Escape Hybrid, but would buy a Prius anytime if it suited my circumstances. There were and are lots of 2008 Escape Hybrids for sale. Don't know why. But a 2009 with awd as I wanted was pretty scarce.
Having said all that, hybrid prices and turnover may spike up and down with gas prices. Gas was around $1.10 /L when I was shopping, and it's $1.45 here today.
I don't know why, but as I've stated elsewhere, I got the impression used Camry Hybrids weren't very popular, and sold for about the same as a same-year Prius. Shoppers considering the Camry Hybrid and the Prius were choosing between highway comfort and mileage.
