Quote:
Originally Posted by mpg_numbers_guy
Budget is $6800 max, including all extraneous costs.
I've heard the 2nd gen Prius is better than the 3rd gen, is this true?
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I don't know what the VA fees/taxes are. In Oregon there is no sales tax, and it cost $260 to title (salvage to reconstructed), license, and register the vehicle for 2 years, so total out the door cost was $7,260. Buying private party is going to save a ton of money, though sometimes you can get a good price from a dealer that has sat on an undesirable car for too long, such as a manual transmission.
I'll assume there is some good reason why $6,800 is the max out the door budget, but personally I'd borrow a little extra money to get something newer and nicer. BTW, asking price is not the same as final sales price. The car I bought for $7,000 had an asking price of $8,500. My offer was $6,500. Doesn't hurt to put in low offers with many sellers and see if any respond.
The 2007 is way overpriced. I'd probably offer something closer to $4k. My friend in Portland recently bought a 2010 Prius for $6k.
Don't shy away from reconstructed titles. Insurance companies are quick to total them out, but often the damage is mostly cosmetic. Look for even tire wear after the car was rebuilt, no frame damage, etc. I reduce the price by 30% on any fully repaired vehicle with a reconstructed title.
The C-Max is way better than a Prius in every way except for fuel economy. They get about 42 MPG compared to 45 in a gen II Prius.