Efficient used cars (under $7,000 but over $1500)

[Xist]

I found one Leaf in the Phoenix area for $8,000. The owner says it is a great car if you drive 40 miles a day or less.

I imagine my clients would love to have me walking up with a 100-foot extension cord so that I can make it home.

[California98Civic]

Originally Posted by Xist

I found one Leaf in the Phoenix area for $8,000. The owner says it is a great car if you drive 40 miles a day or less.

I imagine my clients would love to have me walking up with a 100-foot extension cord so that I can make it home.

And it's too expensive. Forgeddaboudit!

[MetroMPG]

Talk about borrowing electrons: I know someone who just bought a Prius plug-in... and has no place to plug it in!

She lives in an apartment/condo, and there are no outside outlets.

(But is planning to move in the next 6 months or so.)

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by Xist

I found one Leaf in the Phoenix area for $8,000. The owner says it is a great car if you drive 40 miles a day or less.

I'd avoid AZ Leaves like the plague. With no active thermal management, Phoenix is among the harshest environments for the Leaf. The car is probably worth closer to $4,000 than to $8k. Did the owner say how many "bars" of capacity were lost?

[ProDigit]

For that price you'll get a lot of nice gasoline cars around here. too many to name!

The only electric, will be a 2012 Nissan LEAF - hatchback. Not something you'll want as a fuel saver. Might save you some fuel, but low reliability/fun factor.

[mpg_numbers_guy]

My mom is currently looking at purchasing a new vehicle after our '04 Toyota Sienna got totaled by hitting a deer. She is considering purchasing an '07 Prius with 133K miles.

She reached out this morning to confirm with the seller that the battery change is in fact the hybrid battery. I have been looking at the "what to be looking for when buying a used Prius" thread to prepare a list for her and my dad to use when checking out the car (I am at college and unfortunately unable to be there to assist in person).

I was wondering if any of you experts had an opinion on the car (or the price! KBB says value is ~$6000, so we're hoping for negotiation if we pursue), and any especial things to be on the lookout for, maybe things that particularly stand out as opposed to the general checklist, or additional things you know are important.

https://fortwayne.craigslist.org/cto...717946828.html

Thanks in advance!

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by mpg_numbers_guy

My mom is currently looking at purchasing a new vehicle after our '04 Toyota Sienna got totaled by hitting a deer. She is considering purchasing an '07 Prius with 133K miles.

She reached out this morning to confirm with the seller that the battery change is in fact the hybrid battery. I have been looking at the "what to be looking for when buying a used Prius" thread to prepare a list for her and my dad to use when checking out the car (I am at college and unfortunately unable to be there to assist in person).

I was wondering if any of you experts had an opinion on the car (or the price! KBB says value is ~$6000, so we're hoping for negotiation if we pursue), and any especial things to be on the lookout for, maybe things that particularly stand out as opposed to the general checklist, or additional things you know are important.

https://fortwayne.craigslist.org/cto...717946828.html

Thanks in advance!

I don't respect sellers that give very little detail, or inaccurate information. For mileage the seller said 133 miles. Obviously they meant 133,000 miles, but if they are too lazy to type three zeros, then I'd be too lazy to offer them more than a lowball price. They didn't list what option package the car has, so you've only got what few things they listed as features to go off of. I'd use the base option package to value the vehicle in absence of them telling you what options package it is.

Some people report oil consumption, so ask about that and see if the oil reading is low.

I've recently had a change of heart on the Prius and think they are over-valued. I just bought a reconstructed title 2013 C-Max hybrid with 44,000 miles on it for $7,000, and it had every possible option. The C-max is very roomy and peppy compared with the Prius. It uses a lithium-ion battery instead of NiMh, so will probably perform better and last longer.

If they don't mind a sedan, the Ford Fusion hybrid is spectacular.

Finally, if they park in a garage, I'd look for a plug in version of any of these cars. 30% of the miles I drive on my Prius are pure EV. Not bad considering it only has a 12 mile range on EV only.

My last bit of advice is to check other sites for vehicles. I found the C-Max on OfferUp, but I also like Autotempest.com since it searches multiple sites at once. Get the Edmunds.com used car pricing too, since it usually is much lower than KBB. It's an extra bit of leverage in negotiating a lower price.

[Daox]

Looks to be in good shape body wise, but price seems a little on the high side IMO. Not sure what their budget is.

Here are a few others:

Here is one for a bit more ($8250), but only 66k miles and 2 years newer.
https://southbend.craigslist.org/cto...734002249.html

Or, one that is 2 years older, 30k more miles, but $2500 less.
https://fortwayne.craigslist.org/ctd...736368805.html


As for what to look for... there really isn't that much. The 2nd gen Prius is nearly legendary in its reliability ratings and has been named by some outlets as 'the most reliable car in the US'. I honestly haven't done anything to my 2004 Prius besides replace a rear tail light, replace a spark plug that went bad at about 135k miles (original plugs), and replace the front wheel bearings. The front wheel bearings seem to go out around 120k. I've done them on my car as well as my in-laws 2006. Tell tale signs of a bad bearing are noise going around corners, but quiet/er when going straight. So, its pretty easy to tell when they're going.

[mpg_numbers_guy]

Budget is $6800 max, including all extraneous costs. Lowest C-Max within reasonable distance is ~$8000.

Looked up the same car on Edmunds...$4800. What a difference. The reason for a Prius as opposed to other hybrids is their better fuel efficiency, and increased cargo capacity compared to a sedan hybrid. She's "downsizing" from a minivan.

Craigslist was honestly the only place we've looked so far besides Facebook marketplace. I'll definitely keep a lookout elsewhere.

Kinda hoping to find one with a new battery to avoid the potential of having to replace it after another 100K miles.

I've heard the 2nd gen Prius is better than the 3rd gen, is this true?

[cowmeat]

Might just be my cheap self talking, but that seems pricey for an 11 year old econobox
If you gave them full asking price and totaled it a week later you'd probably be out thousands of bucks

They apparently go for way cheaper down here in sunny Florida:

https://tampa.craigslist.org/pnl/cto...718179435.html
https://tampa.craigslist.org/pnl/cto...717803108.html
https://lakeland.craigslist.org/ctd/...737170198.html
https://tampa.craigslist.org/hil/ctd...729445526.html

Plus it's a Prius