Should I buy this 2007 Prius?

[CharChar]

Found this car on CL and it seems like a decent deal. Although I don't know anything about the Prius other than the research I've done online. The odometer reading scares me a little as well as the fact that it has a rebuild title. My last car (Scion xB) had a rebuild title though, and I never had any issues with it. It also states that it has a new battery. I am currently driving a BMW 335xi. I absolutely love everything about it except for its anti-mustachian qualities and I am looking to stop the face punches!


The CL ad reads:

"2007 Toyota

VIN: JTDKB20U877551442
drive: fwd
fuel: hybrid
odometer: 178000
paint color: red
title status: rebuilt
transmission: automatic

2007 Toyota Prius that is ABSOLUTELY LOADED (you'll be hard pressed to find a 2007 with these options) and I have owned it for years and maintained it in wonderful condition. It has:

 *Keyless Start
 *Touch Handle Unlock/Lock
 * Heated front seats
 * Backup Camera
 * Leather seats (Factory)
 * Navigation (Factory)
 * JBL Audio (Factory)
 * Blutooth (Factory)
 * New Goodyear Tires
 * New Battery (Factory) installed by Toyota so we are ready for wintertime!

 I have driven this car almost daily for about 6 years and wouldn't be afraid to jump in and drive it to California today as it has been very dependable. I have put about about 150,000 miles in that time. and maintained it religiously at a Toyota dealer, using Toyota Parts. I bought it at about 30,000 miles. It is a very nice car in much better condition that a lot of what is out there. I believe this model has every option available so I think $5,500 is a very fair price. Please don't drive out and see me only to think I will accept a low ball offer."

What do you think? Just by knowing the info from this ad, do you think it would be worth checking out and possibly getting rid of my BMW for?

Thanks!

[KCM5]

Seems like for new battery they mean the starter battery, not the hybrid battery (not that that would stop me - they hybrid battery should last, the Gen 2 was way overbuilt)

No mention of why it has a rebuilt title. That's curious, considering the other detail in the post

[humbleMouse]

How much is your bmw worth?  Do you owe money on it?  Other relevant financial details about your life? 

[CharChar]

My BMW is paid off and worth around $7k. Right now my only debts are CC's (totaling ~$3k, mostly for a house I am flipping) and my mortgage. I am trying to save money in the way of groceries & fuel/car maintenance (and hoping to even get an extra $1k or so by buying cheaper than what my car is worth). These would be the 2 easiest ways for me to decrease spending at this time.

[AZDude]

Rebuilt title? Get the VIN and run a Carfax. I strongly suspect the seller is not giving you all the facts. Just asking for the VIN might reveal the trustworthiness of the other party.

[chemistk]

Kelly Blue Book lists a 2007 Prius with those options around $5,500 for "Very Good" condition. The seller clearly has done his homework and knows what he has. I would absolutely look into why the car has a rebuilt title - the seller is not obligated to provide a report but I'm sure you could work $25 off the price if you have one done. He's providing the VIN so he's willing to at least let buyers look into the history.

Otherwise, I doubt you'll have any troubles with the car. My FIL has an '07 with 210k miles and he has not been as diligent with maintenance as he should be. It's still on the original battery pack, too. Even in "fair" condition, his Prius has never had to go in for major service. As not fun as they are to drive, they are very hard to kill.

If the rebuilt title isn't an issue, I'd say go for it. Because of the title, it would also be absolutely fair to ask for a couple hundred off the price.

[CharChar]

OK so I ran a CarFax report and it states that the car is worth $2250 less than retail book value. It also lists the following under title history:

Salvage
Junk
Rebuilt
Fire
Flood
Hail
Lemon - what does this mean exactly?? I read that it does not apply to used cars?

Last odometer reading is at 184,251 but states it is not the actual mileage. It also says it is on its 3rd owner, who has had the care for 2 yrs. 3 mos. In his ad he states he has been driving it for 6 years so I'm not sure if that is trustworthy. I may decide to test drive it if I can make it that way but its about an hour from me so I'm trying to decide if it will even be worth it. Let me know if you have any additional thoughts!

[humbleMouse]

Hold on to your beamer.  A 3 series bmw sounds like a nice ride, and if it's well maintained I don't see the point in dealing with all the hassle and uncertainty of a new car that will only save you a small amount of money (or none at all if you get un lucky)

[AZDude]

OK so I ran a CarFax report and it states that the car is worth $2250 less than retail book value. It also lists the following under title history:

Salvage
Junk
Rebuilt
Fire
Flood
Hail
Lemon - what does this mean exactly?? I read that it does not apply to used cars?

Last odometer reading is at 184,251 but states it is not the actual mileage. It also says it is on its 3rd owner, who has had the care for 2 yrs. 3 mos. In his ad he states he has been driving it for 6 years so I'm not sure if that is trustworthy. I may decide to test drive it if I can make it that way but its about an hour from me so I'm trying to decide if it will even be worth it. Let me know if you have any additional thoughts!

Run! Run away now. I'm sure you can find a similar clean titled car for the same money.

[tobitonic]

OK so I ran a CarFax report and it states that the car is worth $2250 less than retail book value. It also lists the following under title history:

Salvage
Junk
Rebuilt
Fire
Flood
Hail
Lemon - what does this mean exactly?? I read that it does not apply to used cars?

Last odometer reading is at 184,251 but states it is not the actual mileage. It also says it is on its 3rd owner, who has had the care for 2 yrs. 3 mos. In his ad he states he has been driving it for 6 years so I'm not sure if that is trustworthy. I may decide to test drive it if I can make it that way but its about an hour from me so I'm trying to decide if it will even be worth it. Let me know if you have any additional thoughts!

The moment you initially said rebuilt title, I was saying "no" in my head. Now that you've gotten more details, it's even more of a "no."

[CharChar]

I think you're both right. Grr!

[bobechs]

OK so I ran a CarFax report and it states that the car is worth $2250 less than retail book value. It also lists the following under title history:

Salvage
Junk
Rebuilt
Fire
Flood
Hail
Lemon - what does this mean exactly?? I read that it does not apply to used cars?

Last odometer reading is at 184,251 but states it is not the actual mileage. It also says it is on its 3rd owner, who has had the care for 2 yrs. 3 mos. In his ad he states he has been driving it for 6 years so I'm not sure if that is trustworthy. I may decide to test drive it if I can make it that way but its about an hour from me so I'm trying to decide if it will even be worth it. Let me know if you have any additional thoughts!

I don't have any advice for you on what car to buy or keep.

But I don't think you are reading that report correctly.  Of course I can't tell for sure unless you hold it up to the internet and let the adults take a look.

But it seems shall we say...implausible... that one single car has all those defects at the same time, and has not shriveled up like a miller moth in an overhead light fixture for a year.

What I suppose you are doing is looking at a form that has all of those items listed not as defects of this car but all the kinds of defects that the database keeps track of.

Reading it your way would be like looking at that page two of the intake form in your file with a hundred and fifty human diseases listed and gulping the black pill 'cause nobody  could survive all those.  Of which you have had none.

[Tetsuya Hondo]

Oh hell no. It doesn't matter what problem from the list that Prius has; they're all (well, not hail) bad news. But they buyer says rebuilt so it's a salvaged vehicle: http://thegarage.jalopnik.com/why-you-dont-want-to-buy-a-rebuilt-salvage-vehicle-1653320003

A cursory search on Autotrader pulls up tons of Priuses (Priusi?) for similar money and clean titles, especially if there's wiggle room (and there always is) in the prices.

[Slow&Steady]

I recently bought a 2008 Prius for that price with a rebuilt title BUT it only had 50k miles and the reason for the rebuild was a rear fender and back door accident.  I have not had any issues with it but I have only had it for a few months so far.

I also own a 2006 Prius that we bought brand new, it now has 270k miles on it.  If they car you listed didn't have the other issues I would not personally be concerned with the miles it has on it.