Author Topic: Used Prius V- how mustachian is it?  (Read 11117 times)

Theobat

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Used Prius V- how mustachian is it?
« on: July 07, 2014, 04:54:48 PM »
I am replacing my car and am considering a used Prius 5.  There are several available in my area (the midwest).  Even the used ones are a bit pricey though (16-24k depending on mileage).  Does anyone have any thoughts/tips/recommendations for me?  I prefer a hatchback/wagon and am disappointed that wagons seem to be morphing into SUVs.

Thanks for your thoughts'

RapmasterD

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Re: Used Prius V- how mustachian is it?
« Reply #1 on: July 07, 2014, 08:54:18 PM »
Time for some tough love.

Why do you care how "mustachian" it is? Don't seek validation from the wackos (myself included) on this forum.

But...since you asked.

Spend no more than 20K. Get a used Prius !V (not a V -- not enough of them out there....yet).  Get the lowest mileage you can find in a clean one owner vehicle.

I am not a Prius owner but I will be. A gazillion taxi drivers in every US major city can't be wrong. The gold standard used to be the Caprice Classic 30 years ago among the cabbie crowd. Now it's the Prius. Got it? Get it? Good!

MgoSam

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Re: Used Prius V- how mustachian is it?
« Reply #2 on: July 07, 2014, 08:59:37 PM »
Time for some tough love.

Why do you care how "mustachian" it is? Don't seek validation from the wackos (myself included) on this forum.

I don't speak for the OP, but I look at the term 'mustachian' in terms of not seeking validation from anyone here, but as to how good of a choice something is. For something like a car, there are factors beyond it's initial price: safety, mileage, maintenance, feasibility, ect; and I think that mustachian is as good of a term as any, at least here. I wouldn't use that term at work or among the vast majority of my friends.

sol

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Re: Used Prius V- how mustachian is it?
« Reply #3 on: July 07, 2014, 09:00:26 PM »
I did the math on a used Prius V about six months ago, comparing selling our 17 mpg beast for $10k or keeping the beast and it's high ongoing costs. 

I could MAYBE make it pencil out after 10 years.  We just don't drive enough to make back the up front cost on gas savings.  And the depreciation on the Prius V is still too high to make it worthwhile, for us.  Better to have zero out of pocket and just try to drive less.  Buying a new car rarely makes financial sense if your old car is still functional or repairable, even in cases like ours where the old car is super-clownish.

So if you want a Prius V then go ahead and buy one, but do so understanding that it will not save you money.  Not yet.
« Last Edit: July 07, 2014, 10:27:01 PM by sol »

sulaco

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Re: Used Prius V- how mustachian is it?
« Reply #4 on: July 07, 2014, 10:21:05 PM »
Some quick clarification - The Prius 5 and Prius V are not the same car. The "5" is the high end package of the mid-sized Prius sedan (likely what you think of when you think of a Prius).  The "V" is a larger Prius with a taller rear gate, more rear leg room and additional storage. It gets about 10mpg less than the mid-sized Prius.

The first year for the V was 2011 and the used market for them favors the seller. In fact, we had difficulty finding anything 2008 or newer that didn't seem to favor the seller.

We considered a V but couldn't make the numbers work based on our driving habits. In fact, when I first looked at the Prius in 2005 I came to the same conclusion (I even gave the Prius the advantage, assuming $5/gallon average gas price over the life of the car).

monarda

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Re: Used Prius V- how mustachian is it?
« Reply #5 on: July 07, 2014, 10:44:35 PM »
We bought a used Prius 2nd gen (2004) for 6K when it was 6 years old in 2010. It had high mileage. We haven't had to put much into it in the last 4 years.

And as sulaco said, can you clarify? Are you looking for the 'big butt' Prius V?

We're thinking about a used Prius V (someday), because we haul a lot of stuff in our Prius, but there really aren't used ones available around here yet. We'll probably wait until 6-7 year old ones are available, hopefully under 10K at that point.
Do you plan to haul a lot? We can really fit a lot in our Prius 2004. We have a trailer hitch bike rack. And we keep the seats folded down most of the time - we carry a lot of lumber.

Nords

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Re: Used Prius V- how mustachian is it?
« Reply #6 on: July 07, 2014, 11:24:26 PM »
I am replacing my car and am considering a used Prius 5.  There are several available in my area (the midwest).  Even the used ones are a bit pricey though (16-24k depending on mileage).  Does anyone have any thoughts/tips/recommendations for me?  I prefer a hatchback/wagon and am disappointed that wagons seem to be morphing into SUVs.
Thanks for your thoughts'
I can fit a 10'6" longboard inside my 2006 Prius (Gen II) and with the roof rack I can carry another 500-600 pounds.

What are you planning on carrying that requires a Prius V?

Thegoblinchief

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Re: Used Prius V- how mustachian is it?
« Reply #7 on: July 08, 2014, 07:27:54 AM »
The up front cost is too high. Shop for older Priuses.

frugaliknowit

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Re: Used Prius V- how mustachian is it?
« Reply #8 on: July 08, 2014, 08:13:38 AM »
Depends on how many miles per year you plan on driving and what your holding time will be.

The more miles and the longer you hold it, the more sense it makes.  Used Prius prices do not "make sense".  They are what they are.

seattlecyclone

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Re: Used Prius V- how mustachian is it?
« Reply #9 on: July 08, 2014, 08:19:08 AM »
I agree you should consider an older one. Our 2004 Prius still averages 45 MPG on the original battery after 100,000 miles and requires very little maintenance.

ketchup

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Re: Used Prius V- how mustachian is it?
« Reply #10 on: July 08, 2014, 08:26:08 AM »
I did the math on a used Prius V about six months ago, comparing selling our 17 mpg beast for $10k or keeping the beast and it's high ongoing costs. 

I could MAYBE make it pencil out after 10 years.  We just don't drive enough to make back the up front cost on gas savings.  And the depreciation on the Prius V is still too high to make it worthwhile, for us.  Better to have zero out of pocket and just try to drive less.  Buying a new car rarely makes financial sense if your old car is still functional or repairable, even in cases like ours where the old car is super-clownish.

So if you want a Prius V then go ahead and buy one, but do so understanding that it will not save you money.  Not yet.
This.  It's just too expensive for any gas savings to come anywhere close to saving money.  I did some back-of-the-envelope math comparing my Volvo 850 wagon I used to have (~25MPG) vs my GF's sister's new Prius C (55MPG) and they only came close to breaking even if she drove the Prius some obscene amount of miles  (~300-350k) without any major repairs.  Depreciation is far more expensive than gas when it comes to newer cars (<10 years old).

sol

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Re: Used Prius V- how mustachian is it?
« Reply #11 on: July 08, 2014, 08:27:53 AM »
What are you planning on carrying that requires a Prius V?

Two adults, three children, two dogs, and our luggage.

catccc

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Re: Used Prius V- how mustachian is it?
« Reply #12 on: July 08, 2014, 08:43:29 AM »
What are you planning on carrying that requires a Prius V?

Two adults, three children, two dogs, and our luggage.

Assuming you don't take everybody everywhere everyday, with a week's worth of luggage, I vote for a smaller prius and a roof rack.

CarDude

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Re: Used Prius V- how mustachian is it?
« Reply #13 on: July 08, 2014, 08:46:30 AM »
Meh, for that money, I'd rather get a cheaper minivan (e.g., a 3rd gen Odyssey) and pay the difference in price over time via fuel.

superone!

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Re: Used Prius V- how mustachian is it?
« Reply #14 on: July 08, 2014, 08:54:00 AM »
I'm also trying to do the math on purchasing a Prius. Although I would love the space of the Prius V, I agree with everyone else here that there aren't enough used ones on the market yet. The regular Prius + roof rack sounds like a better option to me.

In my case, I'm about to start a new job that has me going from a 6 mile (one way) bike commute to a 30 mile (one way) highway commute. Current car (1977 Mercedes 240Diesel ~107000 miles) gets 28ish mpg, trying to figure out if I can justify the cost of a 2005-2009 Prius in gas savings over a few years. Looks on craigslist like you can get one in pretty good shape for under $9000.

The only real problem that I've found with the used prius market, at least here in southern california, is that many of these cars are used as heavily driven commuter vehicles, so it isn't uncommon to see a 2007 prius with over 250,000 miles on it. No idea what their mileage life is, but this seems like something to be avoided. Anyone out there with a realistic recommendation on the max mileage you should purchase a prius with? I'm thinking no more than 150,000, but that's a number I just pulled from nowhere.

cchrissyy

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Re: Used Prius V- how mustachian is it?
« Reply #15 on: July 08, 2014, 05:26:54 PM »
Quote
Assuming you don't take everybody everywhere everyday, with a week's worth of luggage, I vote for a smaller prius and a roof rack.

Yes, this.  The V is only a little bigger than the regular Prius, but it costs more to buy and gets worse MPG.

If you go for the V you are paying for that little bit of extra space every single time you go out driving somewhere, and how often are you actually driving the whole crew?

 How about picking the car you actually need for your actual daily driving, and then when you go on that rare road trip, borrow or rent the appropriate vehicle for that purpose. Or get a roof rack.

sol

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Re: Used Prius V- how mustachian is it?
« Reply #16 on: July 08, 2014, 05:50:12 PM »
If you go for the V you are paying for that little bit of extra space every single time you go out driving somewhere, and how often are you actually driving the whole crew?

Every single morning.  We have five people in our car every weekday and most weekends, along with school backpacks and grown up supplies like work lunches and computers.   We're a single car family.

Without trying it, I don't know how feasible three across with a carseat is, in a regular Prius.  I certainly wouldn't buy a new car without trying it out, though.  Anybody want to offer up their experience with that?

happy

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Re: Used Prius V- how mustachian is it?
« Reply #17 on: July 08, 2014, 06:30:43 PM »
The V has one advantage over the regular Prius: its higher off the ground. The Prius is quite low and I can't get it down my drive or park on the rough across the street. 

That being said,  no chance of buying a used V here yet. Not enough used ones around.  Regular Prii come well priced second hand Down Under:  possibly suspicion over the battery, or its light build, not sure why.

CarDude

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Re: Used Prius V- how mustachian is it?
« Reply #18 on: July 08, 2014, 06:40:30 PM »
If you go for the V you are paying for that little bit of extra space every single time you go out driving somewhere, and how often are you actually driving the whole crew?

Every single morning.  We have five people in our car every weekday and most weekends, along with school backpacks and grown up supplies like work lunches and computers.   We're a single car family.

Without trying it, I don't know how feasible three across with a carseat is, in a regular Prius.  I certainly wouldn't buy a new car without trying it out, though.  Anybody want to offer up their experience with that?

You can fit Dionos three across in just about any vehicle, including in a Prius. They aren't cheap, but they're my favorite seats to suggest to folks for a range of reasons (primarily those related to ERF), including their narrowness.

sol

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Re: Used Prius V- how mustachian is it?
« Reply #19 on: July 08, 2014, 07:38:50 PM »
The "V" is a larger Prius with a taller rear gate, more rear leg room and additional storage. It gets about 10mpg less than the mid-sized Prius.

My research suggests that the Prius V gets 44/40 mpg city/highway, while the regular prius gets 48/44.  4 mpg is not 10 mpg, which makes me wonder if this was an honest mistake or if there is some other reason so many people in this thread are discouraging people from the V?

kendallf

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Re: Used Prius V- how mustachian is it?
« Reply #20 on: July 08, 2014, 08:26:52 PM »
I am well past car seats, but I think our 2007 Prius is amazingly roomy and fits 5 adults comfortably.  I can put ridiculous amounts of lumber in it with the back seats down, bicycles, a lawn mower with the handle unfolded.. I use it for more hauling than most people's Clown Trucks.

easton

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Re: Used Prius V- how mustachian is it?
« Reply #21 on: July 08, 2014, 10:05:26 PM »
@Sol- They were probably referring to the current gen Prius (2010+) its rated at EPA 50 mpg combined.

I actually went through this decision 2 yrs ago. My trusty 1999 Ford Explorer was having some major transmission/4wd drive issues and I was driving a lot of miles each week in a long distance relationship. The Explorer got an avg of probably 16-17 mpg and I was driving roughly 15k a year. I was looking at used 2010 Priuses (I'm decently tall in the legs and I couldn't get comfy in the 2004-2009 generation, drivers seat was just a bit too short) which gets 50 mpg. Basically it was going to be $3k a year in gas for the explorer or $1k a year on gas in the Prius. I pretty much had already made up my mind that I was done with SUV's and low gas mileage and ended up getting a used 2010 Prius for $20k with 20,000 miles on it (more loaded model with the Nav Package and Sunroof, originally ~30k). So basically, each year it's a $2k savings on gas for the Prius and even with that big of savings, it'll still take me roughly 9-10 yrs to break even  as opposed to if I just drove my Explorer(wishful thinking as it was falling apart). So I would definitely say you won't save any money up front, but if you keep your cars till they die (15-20 yrs) you should certainly save a bunch of money in the long run. Also...it is oh so very sweet when I go to the pump and know that $35 will get me 500 miles :)

alsoknownasDean

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Re: Used Prius V- how mustachian is it?
« Reply #22 on: July 09, 2014, 03:44:15 AM »
You may need to consider that not only are you giving up the $20,000+ for the car, you're giving up any future investment income that that $20,000+ would have earnt you.

Given the opportunity cost, buying something older and cheaper, even if slightly heavier on gas, might still be a better option, especially if you don't do many miles.

MayDay

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Re: Used Prius V- how mustachian is it?
« Reply #23 on: July 09, 2014, 06:15:42 AM »
If you go for the V you are paying for that little bit of extra space every single time you go out driving somewhere, and how often are you actually driving the whole crew?

Every single morning.  We have five people in our car every weekday and most weekends, along with school backpacks and grown up supplies like work lunches and computers.   We're a single car family.

Without trying it, I don't know how feasible three across with a carseat is, in a regular Prius.  I certainly wouldn't buy a new car without trying it out, though.  Anybody want to offer up their experience with that?

I am not a fan of tiny cars for families with three or more kids.  Yes you can wedge three across in almost any sedan/hatch with the right combo of car seats.  But it will suck every time you have to do the buckle/unbuckle routine.  And then those three children will become preteens and teens (assuming you keep the car 10-20 years as most on here advise) and really, are your three 6 foot tall teenagers still going to fit? 

I am not saying to run out and buy a suburban.  But I don't think the smallest backseat you can possibly jam three toddlers in is the right answer for most.  Think longer term than that.  Which in my mind would make a small hit on fuel economy worth having the Prius v if the space would work better for growing kids. 

I haven't seen the inside of either car, and I think regular priuses are wider than the honda fit sized cars typically recommended here.  I am just speaking from the perspective of actually having small kids that I buckle into seats on the regular, and how much it utterly sucks to jam the largest number of kids into the smallest possible car on a daily basis.  Let alone to try to go on longer trips in that configuration. 

CarDude

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Re: Used Prius V- how mustachian is it?
« Reply #24 on: July 09, 2014, 06:19:59 AM »
^ I think it's something a lot of folks here either don't deal with frequently or will eventually learn the hard way; three across with car seats simply isn't practical in anything smaller than a mid-sized car, and even that is a chore compared to doing it in anything with a 3rd row. Of course, there's always the option of unsafely restraining your children in order to fit them in tiny cars...

cchrissyy

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Re: Used Prius V- how mustachian is it?
« Reply #25 on: July 10, 2014, 07:20:06 PM »
I just recently had to buy a car and drove the Prius multiple times.  I ruled out the V right away because it costs more and current models of the V average 8mpg worse than the regualr prius 2/3/4/5  and only gives you 4 extra inches of length so the rear storage wasn't noticeably different.

I have 3 school-age children. I don't have anybody in boosters or car seats anymore, these are big kids and only getting bigger.

The car would have been fine for just me, and for short trips with all of them in town, like school pick up, but definitely too crowded for driving everybody every time and bringing dogs and luggage. I don't think it will suit you if you go look at it in person.   Especially depending on the size of your dogs... google for images of how dogs fit back there when no seats are folded down.
« Last Edit: July 10, 2014, 07:24:37 PM by cchrissyy »

StashDaddy

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Re: Used Prius V- how mustachian is it?
« Reply #26 on: July 18, 2014, 08:45:10 AM »
We have a 2012 Prius V that we bought used for $19.5k.  We actually traded DOWN from a newer, gas-guzzling V6 Subaru Outback once we started reading MMM and "doing the math".  We got a check back from the dealership for $5k as a result of the transaction.  I'm thinking not many people get cash BACK after they trade-in their car at the dealership :)

So far, we really love it.  We get about 40 mpg on long highway trips, and closer to 50 with our more-urban commute.  We are only a family of 3 so far, with another one on the way.  We installed a hitch receiver on the back and it carries bikes like a champ.  What I like most about the car is its flexible practicality--it gets great efficiency while still carrying a lot of cargo, and the rear seats recline, making it ideal for long road trips (its hard to cough up the money to fly too often with a growing family).  The sliding, reclining rear seats are really the best difference above the regular Prius.  On a recent road trip from Houston to Colorado, we drove there and back on around $200 in gas.  We even folded the rear seats down and slept in it at a state park along the way, using its stop-start engine as a generator to provide a bit of cheap air conditioning until it cooled down a bit during the night.  Very comfortable for my wife and I and our 2-year old. 

The Prius V is a great car I highly recommend.  I like it so much that I want to replace our backup car with an older Gen II Prius, since they are worth about the same amount of money.

 

Wow, a phone plan for fifteen bucks!