Just because you are concerned about a used purchase I have a off topic question . Do you really need a Hybrid ? I ask because there are a lot of new small vehicles that get really good MPG for not much more than a used 2015 Prius sells for. Example , our 2018 Ford Fiesta never gets less then 30 mpg and on a 1500 mile trip we averaged 38 mpg. New has warranty and lower loan rates.
Of course my opinion is biased because I would never buy a used Hybrid or a used All Wheel Drive vehicle.
Thanks for your input. This 2005 Toyota has been so reliable and still gets 47 mpg av. I have never kept a car for 15 years and never more than 100,000 miles until now. Toyota has outdone themselves on this one. Because of this great Prius experience, I wouldnât consider anything else.
A plus for a CarFax report is that the car was regularly maintained at the dealership. Dealers often report the work to CarFax. We bought a 2 year old car with exceptionally low mileage in 2012. There was a CarFax available from the selling dealer. It showed regular maintenance and no big breaks in mileage accumulation. I was concerned that the car might have been off the road for an extended period for some problem, like a major accident. The car was maintained by the new car dealer, a different brand than the place I bought it. CarFax doesnât always work, but in my case, and maybe yours, it could be useful.
Thank you. Yes, Carfax is a useful tool. I try to read it when I first look at the vehicle.
I see things differently
Get the newest car you can for the money, within reason
61K is nothing for a Prius
That 2015 Prius would be my choice, provided it checks out
That means paying a mechanic unaffiliated with the seller to perform a thorough inspection. That includes hooking up a scanner, checking for codes, readiness monitor, live data, etc, as well as a test drive on city and freeway. It goes without saying the car also needs to go on a hoist, so that he can make sure everythingâs fine underneath and that the car wasnât wrecked and âfixedâ haphazardly
Thank you! That was my thought if I was going to buy one. Now I am holding back due to the economy and the pandemic. Hey hanks for your input!!!
You will find a lot of examples when data is NOT reported to Carfax, but it may be better than nothing.
If you happen to create their free âmy garageâ account, you can add vehicles there by their VIN code and they will give you maintenance history records for free. For things like accidents and ownership changes you have to pay, but not for the maintenance data.
Hint: it does not need to be your car for you to check the VIN and to get a history. Use it.
You might get not much or you might get detailed history, down to what was done on each individual service.
It is a mixed bag - out of 3 used cars I have in family right now, 2 have quite decent prior history reported there, another one is very patchy.
Oh, thank you!! I had no idea. Great information.