I am considering purchasing a 2010 Prius from the dealer. It has 35K miles and was a rental. They are offering lifetime drivetrain warranty and there appears to be no other problem (no wrecks, floods, etc.) Should I be worried about the high mileage after just one year? (previous owners had it for about 14 months.)
Nope. It should have about 200,000 reliable miles left in it.
The question is, at what price? Does the lifetime warranty include the hybrid drive system, including the battery? Is this warranty the only incentive? The current KBB value is about $22,000. A brand-spanking new Prius with 10 miles and standard warranty is about $23,500. If they take $19,000 plus the warranty, your ahead of the game. With the life-time warranty (be sure to read all the mouse print before committing, and understand what ‘outs’ they have written in), assuming it is iron-clad, you should be able to do just fine.
High mileage car 14 months old means primarily highway miles. These miles aren’t very hard on the car. I’d not be concerned with the miles, but are they giving you a good deal given the mileage?
Consider that the original tires are either worn and due for replacement now, or the dealer has replaced them already. Unless the dealer used the same tires as OEM you might not get the expected mpg. The Prius comes with pricey low rolling resistance tires and a dealer is likely to throw cheaper tires on it.
Also, have the brakes inspected for wear. If the previous driver(s) were lead foots on the gas and brakes the pads could be worn.
The car is a year old with high miles and therefore should sell significantly below the price of a new Prius. Forget MSRP because most cars sell for less than sticker. If you get the car for about 17K decent deal. If they want over 20K then take a walk and consider a new one. Below is the Edmunds.com True Market Value for a Prius II, meaning a typical Prius but not a fully loaded one. Trade in value is just over $15K, private sale value at $17K, and dealer sale value at $18.5
Customized True Market Value? Prices
Trade-In; Private Party; Dealer Retail;
National Base Price $16,665; $18,470; $19,832
Optional Equipment $0 $0 $0
Color Adjustment - Classic Silver Metallic $38 $42 $46
Regional Adjustment - for Zip Code 18407 $-68 $-75 $-81
Mileage Adjustment - 35,000 miles $-1,375 $-1,375 $-1,375
Condition Adjustment - Clean $0 $0 $0
Total: $15,260; $17,062; $18,422;