Sorry for yet another car thread...

I'm considering:
1) 2013 Prius plug-in with 215K miles for a little under $7K
2) 2014 Ford C-Max Energi SEL with 140K miles for a little under $6K

That's a lot of miles for either car; the Prius simply because it's a lot of miles no matter how you look at it.

On the C-Max, you wouldn't normally consider 140K miles to be really unreasonable, but apparently, the transmissions on those are made out of paper mache or something and often don't last much beyond 100K. The C-Max being an Energi version is an advantage because they have an extra lubrication pump in the transmission (for when the engine isn't running) which helps prevent the failure point.

I think if I got the C-Max I would want to find an extended warranty with a high deductible to cover a potential (likely?) transmission failure. I don't even know if such a warranty exists, let alone whether it would be affordable and cost effective.

While I definitely prefer a hybrid, I'm not specifically looking for a plug-in, it just happens that the hybrid vehicles with attractive prices available locally are plug-ins. (There also happen to be another couple plug-ins in my area with lower miles and a higher price.)

Edit: It was pointed out that I typed paper "machete" when I meant "mache", or to be more precise, "papier-mâché".



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 03/20/2024 11:14PM by AllGold.

I wouldn't do either. You can find a used Bolt for around $9.5k after the tax credit.

I found one locally with around 60k miles left on the battery warranty for $13,500 which would be in the $9.5k range.

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C(-)ris
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I would not buy a cheap Prius, because it will need a new battery soon. On a normal Prius that’s a $4k from a Toyota dealer, while I bet the plug-in version is much more because of the larger battery.

The Bolt sounds like a good deal if you can install the charger at your house.

Both seem overpriced but if I had choose one I’d go with the Prius. We’ve run them as taxis well into 300k. If the battery pack hasn’t been replaced it’ll need one at least by 275k.

I’m with C(-)ris, go with a used Bolt, or even a used Volt. Both are well engineered.

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Saint Cloud, Minnesota, where the weather is wonderful even when it isn't.

Wow ugly. I like older luxury cars and I can do better than either. But you have to wrench on them yourself to afford those.

Checked some mainstream sites and $7500 and less than 100,000 miles is slim pickings.

I guess the Toyota. Does Ford still even stock transmissions on those, or does anyone rebuild those?

I'm with those who say neither. I also believe the future of cars with that many miles has more to do with maintenance and driving behavior than the type of car. I have a family member who drove their 90's Honda Accord 175k without changing the oil. Bullet-proof car, but with treatment like that...

edit: My favorite get to work for the rest of my life vehicle would be an old Lexus LS400. I actually believe they don't really wear out. But you're going to get gas yardage not gas mileage.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/20/2024 11:04PM by kj.

Another vote for a Bolt EV...

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“Live your life, love your life, don’t regret…live, learn and move forward positively.” – CR Johnson
Loving life in Lake Tahoe, CA

see if you can get them to take $2000 off the Prius, since it will likely need a battery rebuild.

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San Antonio, TX (in the old city)


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In my situation, an EV tax credit doesn't really work.

I have considered a Volt, but not really a Bolt because I just haven't seen ANY used Bolts.

Even if I could find one, the other problem with a Bolt is $13.5K is a lot more than $6-7K. I know a pure EV would be ideal in terms of maintenance, but I'm not sure that price range works for me right now. I suppose I probably need to look at a gasser for the time being.

Hard pass on both.

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“No persons are more frequently wrong, than those who will not admit they are wrong.” -- François de La Rochefoucauld

"Those who cannot accept the past are condemned to revise it." -- Geo. Mathias

The German word for contraceptive is “Schwangerschaftsverhütungsmittel”. By the time you finished saying that, it’s too late

That's a lot of miles, as you said. At that age, stuff just plain old starts to fall off regardless of the reliability reputation.

If you are really tied into that price range financially - then you probably need to let go of hybrid thinking too. You may want to focus on just basic transportation that gets decent mileage. Off the top of my head: Corolla, Accord are the first that come to mind.

If you're willing to be ridiculed, consider the Mitsubishi Mirage. Used ones do go in your price range and we had one when I was still commuting 80 miles a day and needed a cheap "throwaway" car. Ours typically got 58-60 mpg with zero reliability issues over two years.

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“Live your life, love your life, don’t regret…live, learn and move forward positively.” – CR Johnson
Loving life in Lake Tahoe, CA

The unasked question: what's the purpose of said vehicle? City? Highway?

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High on a threshold yearning to sing
Down with the dancers having one last fling

Caution on Bolts. I’ve been looking at them. Most of them are GM Buybacks. They DO have brand new batteries in them which is the EV equivalent of an engine swap. However… on some of them the battery has been swapped multiple times, indicating problems elsewhere in the battery management circuitry.

Always check the VIN here:
[experience.gm.com]

Definitely not the Ford. That's a niche vehicle within a niche market from a manufacturer that didn't want to make it in the first place. Not saying it's a bad car, but expect bad service for anything that needs service.

Prius will likely need a battery, but if you know someone young with a strong back and low IQ it can be a DIY project.

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MacResource User Map: [www.zeemaps.com]#

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mrbigstuff
The unasked question: what's the purpose of said vehicle? City? Highway?

Yes.

More city driving but more highway miles.

Ok, you guys, especially Chris, have me looking at Bolts.

Unfortunately, there are zero available locally.

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AllGold
Ok, you guys, especially Chris, have me looking at Bolts.

Unfortunately, there are zero available locally.

I'm surprised there aren't any around, they are all over here in WI for sale. I found another one with only 52k miles for $11,500 and a battery warranty till 124k miles. With the tax credit that would be $8050. However, without the tax credit I'm not sure I would go the Bolt route. There are equally inexpensive vehicles in that same price range that aren't EVs.

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C(-)ris
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AllGold
Ok, you guys, especially Chris, have me looking at Bolts.

Unfortunately, there are zero available locally.

Used regular Prius, not plug-in available where you are?

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Bill in NC

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AllGold
Ok, you guys, especially Chris, have me looking at Bolts.

Unfortunately, there are zero available locally.

Used regular Prius, not plug-in available where you are?

They get snapped up pretty quickly.

I talked to the used car manager at the Toyota dealer here. When they get one in they generally haven't received the title from the SoS (DMV) yet so they often can't deliver it for a couple weeks. But they put it on their web site and several people come in and someone will put a deposit down. They leave it up on the web site until it's delivered in case the buyer backs out because it costs money to list it on the service they use. So it might look like they have one or two, but they've already been sold.

There are very few Prii that show up at other local dealers, and those that do sell quickly.