# I'm thinking of buying a 2008 Prius - Thoughts?



## UberPissed (Aug 13, 2014)

Hey everyone. I am looking into buying my friends 2008 Prius, which has 190,000. It is very well maintained, and tires are less than 9 months old.

KBB on it is around $3,300, and we agreed that $2,400 may be a good selling price. This would be my second vehicle - I use by 2016 CRV to do UberX, but for obvious reasons, I don't want to do substantial driving with it (I don't drive that much). 

Thoughts? I've never had a Prius, but I've done this long enough to know that the best bet to have positive cash flow + net tax losses is to get a low cost, efficient vehicle.


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## Undermensch (Oct 21, 2015)

That's a great price.

I drive a 2008 Prius too. I'm the original owner. It has leather and no body or interior wear or damage.

I'd been in the shop once when a chipmunk or squirrel was stashing nuts on top of the engine and they were there when I started it one day... No problems caused by the car itself.

The 2004-2015 Prius has really amazing rear leg room even with the seats all the way back. People get in and comment on it all the time. It's way roomier than other cars in it's class size. Unfortunately, for 2016 they moved the rear seat forward 2" or so to give more cargo room and that makes the back seat cramped like other cars unless you bring the front seats up a bit. That's the primary reason I haven't traded in my 2008 on a 2016 and will probably buy something else instead when it comes time to do that.


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## UberPissed (Aug 13, 2014)

Thanks! I'm thinking for 2400, you can't go wrong. If I could get 60k miles on it, I would be really happy. I'm just a causal driver, but I am thinking of doing it a little more (Sunday during the day, maybe one or two nights when my GF works late)


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## backstreets-trans (Aug 16, 2015)

UberPissed said:


> Hey everyone. I am looking into buying my friends 2008 Prius, which has 190,000. It is very well maintained, and tires are less than 9 months old.
> 
> KBB on it is around $3,300, and we agreed that $2,400 may be a good selling price. This would be my second vehicle - I use by 2016 CRV to do UberX, but for obvious reasons, I don't want to do substantial driving with it (I don't drive that much).
> 
> Thoughts? I've never had a Prius, but I've done this long enough to know that the best bet to have positive cash flow + net tax losses is to get a low cost, efficient vehicle.


My taxi company is getting an easy 400,000 miles out of them. You'll have to replace the battery pack soon for $3000 but I would go for it.


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## 14gIV (Dec 12, 2015)

lol i like Prius but lol they always have one of those apple logos on them lol sometimes i have to look at all 4 sides b4 i find the logo lol but its like a fun game i like to play lol


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## jerseyboys (Jan 14, 2016)

No you replace the battery with a recondition one for less than $900. No need to buy a brand new battery for $3000. 

I used to have a 2009 with 125,000 miles. These things are build like a tank. Go for it.


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## UberPissed (Aug 13, 2014)

Thanks all - I think I'm gonna pull the trigger on it.


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## zandor (Mar 6, 2015)

jerseyboys said:


> I used to have a 2009 with 125,000 miles. These things are build like a tank. Go for it.


No objection to the Prius but I wouldn't want to drive something that was built like a tank for Uber. Pretty sure you'll lose money if you're measuring fuel in gpm instead of mpg, and you don't even want to think about how much tracks cost.


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## Clifford Chong (May 3, 2015)

Your friend is a very generous person for selling an 08 prius to you for only $2400. Give him a hug after the deal.

The Prius is basically a staple car for Uber because most drivers use it - obviously for the good gas mileage but it's also a highly reliable car since it's a Toyota. Many fleet companies outside taxis will also use the Prius for the same reasons. (Parking enforcers, company cars, etc.)

At 190k miles though, check the battery and run down an inspection if you guys haven't done so.


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## dirtylee (Sep 2, 2015)

Toyota aren't all that reliable. They are just not absolute shite. If it consumes oil between changes, then your Toyota is not reliable & will need an engine swap or rebuild soon. Actual problem with 06 corollas & similar.


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## Older Chauffeur (Oct 16, 2014)

UberPissed said:


> Hey everyone. I am looking into buying my friends 2008 Prius, which has 190,000. It is very well maintained, and tires are less than 9 months old.
> 
> KBB on it is around $3,300, and we agreed that $2,400 may be a good selling price. This would be my second vehicle - I use by 2016 CRV to do UberX, but for obvious reasons, I don't want to do substantial driving with it (I don't drive that much).
> 
> Thoughts? I've never had a Prius, but I've done this long enough to know that the best bet to have positive cash flow + net tax losses is to get a low cost, efficient vehicle.


I agree, it sounds like a good deal. I've had an '04, an '06, and have now owned my 2012 plugin just over four years. Nothing major with any of them. Rotate the tires every 5k miles, and change the oil/filter at the same time, or 10k for synthetic oil. Good luck!


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