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How common is adaptive cruise control? I thought that was something for much newer cars past like, 2018 at a certain trim level. As far as the Prius battery goes, is there an average mileage expectancy before the battery needs to have some fiddling/replacement done? 200k miles? For 15k Im seeing a lot of Priuses that are past 100k miles, or ones that are over 10 years old. Makes me a teensy bit anxious. Also, I would need a cage for the catalytic converter right? 2 of my friends had theirs stolen off their Prius. Im not sure if those cars are extra ripe for theft or if itd just bad luck.
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Nov 3, 2023 05:14
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zedprime posted:get a mechanic to inspect every used hatchback in your budget and get the one that is both one you enjoy being inside and checks out clean by the mechanic. It might be a Prius just by probability that every other car out there is a Prius. I made the post here originally because my Corolla is starting to strand me at places, so I see the end is coming soon. But Im wondering if trying to float this car for another year to next summer will get me a massively better used market. The worst is over now, right?
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Nov 3, 2023 05:18
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Explosionface posted:The first time I ever drove with ACC was in a rental on the 101 between LA and Santa Barbara and it was life-changing. Definitely don't sleep on this advice if the freeways are common for your commute. anti collision blah blah uses the same tech as ACC and is needed to get the highest safety rating in some safety measurement systems, i think in particular europe the base model toyota I rented in 2019 had it. it's getting pretty common but some manufacturers still charge for it for some reason ACC in heavy traffic is life changing, if you're a particularly alert driver, you arrive way more refreshed because it turns out maintaining a safe distance from the car in front of you in dense traffic is actually quite a bit
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Nov 3, 2023 05:30
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buglord posted:How common is adaptive cruise control? I thought that was something for much newer cars past like, 2018 at a certain trim level. My 2014 mazda3 hatch had adaptive cruise that worked fine the couple times I used it.
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Nov 3, 2023 05:47
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buglord posted:I made the post here originally because my Corolla is starting to strand me at places, so I see the end is coming soon. But Im wondering if trying to float this car for another year to next summer will get me a massively better used market. The worst is over now, right? Until you get to the point where you have to replace multiple major components of the car, keeping your existing car on the road is cheaper than replacing it. Especially when the car in question is a Corolla. While I can't claim I've been personally shopping Priuses, used cars aren't instantly selling anymore in general, and all of the various online dealerships are still trying to move the glut of inventory they overpaid for during the absolute peak of demand. Inventory for most new cars is at a point where it's no longer causing lightly used models to sell for more than new just because you can get them.
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Nov 3, 2023 05:55
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buglord posted:Also not calling you out here, but how realistic is it to get a PPI done when the car market is like this? I feel like anyone selling a Prius is looking to get rid of it ASAP, and I feel like theyd ghost me if I asked them for an inspection if they already have 6 other people ready to pay today. If you're at the extent you feel comfortable paying for repairs or being flexible about recovery and tows, you shouldn't sit on your rear end for a year. You can be pounding the pavement looking for the right car, and not just a Prius that matches your budget and is available ASAP because you just got a repair bill you are completely disinterested in paying.
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Nov 3, 2023 05:56
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buglord posted:How common is adaptive cruise control? I thought that was something for much newer cars past like, 2018 at a certain trim level. There is well and truly no way to answer the mileage question: some of it is age, much of it is use cycles. A Prius that has sat (low miles) is actually more likely to require hybrid battery replacement than a heavily used one. The best way to test it is to buy a Bluetooth OBDII scanner thats compatible with the Dr Prius app, takes about 15 minutes to run the test while the car is stationary. Most shops, at least in my area, have no clue about this and dont offer it as part of a PPI. As others have said though, while a dealership will charge 2-3k for a new battery, enterprising people on marketplace will do it for far less. Its not a big job. Yeah you want a cat shield. The Prius (and other low emissions vehicles) cat is chock full of even more of those tasty rare earth metals that crackheads just cant get enough of. A used OEM one sells for 6-800 on eBay, the aftermarket ones are a fraction of that but will likely not pass emissions. Edit: re your comment on PPI - I think its probably worth the hassle at your budget, and sellers are likely more willing to be patient with that amount of money on the table. I am down in the 4-5k range and things are quite different, however. I recommend watching a couple YT videos on checking out a used car and making a checklist - IMO a layperson armed with that knowledge and a $30 Amazon OBD II scanner can do like 80% of what the garage is going to charge you for a PPI. If nothing else it helps you rule out spending the money on a PPI if you spot some obvious red flags. Ethics_Gradient fucked around with this message at 14:47 on Nov 3, 2023 |
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Nov 3, 2023 14:35
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I'd like to point out that most delivery drivers who use a Prius on the daily, remove catalytic converters themselves, and replace with eBay straight pipe for like $100. They put it back on when selling the car or going for inspection / emissions.
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Nov 3, 2023 14:48
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I think thats illegal
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Nov 3, 2023 14:54
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Nitrox posted:I'd like to point out that most delivery drivers who use a Prius on the daily, remove catalytic converters themselves, and replace with eBay straight pipe for like $100. They put it back on when selling the car or going for inspection / emissions. Haha, had no idea about this, but it makes sense! Is it just to prevent it from theft, or does it unlock even more mileage gainz?
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Nov 3, 2023 15:09
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It's a federal crime and you should not do it.
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Nov 3, 2023 15:13
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It's to keep it from getting stolen, yeah. And just a reminder, the reason those catalytic converters are so popular, is because Prius already runs incredibly clean. Some people claim to pass emissions without a cat, but I don't know.
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Nov 3, 2023 15:22
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edit: does anyone have a cheaper Carfax alternative they'd recommend? Nitrox posted:It's to keep it from getting stolen, yeah. And just a reminder, the reason those catalytic converters are so popular, is because Prius already runs incredibly clean. Some people claim to pass emissions without a cat, but I don't know. I guess it depends on where you are/what the standards are, but I had a semi-firsthand "aftermarket cats don't pass" experience in the wild last weekend looking at a Prius. That was the only documentation in the glovebox*; several failed emissions tests from 2021 indicating an aftermarket cat was the likely culprit, plus a receipt for an O2 sensor from Autozone. The car didn't have any plates so no idea if they ever got it back on the road. *car documentation - there were a tonne of medical records from the previous owner though. Dealers pretending to be a private sale, sigh.
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Nov 3, 2023 15:31
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Nitrox posted:It's to keep it from getting stolen, yeah. And just a reminder, the reason those catalytic converters are so popular, is because Prius already runs incredibly clean. Some people claim to pass emissions without a cat, but I don't know. Isn't the Prius clean because of a higher-quality than usual catalytic converter, which is also what makes them extra desirable to thieves? I loving hate how bad many of the cars on the road are now. Every time I ride my bike I smell that catless cold start smell coming from at least a couple cars. My city, Nashville, also completely eliminated emissions testing a year or two ago so it's just a free for all. Why don't cars that can't pass emissions just get shipped to be sold in the south? No cat, no problem here.
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Nov 3, 2023 15:35
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edit: found a decent Prius yesterday, naturally it was the seller's "brother"'s name on the title. The title is signed, no problem. But I need his signature on the Bill of Sale. Ok, I take it to his house. I need to see your brother and his ID before I buy the car. Sure, come tomorrow with the money. This morning: (Marked as Sold) The VIN ran as clean and other than clocking 50k miles in 2 years (plus needing a new strut/tire up front) it was fine and a reasonable price, but the vibes were kinda off. Choosing to tell myself I dodged a bullet. Twerk from Home posted:Isn't the Prius clean because of a higher-quality than usual catalytic converter, which is also what makes them extra desirable to thieves? Yeah, the Prius and other ULEV's have beefier cats. I was eyeing a Subaru Forester with the PZEV option last week and my first thought was "that PZEV badge would be coming right off". The cost of shipping probably exceeds the cost of a new cat, but here in CO emissions are by municipality so failing cars just get sold to people in counties that don't do emissions. 
Ethics_Gradient fucked around with this message at 15:58 on Nov 3, 2023 |
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Nov 3, 2023 15:46
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Ethics_Gradient posted:edit: does anyone have a cheaper Carfax alternative they'd recommend? California (and I think a few other states now) is extremely strict about catalytic converter compliance and effectively requires OEM cats because aftermarket cats are demonstrably less effective.
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Nov 3, 2023 17:53
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In Kansas, I believe the standard is "did the vehicle originally come from the factory with a cat?" As the only question asked. Nothing about the current state of said cat. Emissions testing is for commies, or some bullshit like that.
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Nov 3, 2023 18:39
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Ethics_Gradient posted:Dealers pretending to be a private sale, sigh. How can I avoid this? Some used car buying videos talk about dealers pretending to be private sellers. Whats the downside to the buyer and how do I avoid it? It seems scummy.
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Nov 3, 2023 22:19
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buglord posted:How can I avoid this? Some used car buying videos talk about dealers pretending to be private sellers. What’s the downside to the buyer and how do I avoid it? It seems scummy. The downside to the buyer is either the seller doesn't know much about the car, or knows what's wrong and (often) wants to stop you from finding out so they can get a maximum pay-day. Best way to avoid it is to check the VIN, if they haven't owned the car very long (like at least 6 months), they are either dealers or trying to offload a mistake. Don't listen to whatever bs story they tell you "I bought it for my wife, now she doesn't want it/Something else came up that was a good deal". Also, oftentimes these "hidden" dealers are buying cars at auction to flip them, which typically means a lot of problems. Just keep patient and keep looking, and be ready to respond quickly (with cash in hand, depending on price range) to grab good stuff before the flippers get to them. The last 3 cars me/my family bought were on CL for less than 4 hours before we found them. If you're vigilant and have a good bs meter, you can get a great car, even in this market, under $5k.
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Nov 4, 2023 03:43
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buglord posted:How can I avoid this? Some used car buying videos talk about dealers pretending to be private sellers. Whats the downside to the buyer and how do I avoid it? It seems scummy. Yeah, these guys were just not disclosing they were dealers, but also not doing a great job of hiding it. So far I've had two where I show up at the address and the car is parked across the street from the little fly-by-night dealership they walk out of when I text that I'm there. The fact they're hiding it is red flag #1. The major downside is that dealers know how to hide common flaws with cars and in many cases their entirely livelihoods depend on it. The average person knows nothing about cars and is probably more honest than a used car dealer (an extremely low bar, I know). Dealers are middlemen and aim to make money on both ends: they lowball the original seller (you could have bought the car for that price) and then inflate the price for the eventual buyer; that differential is how they make a living. If you don't have the money to buy a car that suits your needs outright the ability to finance is basically the only value-add they offer other than convenience. IMO the asymmetrical knowledge they have of the car's real condition + their need to make a profit makes buying from them a bad deal in most cases. If you are time or cash poor I see the point though. There are definitely good, honest dealers out there; a mate of mine is a petrolhead and ran a little dealership before he did med school (I think in no small part because dealer perks made it easy to keep a harem of cars for personal use). Unfortunately my experience dealing with them as a buyer or buyer advocate for friends has been universally negative. Again, an hour or two on Youtube taking notes and making a checklist will give you a massive leg up on the average punter. People think I'm a mechanic or a flipper when I check out a car; no dude, I just bothered to be a little bit curious about a multi-thousand dollar purchase I'm making.
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Nov 4, 2023 04:51
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trevorreznik posted:Selling vehicle question: From last week but doing rear struts on a '99 Camry is super loving easy. Especially if you buy the entire assembly.
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Nov 5, 2023 02:59
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So we are looking at buying a 3-row SUV as a family hauler. We have two young children (3 and under). Occasionally we would have my parents with us for in-town trips. We were looking for a well-rounded vehicle: decent drivability, decent gas mileage, decent room, etc. At first we were looking at a Telluride like everyone else, but then looked at the Sorento Hybrid, which appears to be cheaper and still check all of our boxes while getting better mileage. What are the biggest reasons we should/shouldn't buy one? Again, reviews all seem decent and nothing looks like a deal breaker unless I'm missing something.
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Nov 5, 2023 17:39
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Chevy Traverse gets my vote. It was the blandest most efficient way I had of moving 7 people at round at once. MPG was always well into the 20s and it was very liveable with kids/car seats. The tech was perfectly fine and at the upper trim levels had nice to have creature comforts like heated seats etc. It was driving a slice of wonder bread which is why we moved on from it but it was very good at its job.
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Nov 5, 2023 17:47
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It sounds like you want a minivan. You should buy one of those instead. If you get one with fold flat seats its more practical than a lot of trucks for hauling stuff too.
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Nov 5, 2023 18:01
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Fezziwig posted:So we are looking at buying a 3-row SUV as a family hauler. We have two young children (3 and under). Occasionally we would have my parents with us for in-town trips. Run Kias and Hyundai by your insurance first, there is fallout from kids stealing them for fun.
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Nov 5, 2023 18:36
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Dr. Lunchables posted:It sounds like you want a minivan. You should buy one of those instead. If you get one with fold flat seats its more practical than a lot of trucks for hauling stuff too. Yeah, the Sienna has fold flat third row seats, can fit a 4x8 sheet of plywood in the back. Very reliable vans. If youve got the budget, theres a hybrid version. Also yeah, you probably want to avoid a KIA due to the theft issues. Even if it has been fixed, the fact it is a KIA means any idiot whos seen a TikTok will smash a window and shoot their shot. For some reason the reddit algo decided I should see the Kia subreddit and it is absolutely wild how toxic it is towards the brand.
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Nov 5, 2023 19:11
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Ethics_Gradient posted:Yeah, the Sienna has fold flat third row seats, can fit a 4x8 sheet of plywood in the back. Very reliable vans. If you’ve got the budget, there’s a hybrid version. Is there a non-hybrid version of the Sienna, and is it cheaper?
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Nov 5, 2023 19:16
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Sienna current model is hybrid only, and hard to get in some places (without markup). Also because the current gen has airbags in thr second row they don't fold or come out*, im not sure if you can still fit a 4x8 behind it. * no tool-less way, of course with tools they can come out
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Nov 5, 2023 19:20
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Twerk from Home posted:Is there a non-hybrid version of the Sienna, and is it cheaper? Yes and yes, at least if buying used. Ive been mainly looking at second gen which is well before they offered them with a hybrid plant, I think its relatively recent as an option. There is also an AWD option if thats your thing.
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Nov 5, 2023 19:21
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Fezziwig posted:So we are looking at buying a 3-row SUV as a family hauler. We have two young children (3 and under). Occasionally we would have my parents with us for in-town trips. Kia dealers are miserable to deal with, even by the low standards of car dealers. Kias also have a tendency to catch on fire, largely because Hyundai and Kia have so far been unable to design a reliable, modern 4-cylinder engine. The Sorento Hybrid has a 4-cylinder engine.
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Nov 5, 2023 19:55
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Theres also the Honda Odyssey; but specific features are all gonna be based on model year. Either way, its a Honda engine and the whole package will be incredibly reliable.
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Nov 5, 2023 20:17
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Fezziwig posted:So we are looking at buying a 3-row SUV as a family hauler. We have two young children (3 and under). Occasionally we would have my parents with us for in-town trips. the sorento is three row but smaller than the Telluride. it's definitely fine as an occasional use third row seat but i wouldn't put six adults in it on the regular edit: unless i didn't like them  i don't agree with the posters saying to get a minivan if you only have an occasional need for a third row seat. as long as you aren't regularly occupying that third row a lot of the smaller three row CUVs work well.
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Nov 5, 2023 23:14
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One reason we got a minivan over the SUV is both our parents are getting older. It is already easier for them to get into the minivan over an SUV. It will only get harder as they get older. Bad knees and all that. It is also wild to say that my minivan gets equal MPG to my old Honda Fit.
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Nov 5, 2023 23:26
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Thanks everyone for the info.KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:the sorento is three row but smaller than the Telluride. it's definitely fine as an occasional use third row seat but i wouldn't put six adults in it on the regular edit: unless i didn't like them I definitely thought a minivan was too much. Only envision using the 3rd row once a month at most when visiting or being visited by my parents, and I doubt we'd be in the car together more than 40 minutes one-way. Plus, the wife will be the primary driver and she isn't a fan of minivans so I think they would be a hard sell anyway. (Rip dreams of getting a Pacifica after we rented one for a road trip in June) Re: insurance, USAA quoted only 20 bucks more a month compared to the vehicle we are getting rid of, so they don't seem to think theft is an issue in our area at least. Re: fire hazard, that's a valid concern although if it happened with 3,100 vehicles out of 3.3 million recalled, it seems like that's pretty good odds our vehicle won't catch fire? We aren't looking to buy for a few more weeks at least, so we'll continue to mull it over I'm sure.
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Nov 6, 2023 00:14
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c355n4 posted:One reason we got a minivan over the SUV is both our parents are getting older. It is already easier for them to get into the minivan over an SUV. It will only get harder as they get older. Bad knees and all that. I rented a minivan while in Alaska recently and it was so easy to get things and people in and out of and had 0 issues going through snow. Excellent visibility and good mpg. SUVs are a mistake.
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Nov 6, 2023 07:05
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CongoJack posted:I rented a minivan while in Alaska recently and it was so easy to get things and people in and out of and had 0 issues going through snow. Excellent visibility and good mpg. SUVs are a mistake.  Sienna vs Sorento. Minivans are loving big.
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Nov 6, 2023 18:04
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IOwnCalculus posted:
Tangent, but what website is that from? That looks like a neat tool that I haven't seen before.
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Nov 6, 2023 21:27
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KYOON GRIFFEY JR posted:Tangent, but what website is that from? That looks like a neat tool that I haven't seen before. https://www.carsized.com/en/ A better comparison would be to start from the nose and then see how much cargo space each vehicle has. Not all cars are available, but it's a nice visual reference
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Nov 6, 2023 21:35
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What a neat site. Sienna vs. Navigator (they don't have the current Expedition on there, but they're the same size)
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Nov 6, 2023 21:52
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Nitrox posted:https://www.carsized.com/en/ That would be cool. It's annoying how hard it is to standardize cargo space / interior space measurements, I think it's difficult to create a tool like that.
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Nov 6, 2023 22:04
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