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Used car question

TARDAWG

TARDAWG

Steve Lepore
Joined
Apr 1, 2011
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I am looking to buy a used car, and have loved my 2005 Toyota Avalon. After looking around and pricing new/used cars I have decided to go with another Avalon, but this time a Hybrid. So my question is this, for future resale ( I expect to keep my car 5-6 years) would you buy a car that is 1 year older but with 10,000 fewer miles, or go with the newer model? I only drive about 7k miles a year so in 2021 we are looking at around having 70,000 miles on the 2013, or 80,000 on the 2014. Again, both have the exact same features. Or will the battery engine be shot and both will be POS?
 
Would have to figure difference in price now > difference in price in five years.
 
I just did this myself - I bought the older car with fewer miles, knowing I drive less than 10K a year. to me, that one year physical age difference was worth the 3 years worth of driving miles I was gaining from going older.

resale wasn't a factor to me, but as someone looking at a used car I would pretty much always go for less miles (especially under 75k) first if everything else is equal.
 
why pay up for hybrid if you only intend to drive 7000 miles/year? assuming bulk of your miles are city miles (which has to be the case with such low mileage), Avalon gets approximately 2x better mileage per EPA, but that is not really the case - closer to about 12 mpg better. keep the car 5 years, that is 35000 total miles, and the difference in gas is approximately 1650 gallons for V6 v. ~1080 gallons for hybrid.

If gas averages $2.50/gallon during ownership stretch (25% increase over current price), your difference in gas outlay $$ is approximately $1400. For that, you sacrifice some significant power during the five years, and probably pay up at least that for the hybrid engine now.

if your focus is money, which it seems to be based on the question, i don't think you should "upgrade" to the hybrid. and if it is the same body style with same features, definitely get the older version. in 5 more years, people will care very little if you have a low mileage 2013 or a low mileage 2104 if the cars look identical.
 
I have a 2013 Avalon Hybrid. Great car. They legitimately get 38-40 miles per gallon no matter where you are driving. Have never seen average below 36 miles per gallon for a tank of gas and have seen it go as high as 43 miles per gallon for a tank. Its pretty nice to be able to get 520-560 miles on a tank of gas. The mileage will all depend upon your driving style. Easy on the gas and acceleration and you will see the numbers be pretty high.

One thing to consider, Toyota's battery's have a warranty for eight years. If you are going to keep the car until 2021, this means that a 2013 will be nine years old at that point. The batteries will no longer be under warranty, which could affect the value. Meanwhile, the 2014, depending upon the original in-service date of the vehicle, may still be under warranty, although it won't have much time left on that warranty.
 
ABCDeac said:
why pay up for hybrid if you only intend to drive 7000 miles/year? assuming bulk of your miles are city miles (which has to be the case with such low mileage), Avalon gets approximately 2x better mileage per EPA, but that is not really the case - closer to about 12 mpg better. keep the car 5 years, that is 35000 total miles, and the difference in gas is approximately 1650 gallons for V6 v. ~1080 gallons for hybrid.

If gas averages $2.50/gallon during ownership stretch (25% increase over current price), your difference in gas outlay $$ is approximately $1400. For that, you sacrifice some significant power during the five years, and probably pay up at least that for the hybrid engine now.

if your focus is money, which it seems to be based on the question, i don't think you should "upgrade" to the hybrid. and if it is the same body style with same features, definitely get the older version. in 5 more years, people will care very little if you have a low mileage 2013 or a low mileage 2104 if the cars look identical.
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Very good points, but the mpg of Avalons in town are never near what they advertise. My current Avalon (company car) and our other company Avalon each get around 17mpg in town. On the Highway it is unreal, around 32, but I am thinking mpg will nearly double (or more) with the Hybrid. The difference in used models about the same years is $1,500-$2,000.
 
GaDeac said:
I have a 2013 Avalon Hybrid. Great car. They legitimately get 38-40 miles per gallon no matter where you are driving. Have never seen average below 36 miles per gallon for a tank of gas and have seen it go as high as 43 miles per gallon for a tank. Its pretty nice to be able to get 520-560 miles on a tank of gas. The mileage will all depend upon your driving style. Easy on the gas and acceleration and you will see the numbers be pretty high.

One thing to consider, Toyota's battery's have a warranty for eight years. If you are going to keep the car until 2021, this means that a 2013 will be nine years old at that point. The batteries will no longer be under warranty, which could affect the value. Meanwhile, the 2014, depending upon the original in-service date of the vehicle, may still be under warranty, although it won't have much time left on that warranty.
Click to expand...


This battery information is extremely helpful.
 
Is it just a mind game but if you look at used Toyota trucks at 50K miles on them vs Ford trucks with the same mileage, are you more apt to go with the Toyota?
 
DeacWatcher said:
Is it just a mind game but if you look at used Toyota trucks at 50K miles on them vs Ford trucks with the same mileage, are you more apt to go with the Toyota?
Click to expand...

My 2007 Toyota Tacoma has 381,000 miles on it and is still going strong...i did replace the transmission at 275
 
DeacWatcher said:
Should I be wary of a 2008 Toyota FJ Cruiser with 145K miles on it?
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With proper service history I wouldn't be scared off, but the FJ Cruiser was made in decent volumes so you should be able to find one with lower miles.

If it makes you feel better, I just bought a 98 Land Cruiser with 180k on it with complete confidence; drove it 1400 miles over two days after purchase and it's running flawlessly.
 
I'd find the FJ Cruiser forums and poke around to see what issues, if any, are popping up for people with similar mileage.
 
Pulled the trigger on a Used 2014 Avalon Hybrid. Never had a Hybrid before but I have to say I love the gas milage. Blind luck with the gas situation. A friend of mine put it best, “ It’s like driving a fitbit” because it makes you aware of the energy you are burning so you tend to have smoother starts and stops. Whatever it is, it is getting me about 40mpg in my first 200 miles around town.
 
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