Toyota Certified Used Hybrid logo
It's a bitter truth of car buying that you lose 30 percent of a new car's value when "the wheels leave the curb" of the dealership.
Smart buyers often grab low-mileage used cars to get a near-new experience without ponying up for the biggest chunk of depreciation. And almost every carmaker offers "certified used" models that have been inspected and given limited warranties.
In January, Toyota took it a step further. The company started a "Certified Used Hybrid" program within its well-established certified used vehicle program. It adds 14 hybrid-specific inspections to the 160 different items checked over before any standard used Toyota qualifies for the Certified label.
Among other things, every used Prius (or other qualifying hybrid) has its battery, transaxle, and electronic control unit checked over. The Certified program offers a three-month, 3,000-mile comprehensive warranty, but a full 7 years or 100,000 miles on the powertrain.
Toyota warranties every new Prius battery pack for 8 years or 100,000 miles at minimum, more in certain states (like California) that require 10 years or 150,000 miles. In effect, the Certified program gives you a battery warranty almost as good as that of a brand-new Prius.
So if you've wanted to buy a recent Prius, and don't necessarily need that "new-car smell," now you have another option. You can buy a Certified Used model without any worries about the condition of its hybrid components.
Perhaps green, and used, is the new black?
2007 Toyota Prius
[SOURCE: Toyota]
