Hi Scotty! This car is at a dealership in MN, has a cvt transmission, and has approximately 93,669 miles. It also has a 1.8l motor. What other Toyota has this configuration?
@ndcountrygirl92
too many miles. they are reliable but if after 150k miles hybrids start to become worthless.
Scotty's Law: stay away from hybrids with high mileage.
If most of your driving is on highways, there are many late-model hatchbacks that get 40MPG (Mazda3, Civic, Corolla) which in dollar terms gets you 90% of fuel savings of a hybrid with greater reliability to boot. otoh, city-only driving is where hybrids shine.
@mazda_787b
I do a bit of both actually, although for the four days of work I drive about half hour out and back each of those days.
If it were me, I would do some shopping at the Honda, Mazda, and Toyota dealerships and see if there are good deals on the Civic Hatchback, Mazda 3 (sedan is a bit cheaper), and Corolla hatchback. They're not entry-level cars any more and can easily hit 28K sticker with leather, sunroof, etc. and can give that particular Lexus a run for its money when it comes to interior layout (surprisingly nice interior on this Corolla: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3DRNWZIMGE ). They're also far less of a risky investment than the old-tech CT200h (keep in mind Lexus sold *very* few of those and parts are going to be hellaciously expensive) that's out of any warranty. Here's Scotty's video on why getting a hybrid once it's in 6-figure mileage range can be an expensive proposition, i.e. possibility of a $5000 repair-bill:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JZ6EKLub0gc
Wow, what an interior (easily confused with a 60K German luxury brand) for 29K sticker:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eywc3OJcvuc
Your negotiation room will be greater with stick-shift (probably will be able to drive away above car for 26K) and they're a lot more fun to drive (esp. as I suspect in the part of country you're in that you don't have to deal with a lot of bumper to bumper traffic):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A0wJWnB_6uk
The most I'll ever spend on a decent pre-owned car/vehicle is $17,500. The only thing that I'd miss the most (whenever my 2001 Grand Prix dies) would be using it's weight in winter for getting unstuck/staying unstuck in snow!!
Plus when I just had the transmission flush done, it cost me about $150 at a valvoline in MN. I was told by one of the mechanics over there that most if not all cars/vehicles made after 2015 would not have any tranny dip sticks in them (when they were made.) This forcing more people to get them done at an actual dealership instead.
I don't think this is the best configuration. Toyota stopped making these cars for at least one good reason. As mentioned in the above comments, there are plenty other options that you can choose. The car you saw has high mileage for its production date (2015) and since it is hybrid, it will cost a fortune for the repairs. If you want a hybrid, get a brand new Prius, and if you want a good mpg car, get a used Corolla.
@yaser
He did mention about the Mazda 3 being a good car to have, are there any particular years to primarily look at/or avoid? How are the 2011 Mazda 3i tourings?
The newer ones (with SkyActive technology) are better than older ones.
@yaser
Thank you for all your guys' help with finding/narrowing down my future car search!! If I have any more questions about anything car related, I will definitely seek you guys out on this site!! Please tell Scotty that he is beyond the regular car-mechanics of this world for knowledge and expertise!! I personally would not ask for another more experienced person to talk/gain knowledge from!! Besides you guys!! And my father (for older Ford's from the 60s-70s) 😊