Buying a used car...need advice

[wowzer]

I want to use the HOV lane for my commute. They only allow toyota prius and honda civics on the lane. There is a 2005 Prius for sale for about $14,000 and 30k in miles. What should I do to make sure that I don't buy a lemon? The state that the car is registered in is Connecticut (if it makes a difference). I will be driving it in NY (Long Island Expressway).

Thanks.

[SteveO]

When I buy used, I usually take it to MY trusted mechanic before buying. The owner has never had a problem with this as long as you can instill enough confidence that you're not going to steal it...maybe have them meet you there to drop it off, you pay for it to get checked out, and they never lose possession of the keys, as it were.

[mikebw]

It would make sense to make sure it passes your state inspection before buying at least.

[C(-)ris]

WTF kind of stupid rule is that? There are at least a dozen cars that get better gas mileage than a Honda Civic or Toyota Prius. And that is just the 2012 models.

Lets see:
Chevy Volt
Nissan Leaf
VW Jetta TDI
VW Passat TDI
Hyundia Sonata
Audi A3
Ford Fiesta
Ford Escape Hybrid(a truck that gets more mpg than a Civic)
Lexus CT200h
Lincoln MKZh
Ford Fusion

[OWC Jamie]

C(-)ris wrote:
WTF kind of stupid rule is that? There are at least a dozen cars that get better gas mileage than a Honda Civic or Toyota Prius. And that is just the 2012 models.

Lets see:
Chevy Volt
Nissan Leaf
VW Jetta TDI
VW Passat TDI
Hyundia Sonata
Audi A3
Ford Fiesta
Ford Escape Hybrid(a truck that gets more mpg than a Civic)
Lexus CT200h
Lincoln MKZh
Ford Fusion

some of those are on the slightly longer list of clean pass vehicles
https://www.dot.ny.gov/programs/clean-pass?nd=nysdot

[jdc]

He means Honda Civic hybrid.

FWIW, they stopped letting those cars in the HOV lane here in CA. You might want to check if your state is getting ready to stop as well.

[testcase]

That's low mileage for a 6 or 7 year old car. I'd wonder if 30K is accurate or, if the odometer had been tampered with.

[Buzz]

testcase wrote:
That's low mileage for a 6 or 7 year old car. I'd wonder if 30K is accurate or, if the odometer had been tampered with.

Our 20, almost 21, year old car just hit 100K a couple of weeks ago... no odo tampering. Not all cars are high mileage. OTOH, I'd rather buy a higher mileage car that I knew was driven on the open road, versus a lower mileage car that spent 20 miles a day in congested traffic.

///

[Robert M]

Wowzer,

What you are saying isn't entirely true. The HOV law remains intact. Any vehicle with multiple occupants can use the HOV lane. However, the law was recently changed to allow single-occupanct vehicles - a vehicle with just one person in it - to use the HOV lane during HOV hours but only if he/she is driving a vehicle that is eligible. The link Bill offered has a list of eligible models. Note, some but not all Toyota Prius and Honda Civic models meet the standard. I would definitely confirm that the specific vehicle in question meets the standard and is definitely allowed prior to looking at it.

Robert

[Psurfer]

No passing in the Prius lane.