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The car has always been garaged during my ownership. It has performed perfectly; the only visit to a shop was for a minor factory recall for the water pump. Tires are General Altimax, with about 75% of tread remaining. The car is equipped with leather, AM-FM radio with 6-CD changer, backup camera, Bluetooth, and NAV. Most features can be controlled either by voice or by way of buttons on the steering wheel. I have all manuals, the cargo mat, retractable cargo cover, and rubber floor mats. I have only ONE key. (I bought a spare key fob but have never taken it to a dealer to be programmed to the car. That spare key is included).

I purchased this Prius 3 1/2 years ago from a shop in Charlotte NC that repairs "salvage" cars exclusively. The North Carolina title, which is clear and in my name, says "Salvage Rebuilt" in the "title brands" box. The car was nearly new when involved in a front-end collision and the insurance company chose to write it off. The front fenders, hood, bumper, and radiator mounts were replaced with parts from another Prius that had been struck in the rear. North Carolina inspects cars regularly during this process, and acquiring the original title was not a problem. If you examine the photos carefully, you will see that there also is a slight misalignment of both front fenders where they meet the bumper cover. (In cold weather they stay in place, but in summer they pop out about a quarter inch.) A local body shop estimated less than $100 to repair this imperfection, but I see no reason to do so. A "salvage" title means two things: the manufacturers warranty is void and the car has been damaged with repairs costing over $2500..

The paint has the minor scratches and a couple of rock chips on the front that would be expected on a 4 1/2 year old car. The "outside temperature" monitor is not working. There is a small bleach spot on the rear cargo mat. For it's age, I would say that this car is in excellent condition, and with only 40,000 miles it has many years of service remaining. The odometer reading will increase slightly, as the car is being used locally.

This Prius is an excellent buy and I feel sure that it will serve someone well for many years. It would sell for thousands of dollars more without the salvage title. Mileage consistently averages over 51 MPG even in the mountains. We are selling because we have too many cars for a 70 year old couple! If you want to talk about the car, email your phone number to me.

Auto Services in North Carolina

Z-Mech Auto ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Auto Transmission, Auto Oil & Lube

Address: 5413-112 Oak Forest Dr, Wake-Forest

Phone: (919) 790-9999

Xtreme Detail ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Automobile Detailing

Address: Fair-Bluff

Phone: (910) 791-4900

Wheels N Bumpers Car Wash ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Car Wash, Automobile Detailing

Address: 3420 S Church St, Swepsonville

Phone: (336) 585-0299

Weavers Body Shop & Front End ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Automobile Body Repairing & Painting, Wheels-Aligning & Balancing

Address: 514 W 9th St, East-Spencer

Phone: (704) 425-4329

United Muffler Shop ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Automobile Parts & Supplies, Mufflers & Exhaust Systems

Address: 267 Highway 105 Ext, Valle-Crucis

Phone: (828) 262-1025

Trotter Auto Glass Plus ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Glass-Auto, Plate, Window, Etc, Plate & Window Glass Repair & Replacement

Address: PO Box 473682, Mount-Holly

Phone: (704) 341-8887

Auto blog

Toyota renews Supra trademark, we renew frothing at the mouth

Tue, 18 Feb 2014

Enthusiasts have been begging for a new Supra practically since Toyota stopped selling its fourth generation in the US way back in 1998. We've been hearing rumors about a successor for years, but the Toyota FT-1 Concept from the 2014 Detroit Auto Show is the first tangible sign from the automaker that a new generation may be on the table. To temp us even more, the Japanese company reportedly filed with the US Patent and Trademark Office last week to renew its 2010 trademark for the name "Supra."
Granted, these kinds of trademark updates aren't uncommon, as automakers don't want to lose their rights to nameplates (even if they have no immediate plans to use them). However, Toyota briefly abandoned its rights to the Supra name entirely. According to The Motor Report, the original trademark was continually renewed until 2006, but the Japanese automaker let it lapse in the US until applying for it again in 2010.
The FT-1 Concept in Detroit was created at Toyota's Calty Design Research center in California and carries cues from the 2000GT, Celica and Supra in an ultra-curvy body. Officials did not disclose anything about its powertrain. Toyota is also co-developing a future sports car platform with BMW that will underpin models from both companies, but few other details are konwn, and it isn't yet clear that the joint venture has anything to do with a future Supra. Hope springs eternal.

Automakers paying Chinese dealers for lower-than-expected sales

Sat, Jan 10 2015

The Chinese dealers vs. foreign manufacturers story won't quit. It began with a story on the struggles faced by FAW-Toyota joint venture dealers, with supposedly 95 percent of the showrooms losing money, and 10 percent of them doing so poorly that they'd have to exit the business. The problem is mandated sales targets, most set when the country's economy was racing. Now that things have slowed, China's dealers are swimming in unsold cars and the costs to keep them. In the case of FAW-Toyota, dealers asked Toyota to hand over 2.2 billion yuan ($355 million) to help address the situation. That was followed by a report noting the issues that Honda, BMW, and Nissan dealers are having with the same issue, revealing that the Chinese Automobile Dealers Association (CADA) had taken the highly unusual step of writing to the Chinese government to complain. Now Reuters reports that CADA is not only pressing its case even harder, it's being open about it: it announced that BMW agreed to pay dealers 5.1 billion yuan ($820 million) to alleviate poor profits last year. Unnamed sources said Audi has thrown 2 billion yuan into the kitty for subsidies, and Daimler has contributed "about 1 billion yuan" to its dealers. The battle isn't just about 2014, but how business will be run in 2015 as well: Chinese Porsche dealers have requested the automaker lower its 2015 target of 64,000 cars, which would be a 40-percent increase on its 2014 sales of 46,931 vehicles. One analyst called it "shocking" that the CADA has taken its fight public, while CADA comments continue to imply that dealers have been railroaded to the cliff's edge without recourse. "Due to the difference in status," it's deputy secretary said, "individual dealers are not willing to, or don't dare to, talk frankly with the carmakers...." Both parties need one another, so they'll figure out a way to make it work – but that could mean acknowledging the Chinese market is behaving more like a mature one, not an emerging one. News Source: ReutersImage Credit: Lintao Zhang/Getty Images Earnings/Financials Audi BMW Porsche Toyota Car Dealers Luxury

KBB 2013 Brand Image Awards has some obvious and oddball winners

Sat, 30 Mar 2013

The sixth edition of the Kelley Blue Book Brand Image Awards have crowned a wide range of winners - in a couple of cases the recipient of the laurels might say more about KBB users than they do about the actual winner. Compiled from the responses of more than 12,000 shoppers on KBB.com over the past year, there are 13 categories broken into non-luxury, luxury and truck segments "representing the combined wisdom of the American car-buying public."
The award categories have been revamped this year, with some dropping off, some new ones appearing and at least one other given a new term. What isn't surprising is that Honda won Most Trusted Brand for the second year running, Best Value Brand for the third year in a row and took Best Overall Brand, which wasn't on last year's list of awards.
On our own shores, in the non-luxury categories Chrysler got Most Refined Brand and Buick took Best Value Luxury Brand. Neither one of those marques won anything in last year's Brand Image Awards, while Cadillac, which won Best Interior Design Brand and Best Comfort Brand last year - those awards disappeared this year - went home without a single accolade.

2009 Toyota Prius 4 Door Hatchback, Leather, Nav, No Reserve, 40,000 Miles! on 2040-cars

Toyota Prius for Sale