A California car buyer says they were shocked after discovering that a $15,000 down payment — plus a $2,000 trade-in — appeared to have little impact on the balance of their Toyota Prius auto loan, suggesting they may have inadvertently paid about $45k for $28k vehicle.
The buyer detailed the experience in a Reddit post, describing the purchase of a new Prius. According to the post, the buyer believed the vehicle’s price was $28,990 and financed the purchase through Toyota. In addition to financing, they put down $15,000 in cash and traded in their old car for about $2,000, for a total upfront contribution of roughly $17,000.
