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Questions about buying a used 2006 Prius

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by odysseus, Dec 12, 2009.

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  1. odysseus

    odysseus Junior Member

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    I'm considering a 2006 Prius with 63K miles. I know that that's more than the recommended 15K / year, but is that of concern? I did check with the dealer that maintained it, and it has been maintained every 5k miles.

    I tend to drive short distances and only about 4k miles / year. The main batteries are guaranteed for 8 years / 100,000 miles, right? So I should have covered for 4 1/2 more years? (the car is 3 1/2 years old) How long can I realistically expect the main batteries to last?
     
    #1 odysseus, Dec 12, 2009
  2. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    Since the Prius gets better gas mileage the longer your drive is, Prius tend to be long distance cars. I am not sure why anyone would have paid the premium for a Prius unless they intended to drive it long distances. (I have 21,000 on a 10 month old Prius)

    If you drive short trips, the Prius will not warm up to the point it does best. (I find MPG improving the first 10 miles of my commute) If you like the car despite it not getting great mileage the way you drive, go for it.

    The batteries you have are used in 2004 to 2009 Prius, so none are over 6 years old yet. About one in 40,000 has been replaced in the 100,000 warranty period. Taxis tend to get 275,000 miles on a High Voltage Battery, but they may not represent average use by owners.

    There is also a small 12v lead acid battery, it lasts about 4 years, just like other car batteries.
     
    #2 JimboPalmer, Dec 12, 2009
  3. firepa63

    firepa63 Former Prius Owner

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    If you only drive about 4K miles per year, your wasting your money buying a Prius. I suggest that you look at a conventional car that gets good mileage.
     
    #3 firepa63, Dec 12, 2009
  4. odysseus

    odysseus Junior Member

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    Interesting comments.

    First of all, I find that when one considers a used Toyota Prius, the hybrid price differential is minimal or zero as compared to similarly well-made and reliable Japanese cars. Can one get a fully-equipped 2006 Honda Accord for $16K? Furthermore, judging from the ads that I've seen, Toyota Prius models seem to depreciate more quickly as compared to conventional Hondas, for example (probably because of the expensive battery array or perceived complexity), and that's a good thing for a used-car buyer. :)

    2. I like the Prius more than any other car. I like the fact that the engine shuts off at a stop light, and I like driving around a parking lot on electric power alone. I like all of the technology.

    3. I found that on a 2-week Prius rental, I was getting 45 mpg. That's 20 more mpg than my Honda Civic EX. Even with my driving, that would save me a couple of hundred dollars per year, and who knows where gas prices are going?

    4. I'm not overly fond of a purely economic argument for environmentally-protective technologies. They cost more, sure, but they pollute less and conserve precious resources. So what if I won't break even on the solar array on my house for 15 years or longer?
     
    #4 odysseus, Dec 12, 2009
  5. odysseus

    odysseus Junior Member

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    You guys haven't answered my question, namely: "I'm considering a 2006 Prius with 63K miles. I know that that's more than the recommended 15K / year, but is that of concern?"
     
    #5 odysseus, Dec 12, 2009
  6. don_chuwish

    don_chuwish Well Seasoned Member

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    I wouldn't be too concerned with it (mileage/yr) but I'm also not sure where the "more than recommended 15K/Yr" comes from so I may be missing something. As long as the service records show good timely maintenance was done you should be fine. And as recommended in the other thread, take a good look at the TSB info available on PriusChat, keep them in mind and have the dealer fix anything right away. You can also check the 12V battery yourself right there at the dealer, there are many threads that cover it, but my favorite "how to" is on the elearnaid page: 12 Volt (12v) Toyota Prius Aux Battery scroll down to "Prius battery test procedure for 2004 to 2010 Prius Cars" you could print it out and take it to the car.

    - D
     
    #6 don_chuwish, Dec 13, 2009
  7. odysseus

    odysseus Junior Member

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    I'm getting cold feet.

    1. I've found a fully-loaded (package #8: leather, backup camera, nav, fog) 2006 Prius with 63K miles for $15,000 (before TT). Carfax is fine, repair records check out fine except for one 6 month gap. Is that a good deal or should I bargain a bit more? One guy on another thread informs me that he found a 2006 Prius with 39K miles for that price.

    2. JimboPalmer and Firepa63 write that I'm wasting my money on a Prius since I only drive 4,000 miles a year. I think I'd be hard-pressed to find a comparable Japanese conventional car, such as a Honda Accord with this many safety features (side and curtain airbags and stability control) at this price. Am I wrong? Perhaps more importantly, I know that the Prius is reliable, but given the complexity of the systems that run the Prius, how much more attention are they going to require than on a conventional car? I read that one can't leave the Prius standing for more than 2 weeks, or else the batteries could deteriorate. Is there anything else that's different about the Prius that I should know about?
     
    #7 odysseus, Dec 13, 2009
  8. PriusRos

    PriusRos A Fairly Senior Member - 2016 Prius Owner

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    I think it's a reasonable price for a 2006 with that package level. (I got $15K for my 2006 pkg 3 trade-in 6 months ago...only 30K miles though). IMO, 63K miles isn't bad for a Prius, and you've checked the service records. There's no harm in trying to bargain a bit more based on the relatively high mileage though but I wouldn't expect to get it for much less.


     
    #8 PriusRos, Dec 13, 2009
  9. brick

    brick Active Member

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    First, I don't think that there's anything wrong with buying a 2006 with 63k on it as long as the price is in line with the mileage. (Edmunds, KBB, and other online estimators will help you with that.) If you only drive 4k a year it might well make more sense than spending more on a lower-mileage car. Things break, but in general there isn't any big maintenance that you have to worry about. As for Prius vs. conventional car, I say buy what you want. If your trips are short then you won't likely be in the top-tier of Prius fuel economy, but it will still be a good deal higher than the conventional car driven along the same route. Not to mention that you will be driving one of the cleanest cars around, which is worth something to me.
     
    #9 brick, Dec 13, 2009
  10. odysseus

    odysseus Junior Member

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    Thanks.
    I agree about the attractiveness of driving a clean car. I had a 2009 Prius rental for 2 weeks and got 45 miles per gallon with my typical driving.
     
    #10 odysseus, Dec 13, 2009
  11. odysseus

    odysseus Junior Member

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    I just wanted to say that everyone on this forum has been really terrific, and I'm very appreciative of all your help.

    I have 2 more questions:

    1) Are there periodic updates to the navigation system (DVD?). If so, how does one get them?

    2) When using the backup camera, the top portion of the screen looked a bit "foggy" or blurry. I tried cleaning the lens of the camera, but it didn't make much of a difference. Is this normal?
     
    #11 odysseus, Dec 13, 2009
  12. JimboPalmer

    JimboPalmer Tsar of all the Rushers

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    I meant to explain why finding a low mileage used Prius is hard to do, not to discourage you.

    As a used car, if the price is similar to other used cars, go for it. 4000 miles of long trips will give you better mileage than 4000 miles of short trips, but there is much to like besides gas mileage.
     
    #12 JimboPalmer, Dec 13, 2009
  13. odysseus

    odysseus Junior Member

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    Thanks for this answer, but you've posted to the wrong thread!
     
    #13 odysseus, Dec 13, 2009
  14. don_chuwish

    don_chuwish Well Seasoned Member

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    If you can get 45mpg in your usual driving then you're doing fine, not wasting the capability of the car at all. And I concur that the fuel savings vs purchase price equation doesn't need to balance out - there's more to it than that! Since I breath air too I'd rather have you driving a Prius than anything else!

    - D
     
    #14 don_chuwish, Dec 13, 2009
  15. bordeaaj

    bordeaaj Junior Member

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    I just bought a Toyota certified 2006 Pkg 4 Prius with 80K miles on it...it was listed for near 16K at the one of the local Toyota dealerships but they let it go for 13K. I searched for 2 or 3 weeks at all the dealerships, Craigslist, etc and found very few deals that were better here in the Portland area. None of the ones under 15 or 16k were above a Pkg 4. I have never even seen a Pkg 8. It sounds like an awesome deal to me...high level package and relatively low miles...I would seriously consider jumping on that one. Deals like that don't come around often around the Portland, OR area anyway. Bargain down enough to buy an extended coverage plan offered here with the savings and you'll be set.
     
    #15 bordeaaj, Dec 14, 2009
  16. odysseus

    odysseus Junior Member

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    I'm sure that Portland is a tough market, given how environmentally-oriented everyone there is.

    Does an extended coverage plan extend the high-voltage battery warranty?

    The same dealer just called me with a 2007 Prius in white (the 2006 package #8 Prius is in black), 70K miles, with backup camera, but probably no nav or blueooth, for about the same cost.

    Any thoughts, anyone?
     
    #16 odysseus, Dec 14, 2009
  17. odysseus

    odysseus Junior Member

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    I can answer my own question: you get them from dealers, and they cost a ridiculous $300 for the DVD.

    Any more thoughts on this from someone who has a backup camera?
     
    #17 odysseus, Dec 14, 2009
  18. don_chuwish

    don_chuwish Well Seasoned Member

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    Can't say that I've noticed it, no.

    - D
     
    #18 don_chuwish, Dec 15, 2009
  19. odysseus

    odysseus Junior Member

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    You mean the blurriness at the top of the camera image?
     
    #19 odysseus, Dec 15, 2009
  20. don_chuwish

    don_chuwish Well Seasoned Member

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    Correct. Things look much farther away than they really are (normal, you get used to it) but I don't have any blurriness.

    - D
     
    #20 don_chuwish, Dec 15, 2009
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