2002 Prius -- unibody damage -- safe to drive?

If you provide some photos then maybe you'll get some feedback on your query. In general, if the dents "weren't that bad" (although this is highly subjective) then they should not compromise the safety of the vehicle.

Good luck.

 

I'm with Patrick. You local Toyota Service Center may have the equipment to check the body alignment too. It might be a little pricey but what is peace of mind.

I would be more interested in the wheel alignment and tracking numbers. A quality tire shop should be able to get all of the measurements including front and rear wheel tracking. Tell them it had been in an accident and you'd like to know everything that can be measured. They may even recommend a shop that handles such cases.

Get estimates since these are somewhat costly services. You might even ask your insurance agent who they recommend.

GOOD LUCK!
Bob Wilson

 

Seems like car salesmen will screw over anyone who gives them a chance. There are reasons cars go to auction. Dealers won't put cars into inventory because they are either too old or too damaged.

 

Well, this brings back an ironic memory. I had a 2003 Prius years ago that I bought new. But we had a baby and could no longer afford the payments. So in 2004 I tried to sell the car. Now, this vehicle had been involved in a very minor, low-speed accident that put a soft-ball sized dent in the rear quarter-panel, low to the ground near the tire. I took it to a body shop and they replaced the quarter panel and there was no other damage to the car. Well, when I took it to CarMax to try selling it, they ran the VIN and saw the repair work and said this vehicle wasn't good enough for them to resale, so they'd have to send it to an auction. They offered me $7,000 for the car. I told them that was ridiculous because the car looked like it just drove off the assembly line and the damage it had was very minor (even provided a picture of the damage) and it was properly repaired. My best friend is a mechanic and he couldn't even tell where the damage was until I told him because it was repaired so well. Still, he said that was company policy and there was nothing he could do. Eventually I sold it to a toyota dealer for $16,000 a few weeks later.

So the moral of the story - if I had been dumb, I would have sold it to CarMax and it would have gone to auction because of a minor dent. So just because the vehicle is at an auction doesn't guarantee that it is a bad vehicle.

Years later we've recovered from our baby financial nightmare and we are now a two hybrid family and I'm driving another Gen-1 prius (and hopefully a Nissan Leaf next year) But whoever got my original 2003 prius got a very nice car.

 

I bought our 2003 Prius from Fort Worth ... what color?

Hummm, paid $17,300 for it.

What year was it sold?

Bob Wilson

 

It was white, and I sold it to Vandergriff Toyota in Arlington, but the Carmax I was talking about was in Fort Worth. I believe it was sold in 2004 or 2005, can't remember for sure.

I have a green Prius now, but I prefered the white color.