If the used prius has 92,000 miles on it

Not unless it fails. If it fails and it's no longer under warranty then you pay for it.

Lemme guess: you want to trade or sell your Prius to them, but first they want you to pay them $3000 to replace the battery?

 

If the price is good! I don't feel that is much to worry with the Prius. They have a very reliable system hybrid system. H

 

Why would you think the car has a new traction battery? The only reason it would be replaced is because it failed. Failure of the traction battery is rare. If the 06 you are looking at has not had a failure, then it has the original battery.

 

I think this is like asking the same question about an internal combustion engine or a transmission. My guess is both would cost at least as much to replace and my concern would be with the dealer's warranty.
Tony Renier

 

HV battery pack is the most reliable component in the Prius. It happens to have longest warranty as well. I have 2006 with 134k miles. It is still rock solid.

 

In that case, you should buy a vehicle with fewer miles so that it has more warranty coverage, and plan to pay more in exchange for that peace of mind.

 

In the event you buy this Prius, and less than 8,000 miles later the battery fails, it is under warranty.
In the event you buy this Prius, and more than 8,000 miles later the battery fails, you can buy a ReInvolt battery for $1500, and for $300 more, they will install it. (in NC)

There is an installer in WI as well, no idea what he charges.

Our Installers

 

Thats the risk you take when you buy an older higher mileage vehicle. You are getting more car for the money, but you are trading the safety and security of having a newer vehicle under warranty.

Saying you have to make sure it has a new battery is like saying you'll only buy a car with a new engine. You won't find a Prius out there with a replaced traction battery, in fact I would be suspicious of one that had been replaced. Why was it replaced?

There are Prius' on the road with 400,000 miles on them with the original traction battery, and then again we have a few here that have failed. You need to find a good car with a service history that has never been wrecked and has been treated well during its life. Thats how you buy a used car. If the price is too good to be true, it probably is.

In any event, like the poster said above if the battery does fail then its $1750 installed for it to be replaced...which is not an enormous sum for a major repair on a late model vehicle...like a transmission rebuild.

But, if you are really concerned about it and all you can afford is a car with that high mileage...you may want to look at something like a Corolla with less complexities to go wrong. The Prius is a complex vehicle.

 

I bought my 2006 with 82k miles on it. After I bought the car, I heard a squeak when the car was idling every now and again. The dealership took care of the water pump TSB for me but they could not reproduce the problem. It still does it, but it really isn't anything to worry about.

I haven't really had any real problems with my car. My wife's Nissan on the other hand was a disaster...glad I got rid of it. Sorry guys...she ended up with a high mileage (100k) 2006 Honda Civic.

High mileage Hondas or Toyotas really don't worry me. When we picked up the Honda from a dealership recently, they were saying that one of their customers with a 98 Corolla or something came in with almost 375k miles on it...and she had no plans or reasons to get rid of it.

So depending on what they're selling it for, what options the car has, if its something you really want and has said features you're looking for, go for it. I don't think you'll have much to worry about. But it IS a trade off. If you want the peace of mind with a lower mileage car, the price goes up obviously.

 

I had my HV Battery fail at 117,000 miles. I think it's been failing for a while and just threw the code recently. After finding out that my battery is bad I would be prepared for the expense if I was buying a used Prius. The dealer cost is around $3600 installed. I'm told it's rare for a failure this early. I was expecting at least 150,000 miles. Oh well.

 

You are near Denver, yes? There are a few hybrid shops in your area, who could do the ReInvolt job for you or install a salvage battery, such as Slipstream Autocare in Boulder.