2005 Toyota Prius recalls

Nope, no HID headlight leveling sensor recall. I had to install a used sensor from Florida. Works good so far.

Yes the inverter water pump was recalled. The one on my 2005 failed last Thursday and it's going to be replaced tomorrow.

10 large for an 05 with 60K. Hmm, tough call. It's almost 8 years old.

How many miles do you drive per year? If less than 10,000, you're better off leasing a new
car instead of taking the risk of buying used. There are some really good lease deals out there right now.

 

You can lookup recalls for any vehicle at Home | Safercar -- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).

LSC A0N - HV (Inverter) Water Pump; Dealer Letter and Technical Instructions | PriusChat has details about the inverter pump LSC (not a recall).

There was never a recall on the HID headlights. There was a class action lawsuit covering 06-09 HID equipped Priuses and settlement. See Toyota Prius Class Action Lawsuit | Toyota Headlight Lawsuit | Girard Gibbs LLP. There was Hid replacement tsb letter | PriusChat (covering 06-09 Priuses). I received the letter myself. I think Toyota Will Pay For HID Repairs, I got the Letter! | PriusChat had the same letter, but the images are broken due to Priuschat's software change.

04-05 HID equipped Priuses use seemingly more reliable D2R headlights intead of the D4R on 06-09 Priuses. 04-05 (NOT 06-09) Prius owners w/HIDs - how long did they last? | PriusChat seems to confirm that.

You can get Philips D2R bulbs on Amazon for cheap. I'd make sure that they're sold by Amazon and not a 3rd party. Hopefully they're genuine.

 

Personally I'm no fan of leasing, I've done it once and renting a car just doesn't appeal to me. There is too much you can't do, too much you have to worry about with kids.

I picked up my 06 prius for $6,700. Granted it has significantly more miles that the one you are looking at, 155,000 when I got it, and did not come from a certified dealer and so could not be certified itself. I did however get all of the maintenance reccords from toyota's website and the person who owned the car took it in every 5k religiously. I drove it from NY back to WI the day I bought it and while I've only had it for a month now it still drives like brand new (test drove several new ones before purchasing) with no noises, leaks, wobbles, shakes or issues of any kind. I can still avg 60mpg on the 50 mile trip to pick my son up from his mothers with the rest of the family in the car, and my avg for the 1030 miles to home after purchase was 43mpg going 80 most of the way on the interstate.

At the end of the day, I'd say there are better deals out there. For reference my car has JBL, backup cam, blue tooth, smart key, but no navigation.

 

Depending on what month it was made you still have a little of the 8yr/100k battery warranty left.

 

That depends on the car you would want to lease. You won't get a new Prius for $200 a month with nothing down but you could get one with excellent fuel economy close to what the Prius gets for that.

There are many advantages to a lease if you drive no more than 10K miles per year.
1. No maintenance - most leases include regular oil changes, etc.
2. You won't need to buy tires - that's at least a $400 expense for four new ones.
3. If the car needs repair, you don't have to pay anything. Try that with a used car.
4. You will probably be able to lease a car for 5 years for about $12K to $15K.

Disadvantages are:
1. Full insurance coverage - this can get expensive.
2. Vehicle registration (state tags) will be more expensive in states with fees based
on the MSRP.
3. You must keep it immaculately clean and free of dings, nicks, etc.
4. You will not have a car after five years but you might be in the same
boat if you bought the 2005 Prius and repairs for it ran to $$$$$$$
and you decided it wasn't worth sinking money into a 10+ year old car.

If I didn't need to drive more than 10K miles a year, I would lease. I have a two car garage,
no kids, and a safe place to park where I work. I would have leased a new 2011 Volt this summer if this were the case. The District 6 dealers near me were offering them for $199 a month with $2000 down!!!! Imagine a 30 mile round trip commute on battery power. I don't need to buy gas!

 

1. In the past I have never seen a lease contract include oil changes or any general maintenance without a big additional fee..
2. Tires also are something I have never seen covered in a lease, in fact when I leased the car I had to put $600 worth of tires on it the week before I turned it in because they were slightly more worn than was allowed at turn in.
3. You wont have to pay anything for warrantied repairs, if it's not covered by the manufacturers warranty (or the warranty runs out for some reason) you're still on the hook.

Leasing is no different than buying, with the exception that it is a little bit cheaper and in the end you own nothing. To each their own, but it's not like renting a house..major damages and maintenance are still going to be on your tab, not the manufacturer's.

At lease turn in...
scratch in paint? You'll pay for that
Ding in door? You'll pay for that
Smelly interior? You'll pay for that
Excessive wear inside? You'll pay for that
Rip bigger than 1/4th of an inch? You'll pay for that
Life, in general, happens to the car over a 5 year period? You'll pay for that

Leasing is only an option if, as jadziasman states, you park inside. You have no kids, you never park in a public lot, and you barely drive. If you meet these criteria, whats wrong with public transport?

To each their own, I obviously have my views against leasing..for some people it's perfect. Short distance drivers, non family people and the likes may find leasing to be a good option. Me? I have kids, I had this prius less than 2 weeks and already there was gum on the back seat (food is not allowed in my car mind you). Life happens too much for the risk imo; maybe your situation is vastly different than mine.

 

Ericw,

1. Free oil changes are common with new leases.
2. If you drive only 30K miles over a three year lease and drive reasonably the tires won't be worn out and need replacement. For a two year lease - even less of a chance they'll ask you to pay for new tires.
3. Most cars have 36 month warranties, how will you ever need to pay for a repair?

To be clear. I'm talking about two or three year leases - not five.

In fact, a two year lease is an excellent choice. Local Chevy dealers were offering very
attractive two year lease deals on the Volt. No worries with what you're referring to earlier.

The OP has 10 large to spend. This is an important decision for them and anyone else spending that
much coin.

 

The HV battery is about to, or has, gone out of warranty. You might want to get someone to check out the HV battery before buying.

 

bwilson4web can asnwer that.