High Mileage Prius-- Should I be concerned?

I'd be wary in the same way I'd be wary of ANY car that had 170k - 250k miles!

If your budget dictates you must go for a car with this mileage and you have set your heart on a Prius, the first thing I'd check is the general condition of the car, how many owners, who was the owner (with that mileage it could have been a cab!), and importantly was it fully and correctly serviced and who by? Will you be doing lots of miles in this high mileage car or is it just a second car?

The 12v battery in the Prius will last about 4 years and can cause electrical gremlins when it fails. It's fairly cheap to replace though ($150-$200). The big HV (high voltage) battery should last the life of the car which in normal use is about 150k - 250k miles. Obviously some will go beyond this and there are reports of some cab companies having Prius's go to 250k-300k miles, but unless you're careful in checking the prospective purchase carefully, you could be buying into a heap of trouble.

I'd be careful about getting a Prius just for the sake of it if your finances just don't quite stretch to getting a decent one. What's wrong with the Beetle? Is it a classic one or a newer one? If its the latter you should still get good mpg's out of it.

 

No don't buy this car with high mileage. No matter what the price.
The risks are many and all very very expensive.
Check out my link below on Tampa Craigslist. Lots of good buys.
I see even better deals on eBay.

Be very careful if buying a car on eBay. A very very good deal can be had but you have to know how to do it. PM me if you need any help.

But check your local Craigslist and especially the local newspapers.

It is a buyers market.

tampa bay all for sale / wanted classifieds "prius" - craigslist

I see a white 2007 for $10,800 with 69K miles on there. Nice deal.

 

Only if you can find a one-owner with service records. Maintain these cars, and they easily go the number of miles that you are talking about. If you are comfortable with installing salvage parts, which are abundant, and using independent shops, such as Art's Automotive in Berkeley, max repair is about $2000 (transaxle). A salvage high voltage battery can be sourced and installed for about $1000.

My opinion over high mileage vehicles has been changing over the past few years. I have a 2004 RAV4 with 150K that is like new mechanically. Even the 99 Taurus with 178K miles that my wife and I picked up at auction for $350 is running decent after we put a few hundred bucks into it.

 

I bought a 2005 prius 6 months ago, for 4000 GBP that's about $5500 with 148,000 miles on it.
Was a bit worried about the high mileage, but it was a single owner and the car looks and runs like new.
We've had no problems whatsoever, and there are plenty of prius with 300,000 miles.
James

 

I bought a 2005 prius 6 months ago, for 4000 GBP that's about $5500 with 148,000 miles on it.
Was a bit worried about the high mileage, but it was a single owner and the car looks and runs like new.
We've had no problems whatsoever, and there are plenty of prius with 300,000 miles.
James

 

It was explained to once that the Prius is not your normal car. My Prius has about 185K miles on it. I have changed the tires and done normal fluid change and maintenance. It runs the same as it did when I bought it at 70K.

Everyone wants to run from a car like this. I would say if you are interested have it checked out by a Certified Toyota Mechanic. If the traction battery (big one) is okay, and everything checks out why not buy? You obviously know that there is a chance that there could be problems.

The rewards are there also. 5K for (what has been) a reliable vehicle is not a bad price. I expect mine to go well over 300K.

 

We bought a 2001 Prius for our daughter last year. It had 250,000 miles on it all from an original owner with all service done at dealer. It still runs like a new car! It now has 263,000 we are curious as to how high mileage other people have on their older prius. My 2nd Prius is a 2010 and has 50k on it now.

 

I bought an 05 with 120,000 miles on it. Now, 1.5 years later, with 155,000 miles on it, the main traction battery is dead. Sure, it will last 6 months, but will it last 4 - 5 years? it's probably about 50/50. In order to break even with higher MPG, you will need it to last 4 - 5 years.

 

I wouldn't be too wary of the big battery dieing before you get good use out of it. I got a slip in the mail about a year ago saying I have the world record for the most mileage on the 2003 Prius. Right now it's at 325,000 miles and still gets 42+ MPG and runs like a charm. Kelley Bluebook still says its worth $4,000 in good condition.

As long as you have a decent paying job to pay for normal upkeep, I'd go for it. It's a good investment with the mileage alone.

 

I bought a 07 prius after rebates out of pocket $19.3K I went to fuel economydotgov and used their calculator prius vs a 20 mpg car. Reason I use a 20 mpg car is that is the national average and should be middle of the road. So far my car started every time I needed it. I did not change 12 volt battery on time and let it go all the way down. It did spaz out the system some but it still ran and eventually the gremlins left the car alone. Runs as it should now only residual is my fuel gauge will read I have less fuel than I actually do. If you do the math you can deduce your fuel left within a quarter of a gallon I usually don't go below half tank just me. I have had to replace an oxygen sensor, and get new shocks, replaced most of the lights in the car headlamps are a bitch to DIY but I got it done.

I was so impressed with my first prius I bought a 2nd one. an 05 that has 175K miles on it, AC worked so does the NAVIGATION SYSTEM. It is a much better car than my 07 yes we have 2 prius. The best thing about the 05 is we got it for $6K so I do the math compared to a 20 mpg car and ROI is 60K miles. When we put 60 k miles on the car we can afford to throw it away like it was nothing at all. But clearly anybody that calculates as I do would never let such a gem go to waste. We have already driven this car over 2K miles we have yet to get the title from the place we bought it. We got it from a used car dealership so we have a little more insurance buying this way vs buying from an individual.

If I could find prius with 60K miles for under $10K I would get it but I am not afraid of high miles on a prius. I saw a guy selling his 05 for $6K he had 300 K miles on the car. That man made out like a bandit you know he was writing off all those miles so he was getting triple use out that car. My philosophy on cars is the uglier the better I like ugly great running cars you are less likely to care where you park it and people don't look at you as if you are Mr Money. Sure we got a little but we sure as hell don't show what our worth is by driving cars that look perfect. Remember only a fool tells all he knows.

As the volt gains popularity the prius will sell for less since they are not going to be the hottest ticket. I am more than happy to roll the dice on a prius with 200K miles for ~5K than piss away $25K on a new car that I would have to pay full coverage and get pissed every little scratch put on it.

If I had to look good for a job interview drive a rental to the interview if you really think that will get your hired then after you get the job you drive your prius to work each day and use them bucks to make your life better.

Remember when fuel crisis hit your mpg is going to count more than ever, hurricanes,power outages, terror attack, almost anything can cause fuel shortages the less you need the better off you are. You can put a trailer hitch on a Prius and open up an entire world to your Prius. They can tow a trailer for utility if you need to haul every now and then. Tear drop campers work really well with a Prius. Know that you have a 35-45mpg camper with a Prius. Talk about a hedge against inflation. Imagine you hit hard times. Had your Prius with a teardrop? You just need to find a place to park that camper and you have a 50mpg car. You can get in close to your work making your car even more efficient. When you look at your ends you know what to do. I have seen teardrop campers that served two needs the teardrop could be taken off the flat bed trailer and the trailer could be sued to transport things. Imagine you loose your job you leave your area towing your camper get where you can drop the camper you have a trailer you can use to scrap with or for delivery, you can deliver pizza with a Prius and still make money, or if you work industrial you can go to a shut down drop the camper tow the trailer to haul a freezer or food or you name it you have something with the setup I am speaking of. You have a pu truck you are forever in debt to that engine. Sure it can tow more but IMHO I don't need more I need just enough.

I did the math and if we added a 22 gallon tank the car could be driven across the entire USA Atlantic to Pacific stopping for fuel ONE TIME. Imagine you used that trailer to bring some fuel back to your area. You could put enough fuel on that trailer to cover your years use? But as with anything you store people are prone to swipe it so I don't do this. Also a prius can serve as a generator. A man after hurricane Sandy used his prius to drive a inverter he had lights and could recharge his cell and could watch tv. While everybody was waiting in line 8 hours for fuel this guy was leaving his car running in the driveway?

I am now 45 if I could do it all again if I were 18 again I would get a prius a tear drop camper that would expand up and out and I could take off a trailer. I would have additional fuel tank on the trailer and convert the prius to use propane and I would have solar to recharge the batteries. I would have a quadbed. It would take some figuring but I would have a freezer on the trailer that ran on 110V so I could use the ice in an ice chest a small freezer can make life great draws little current too. Ask me prius should have 2 fuel tanks 6 gallons propane and 4 gallons gas. Imagine the taxes you would avoid paying if you had this. Most of your fuel is taxes?

 

sigh!!! i just got a 2010 prius with 235k miles on it for $5k. I was so worried I had gotten a bad deal even though the car was regularly maintained. hopefully all that mileage was on the highway. reading your comments have given me a whole lot of reassurance.

Thank you all

 

Why does your profile say 2011 Prius and Two not II since it is a 2010 and 2010 used upper case Roman Numerals?

 

My bad. Need to correct that. Thanks

A0001 ?

 

That sounds like a great deal! Was it a taxi or something? Congrats on the new ride!

 

I think it was either a taxi or an uber. doesn't really say on the auction listing.

 

Buying a used car with more than 100k is always a risk. So if you pull the trigger, just make sure you get the best one for the money. I bought my '05 last summer with 125k from a one owner who has had it serviced almost exclusively by Toyota dealers. If it makes to 200k, I'd be happy. More than that... just good Car-ma.

Good luck.

 

Who sent you the slip with the note? Toyota?

 

Ok so I just cleared my Prius from the port. I noticed that when it's parked and the ice kicks in to charge the battery, it ice shuts down right as the battery gets to 3 bars. Anybody knows why? I hope this doesn't mean I have a faulty battery

XT1060 ?

 

you have a talent for perfect repetition!