Ok, after a few false starts and a fair while of looking, I think I'll be picking up a second hand prius in the next few weeks, and I'd be interested in a bit of advice from those that have had them, and have experienced the issues I'm looking out for. Why I'm buying a hybrid: Reliability, mainly. With the MOT pass results, and Toyota's UK 11-year warranty on them, it takes the onus off me for worrying about the really serious problems that might crop up in cars of that kind of age (typically the ones that'd stop them running). The across-board efficiency is also a help, as my PhD will be ending in October, and my route for the next few years is uncertain (not sure whether it's going to be motorway or city driving), but the prius seems to be a good car that's not going to kick me in the rear when it turns out that I'm spending my driving life in traffic. It also seems to be a good way of getting a larger car (currently running an aygo, so I know the issues with not having enough space) without paying the premium that that size car usually comes with. What the options are: Ok, I'm looking at the £7-9k range of cars, which basically fall into the following camps: 1. Gen 3 Prius (around 2010) 150k+ miles. 2. Auris Hybrid (2010ish) 70k-100k miles 3. Gen 2 Prius (2007ish) around 50k miles I know that the Gen3 drive system brings a number of advantages (namely pushing the emissions under the magical 100g/km barrier), along with a whole host of tech, but I don't know whether the extra miles that come along with that package are more likely to cause issues (there has been talk that cars running primarily on motorways, clocking the miles up, tend to hit the vulnerable systems less, which might actually make those a better bet). Anyone know any common issues around those milage points for either gen that would be worth considering, and which may sway a decision? Or, anyone know of any other arguments or considerations?
All I can say is that I have reached 200,000kms (124,000 miles approx) with no problems. My oil is still clean between changes. I can't say with scientific certainty that all gen III are the same. I look forward to many more years of driving this vehicle. My driving is a mix of country back roads, including gravel and freeway driving.
I have purchased 2 used Prius - a 2005 with 123,000 miles that we kept until 210,000 miles and our current one - a 2010 Gen III that we purchased with 78,000 miles last October (2013) and now has 89,000 miles on it. I gauged their condition by what "service records" the previous owner had. Regular maintenance is/was important to me. I would never hesitate to buy another used Prius, as long as it has a good service history. The first thing I did with both of these vehicles was replace the 12 volt battery. Otherwise, I am very impressed with the quality of these cars and the 50+ mpg that we get.
Yeah, from what I can gather, maintenance issues aren't as prevalent in the Prius, as much as other cars (which is part of the reason I'm looking at them, and the reason that I'm more happy to look at private sellers, rather than going through the Toyota used ones that would give warranty and accountability). Any helpful tips as to what kind of actions would be worth looking for at that kind of milage range?
