Hello, Thanks to everyone's info here I decided to take a calculated risk and just bought a 2005 with 249,000 miles. The car was a single owner and meticulously maintained. In fact it was a bit of a challenge just going thru all the records to see what may have been missed. It did have a new hybrid battery at 215K. It has the original transaxle, it appears to be serviced at 30K, 60K, and 112K but not since. This was a great surprise as I thought that might be the one thing he overlooked but apparently the dealer recommended it according to his receipts. The invertor coolant was also replaced at 112K. He also just had a full service at 175K that included plugs, drive belt, fuel system cleaning, and water pumps. I believe it still has the original brakes although he had them inspected and adjusted numerous times probably anticipating replacement. Other than oil changes every 5K, tires, and a handful of light bulbs that's all that's been done. Really unbelievable. It doesn't burn any oil, never been wrecked and everything works. The only downer is the guy was a smoker and I am not. So the smell is pretty bad to me. I'm going to have to have the inside detailed so if anyone can help me with some type of smoke odor eliminator that would be a HUGE help. Mechanically, I'm going to have the transaxle fluid replaced next week and if anybody can tell me anything that has been overlooked or needs done I would love to hear it. Thanks so much for your posts. Very informative. Keith
It was done at the dealer. OEM. Cost him 3K. I am surprised he did it @ 215K miles unless the car had been very good to him
215,000 out of the original HV battery, not too shabby!! Do you mind sharing what state or region you live? Maybe the past owner stopped having the dealer service the trans at 112k, and then he changed the fluid himself after that? Im betting you have bought a pretty nice, well-maintained Prius. Keep an eye on the oil level - maintained impeccably or not, at that mileage you will have some degree of engine oil burning.
I'm in Ohio. He was not the kind of guy to do anything himself. If there was a problem he took it to the dealer. Good for me I guess, bad for his wallet. He did do lots of Jiffy Lubes in between major services. The only reason he sold was because he retired and he wanted a vehicle that could get him off road a little more for nature type activities. His only complaint was the ground clearance which is a fair enough argument for him buying something different.
Ahhh your location explains a lot. Our region is relatively easy on the Prius HV battery. Heat is what kills it. Just keep an eye on that oil level, and you might want to change the CVT fluid just to be on the safe side, and you should be fine for quite a while!!
