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2007 prius, 90K miles for $1500, heavy front-end damage - worth it?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by romanlutsk, Jun 1, 2015.

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  1. romanlutsk

    romanlutsk Junior Member

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    Just came across this prius:
    http://images.craigslist.org/01414_hCPWZuL40Up_600x450.jpg

    According to the owner, it's been sitting like that for 6 months and doesn't start/drive, but can be towed normally (on all 4 wheels).

    Was wondering if it's worth repairing? Are there a lot of expensive parts in front that will need to be replaced?

    I see that the radiator is definitely gone, but what might be some other parts that are expensive/hard to replace? Thanks!
     
    #1 romanlutsk, Jun 1, 2015
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    not that much, sounds like a great deal for the serious diy'er with all the skills and equipment. all the best!(y)
     
    #2 bisco, Jun 1, 2015
  3. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    If you must ask, then it's not something you should get into. A prius can be very troublesome
     
    #3 JC91006, Jun 1, 2015
  4. romanlutsk

    romanlutsk Junior Member

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    great, thanks! What about the electrical stuff (I remember the driver side fender is where all the fuse boxes/relays are in Camry/corolla. Would this be a problem?
     
    #4 romanlutsk, Jun 1, 2015
  5. romanlutsk

    romanlutsk Junior Member

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    I'm pretty good at DIY, just don't know the gen 2 prius layout there. I'll go check it out tomorrow though.
     
    #5 romanlutsk, Jun 1, 2015
  6. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    You really should look elsewhere. This looks to be a taxi, and very unlikely to have 90k miles.

    It also is most likely salvaged. Unless you have a bottomless bank account, you should look for another project
     
    #6 JC91006, Jun 1, 2015
  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    the fuse box is all the way up in front of the steering wheel. there isn't much at the front that would be problematic. can you straighten the frame? my father use to do it between the garage door timbers.
     
    #7 bisco, Jun 1, 2015
  8. romanlutsk

    romanlutsk Junior Member

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    Yes, it's a taxi and has salvaged title. If the odometer has been tampered with, is it possible to detect it with Techstream?
     
    #8 romanlutsk, Jun 1, 2015
  9. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Just logically speaking, it's 8 years old, sitting for 6 months. Would it average 15k a year as a taxi? If the answer is no, where else do you need to look?
     
    #9 JC91006, Jun 1, 2015
  10. romanlutsk

    romanlutsk Junior Member

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    Yes, that's an interesting idea, thanks!

    Also, there are no signs of deployed airbags - is it possible they were not deployed in this kind of accident?
     
    #10 romanlutsk, Jun 1, 2015
  11. romanlutsk

    romanlutsk Junior Member

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    Is it possible they bought it used and converted it to taxi recently?
     
    #11 romanlutsk, Jun 1, 2015
  12. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    It's possible, and it's possible that pigs fly
     
    #12 JC91006, Jun 1, 2015
  13. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i suppose on an angled shot like that, the airbags might not deploy.
     
    #13 bisco, Jun 1, 2015
  14. romanlutsk

    romanlutsk Junior Member

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    Thanks everyone. I'll check it out tomorrow with Techstream and take better pictures
     
    #14 romanlutsk, Jun 1, 2015
  15. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Techstream? Obviously you're thinking this car battery is still good. I implore you to stop doing this to yourself
     
    #15 JC91006, Jun 1, 2015
  16. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    No. Suppose the combination meter ECU is replaced with a used unit, then the odometer will show the reading from the used combination meter ECU.

    I agree that a used taxi with a salvage title would be very low on my list of desirable vehicles.
     
    #16 Patrick Wong, Jun 1, 2015
  17. exstudent

    exstudent Senior Member

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    This post reminds me of the low budget horror movies: instead of running away from the killer, the victim runs towards the killer.

    The chain of questions and responses also screams: "a fool and his money are soon parted."

    OP (Original Poster), you are getting sound and logical advice, yet you seem to want to run off the cliff.

    Good luck w/ your expensive project, if you decide to buy.
     
    #17 exstudent, Jun 1, 2015
    GrGramps likes this.
  18. ericbecky

    ericbecky Hybrid Battery Hero

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    Don't do it.

    There are much better options out there.

    Larger issue can be things like wire harness, a/c unit, brake unit, etc.

    Figure out how much you'd end up putting into this, then use that price as your measure to find a better used (non-salvage) one.
     
    #18 ericbecky, Jun 2, 2015
  19. 69shovlhed

    69shovlhed Surly tree hugger

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    don't do it unless you plan on restoring it as a hobby and you have a full shop at your disposal.
     
    #19 69shovlhed, Jun 2, 2015
  20. romanlutsk

    romanlutsk Junior Member

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    Thanks for everyone's concern, I truly appreciate it. I went to see the Prius today and the guys at the garage said that it's for parts only and they've started parting it out. That CL post was misleading and has been taken down now. Sorry to have wasted everyone's time.
     
    #20 romanlutsk, Jun 3, 2015
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