New here and need some advice on which Prius to buy? (Gen 2 or Gen 3)?

Welcome!
Is there any reason to stop looking at 2010?I think the Generation 3 had a major refresh in 2012.
The newer Generation 4 Prius Liftback started with 2016. The newer Prius c still are similar to what you drove.
Dealers have the software needed to read any error codes. If you buy a Toyota Certified used car, it also has a warranty from Toyota.
There are a few good third party dealers that specialize in hybrids, though.

 

welcome!

gen 2 = 2004-9, gen 3 = 2010-15.

 

the important thing in buying a used car is knowing the history. you want a one owner with complete service records. and complete assurance that there have been no serious accidents.

as a young, first time car buyer on a limited budget, it would behoove you to look through some of the complaints here on priuschat, and ask yourself, what will i do, if i'm unfortunate enough to wind up in one of these situations?

 

@bisco is much more experienced that I since he has owned a Gen 2 Prius and now has a Gen 3.
I think @jerrymildred could contribute advice here too.
I have only owned my Gen 4 Prius since last October although my son had a Gen 2 & currently has a Prius v that is basically a larger Gen 3 Prius.

 

Welcome, hina. I understand your dilemma. On the one hand, you can get more features and maybe fewer miles on the older car for the same price. But then again, the battery is older and will need service or replacement sooner. On the other hand you have a newer battery with the Gen 3 but it will probably have more miles and more cosmetic defects at the same price.

As you probably saw reading this forum, the battery is the scary monster lurking in the shadows. You can kind of get an idea of its health with a nice long test drive of 20 miles or more. Having someone with you who is knowledgeable of the battery's behavior will be a big help. Your mechanic friend can tell you if the battery meter is acting like it should. But it's still no guarantee. So newer improves your odds, if everything else is equal.

When we moved back to the States in Sept, 2014, we bought two 2005 Prii from one of the most respected used Prius specialists in the country. My wife's had about 140,000 miles and mine had about 121,000. We got them both for under $20k, so right in your price range. Hers was actually slightly better driving, but a mindless texter doing about 60 mph totaled it at 176,000 miles as we waited at a red light. All we had done with it is regular maintenance, replace the 12V battery, an occasional grid charge, and (here's the one that hurt) replace the air conditioner evaporator AND compressor. That was right before it got totaled in Dec, 2016 [edit: oops! make that 2015]. We replaced it with a 2007 with 98,000 miles (also under $10k). It now has 119,000 and I just had to replace the hybrid battery due to a mistake I made in maintaining it. My '05 was bullet proof till it started to develop some expensive looking issues unrelated to the hybrid system. I could have fixed it up, but it was at 150,000 miles, was going to cost about $3k to repair, and I was really wanting a PiP, so I traded it in and got a nice deal on it.

Long story short, both generations are reliable cars. They have the added potential cost of replacing the battery, but that doesn't HAVE to be super expensive. And they are incredibly unlikely to need transmission replacement, so I consider that an even trade.

I would go with the Gen 3, preferably a 2012 or newer, if you can swing it, in order to have abetter chance of avoiding battery and oil burning problems. The battery, in particular, is inevitable if you keep it long enough, but it's not the end of the world and newer is better on average. Most people drive and then trade in their Prius with no problems at all. That's why it has such a great reliability reputation. I don't worry much about minor dings since some clown in a parking lot is eventually going to hit it anyway.

 

Just a few off top of my head gen 3 advantages:

1. Went from insanely hard to adjust shim style valve adjustment, to automatic hydraulic adjusters.

2. Dropped the problematic gas tank with internal bladder.

3. Obvious but hey: they're newer, lower miles.

3rd gen downsides:

1. Problematic, clog-prone Exhaust Gas Recirculation system. DIY maintenance is making headway though.

That's about it?

Fourth gen, I agree with you: regardless of the mechanical improvements, I think "something bad happened" lol.

 

Perhaps, but less bad than the other Toyota & Lexus options now.

 

True that. Seems like they're all going a little loopy of late.

 

The smell likely due to constant AC use. This tends to leave moisture in the system, which can harbour molds and what have you.

Maybe the owner like to use it as his AC bubble, lots of idling as well. I'd skip if you have other choices.

 

My latest one had a musty smell like that. @Mendel Leisk is right. I fixed mine by running that A/C and the vent with fresh incoming air (not recirc), and spraying LOTS of Febreze in the intake near the passenger side windshield wiper. It took two times to get it all. Pretty strong smell for a while from the Febreze, but it did the trick. It helps to not always keep the A/C on recirculate mode.

 

As I think @F8L once said, Gen2 seems to "fit like a glove." It is perhaps quintessential. However, any Gen2 is at this point prone to the following big issues: HV Batt, combo meter failure, and brake actuator issue (covered to Dec_2017). If I went Gen2 I'd take a 2009 which may be less prone to above and get more extended coverages. A nice 2009 you should be able to get some 3 good years before these issues even start to become a factor.

In OR you get extended 10-yr/150k on the HV batt so you are sheltered there.

 

In your situation with your budget, I would look at other Toyota Products, or Honda products, non hybrid. Suggestions include a Corolla, a Civic or an older Camry or Accord. They are less expensive to repair when things go wrong, and with cars things always go wrong.

 

In your price range, you can probably find a decent 2009 or 2010 model with just under 100,000 miles or a 2011 or 2012 model with higher miles (100,000 up to 130,000). I got my 2009 Prius at the end of last year, and it was advertised for $8000.

 

This would be clearly too far to drive to shop for a car, but might give you some pricing ideas. Todd doesn't haggle; these are the actual prices.
Listings - Tampa Hybrids Inc.