Newbie. Need advice on buying a used prius.

Welcome to PriusChat!!

Being from the west coast I've never seen a rusty Prius before, but would be more concerned with rust under the car.

If the check engine light is on you will need a device to read the Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs) and figure out what is actually wrong.

How much oil is it using?

Is the vehicle able to pass inspection and transfer as is?

Will this be your primary mode of transit, or do you have other options if the car needs servicing?

If you have the VIN try looking up the service history here : Toyota Owners Official Web Site

 

From the pictures I can’t tell if there’s rust on the rocker panel. Or is it just dirt. Rust on a Rocker panel would be bad as that comes from the back and means that you have to weld in repair panel. Rust spots on the roof just look like stone chips that nobody bothered to paint. For some reason Prius seems to get many stone chips on the roof.

Not really commenting about price as that depends on your location. But with check engine light it needs to be cheaper than one without. And you should really check what the code is. And avoid the dealership that “cannot fix it”.

 

If the rust on a roof is from outside there shouldn’t be any reason to replace it. Just sanding, trust treating, and spot painting the area should be enough. Even doing nothing it should be ok for many years.

 

It would depend on what other 2008-2009s are selling for in your region as to whether it’s a good value. The dealer obviously doesn’t want to invest $$ in resolving the firing. It could be a minor issue or it could require may engine work (head gasket as ex). I also try to avoid oil burning cars but it could be as simple as a pcv valve. The only time I’ve seen rust on roofs is in costal regions. But the rust is relatively minor. In my opinion the car has to be cheap enough compared to other 2009s to justify the maintenance/repair risks.

 

It COULD be a worthwhile risk. You still should find out what codes are being generated for the firing issue the dealer can’t repair. Find out how much oil is being burned if possible. There are no guarantees but you should be able to get another 1-2+ years from the battery. Do you have a good cheap mechanic familiar with the Prius? Can you troubleshoot and do some of your own repairs? If you are not the DIY type or don’t have access to a good cheap mechanic I would personally avoid said car.

 

Yes I know we do have basically the same weather here.

What I mean is that if it’s a rust from outside it won’t go through the metal and create a hole. As long as there’s not even a smallest pin hole through the metal you can still just protect it from the top. Roof does get lot less salt and sand/rocks than rocker panels or underside.

Anyways bodyshop work can easily create spots where rust will start.

 

Walk away.

It's got a ton of miles. It's in really bad condition. $3000 is not a small amount of money. Just walk away.

 

I'd check the cylinder compression. Find a friend with the kit or rent one. It should be about 150 psi to be considered healthy. Less than 100 it has some issues and you should walk away.

 

Can you get those maintenance records from the dealer/seller?

The oil consumption could be ok, or it could be excessive.. how fast is the car generally driven, over 100 KPH can cause great oil usage. As can lighter weight oils. Look into a 'wet and dry' compression test (like spacecity suggested above). This should work : Compression Test Kit 8 Pc , though you might need a copy of techstream to actually do the job.

What about the thrown code(s), any update?

If the battery is OEM and hasn't been serviced, factor in a reconditioning system and you could be golden -except for the two (2) water pumps, the brake actuator, rusted through suspension, cleaning the HV battery fan, etc.

Get the records, read the codes, or take the gamble

edit: morning coffee

 

Unless you are a DIY kind of a person I would pass on it. Major mechanical repairs and a $3,000 battery in the near future could be it's downfall. It would be different if you had some kind of warranty with it.