So I'm a faithful Toyota owner and a very capable DIYer. I have a 1999 Toyota Camry with around 205K miles on it. I've done all my own work to the car and to be very frank it's been a very reliable vehicle. However, over the past several years it's turned into a commuter car as I commute to DC almost daily. In addition I hit a deer about a year ago and the side of the vehicle's been looking kinda raggedy. I also have a cracked windshield that has a "work order" on it that costs around 200 dollars to replace. I figure the value of this vehicle is around maybe $500 bucks and I'm putting another 200 in it. . I have on average a 60 miles daily commute. I've been looking for a used Toyota Prius and realize that used the vehicle can be quite expensive. A used prius with low milage (less than 40K) is around 13 to 15K depending on options (in my area). Now a used one with over 100K can be 2K to 5K. What's weird is I'm seeing 200K and even 250K+ priuses for sale that look immaculate. I've also researched on the battery replacement and it seems pretty simple. I've seen the YouTube videos of the entire process of buying a rebuilt cell bank and removing your entire battery and replacing each cell. The thing about me is I tend to keep my vehicles for the long haul. I don't get rid of a vehicle until the "wheels fall off". My min requirements are a Prius with Keyless entry (key fob to unlock all doors). I would like to have the ability to unlock my trunk via fob, but let me know if that makes my search difficult. Bluetooth. A backup camera would be nice but it's not a hard req. So I have a few questions. 1. What are the "best" years of Prius. I see there are 4 generations (1997 - 2003), (2003-2009), (2009-2015) and (2015-present). Which generation should I stay away from. 2. What's the deal with high mileage prius, should i stay away from the 200K mileage. A person who I spoke to who does prius battery rebuilds says that they can get incredibly high mileage. 3. How do priuses handle replacement of stereos etc. Is it like a regular car with a 12V system. Is it very difficult to do this in Prius. If I pick a bare model prius I might get a receiver with a flip out LCD screen and a backup camera added. I've done wiring on vehicles before with remote car starts etc... 4. I'm not really concerned about a bad main battery if I know it upfront when buying the vehicle. But later down the road if I need the replace the entire battery I understand the rebuild battery (entire) is around $1,500. However, I've seen people buy individual cells on ebay and rebuild the battery themselves. So I guess my question is does the entire battery bank go bad or do a few cells go bad first. They also have to do some balancing of the cells and I've seen this on youtube as well. For example, I've looked at a 2005 Toyota Prius with 88K miles on it and a oil leak. It looks good overall. The person wants 3K, is this worth it?
Sounds like you are good with a wrench. I would recommend a gen 2 Prius with a bad battery if you can find one. They sell cheap and if you replace the battery with a new one that’s one of the biggest problems gone. Read this. Gen II Prius Individual Battery Module Replacement | PriusChat
I would suggest nothing older than a 2006. That's when they all got backup cameras and a higher resolution screen. But many people put in aftermarket sound systems. So perhaps that's a moot point for you. You can rebuild a battery by just replacing the failed cells and reconditioning, but that generally turns into a whack-a-mole game that doesn't end. Best repair is a new battery. Another option for new is the kit sold by @2k1Toaster. And even a used complete battery from a wreck can be a good option if you find one. My wife's '07 has a battery from a 2015 that was about $1000 less than a new one at the time. (Prices on new have recently dropped quite a bit.) My recommendation would be for a 2012 or newer because they have some nice improvements for comfort and reliability. But, the 2006-2009 is a tank and in some ways is a better car.
2015 Prius is the one year of 3rd gen has both the updated pistons and rings, supposedly less prone to oil burning. Do be prepared for an intake manifold cleaning and exhaust gas recirculation cleaning, and consider an oil catch can install. Videos by @NutzAboutBolts on all of these fun chores, here: Nutz About Bolts Prius Maintenance Videos | PriusChat
welcome! prius can go for hundreds of thousands of miles, as long as you keep repairing and replacing parts and systems. you'll want tech stream diagnostic software, and two day on line service manual cost is $20. it's not a camry when it comes to maintenance, so be prepared for over the top high tech computer systems. everything is electronic and fly by wire. i prefer the '08 and '09, but an '05 is solid for a strong diy'er like yourself. all the best!
I don't understand what is "tech stream diagnostic software", and "two day on line service manual" - can you please elaborate or can you link to where I can read about this?
Tech stream is Toyota specific diagnostic software. It runs on certain windows laptops, and connects to the cars obd port. At techinfo.toyota.com, you can sign up and download the service manual for a two day subscription fee.
