Buying an old Prius is no longer an issue since there are so many newer Priuses now sold at almost the same price as the old ones.
Found a 2010 with afresh water pump 8k miles ago and has 231k miles on it currently, but I know to stay away from 2010 as the piston rings wear prematurely....still concidering it but otherwise for the same price of 3500 going to get an 07 with 255k as 06-09 are very good years Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
I have the same, My 2005 is still good at 250000, just taking the big battery out to replace some bad cells, I've done this once before. takes a few hours and is not that hard of a job. The hardest part for me at 83 is lifting the battery out of the car to a bench. Just bought an 83 with 108000 miles on it and am pleased with it also. Thanks Ron Triano
The antenna amp and the JBL system are the only things that I agree sometimes happen. The rest of those things on your list make no sense. Who's telling you you needed all that? Me and my friends have a total of 17 Priuses. None of them have ever needed wheel bearings and some of the cars get up to 270, 000mi. First brake job is usually needed around 200,000 mi. Traction battery: why did your traction battery go bad so early? Are you deep cycling it every morning or in the car wash? This is just the oddest list of repairs... Most of all 3 12V Optimas? Who's leaving all the lights on in the car overnight? This repair list makes no sense
I had to have front wheel bearings done on my 2009. Our roads in PA are terrible. As they say, YMMV (your mileage may vary, along with everything else).
Bearings are little packs with metal balls and lubricant in them. They will certainly wear in a prius just like in other cars. I've had bearings go in cars at seemingly random intervals, even with no abuse, no sea salt in the air etc. 12v AGM batteries likewise have a lifetime, even if properly constantly lightly charged and maintained. Most older Prius owners are worried about or are getting to HV battery failure in the high 100Ks or low 200Ks, I'd bet. A car is a small metal home that is exposed to a huge amount of rolling, shaking, banging, torquing. Things wear out and are changed. What's great about the Gen 2 cars (that's what I took ownership of last November) is that everything is so well documented on PriusChat and other websites. A used engine, if your high mileage vehicle's oil consumption can't be solved on PChat) is as little as $1,000 installed -- the price I paid for the rear struts to be replaced. People warn you about most of the trouble areas. And the things your mechanic can't do, you can sometimes do with a bit of prep and work (the HV battery rebuilt, or sourcing).
I agree...unless you're a good mechanic or an exceptional DIY'er, avoid Gen 1's and 2's. This is a generality, of course. Some Gen 1's and 2's are, still, out there and were well cared for and would be a good buy BUT, say, buying one off of Carmax without any history available? Not a smart move. I can't people actually buy a car on-line or via an app without actually looking at it and checking it out.
