Hi all. I'm new here, from Ireland, and got my first Prius a couple weeks ago. Picked up a 2004 model with 110,000 miles and faulty HV and 12V batteries for €1,000 ($1,000/£850). Replaced both batteries for €1600 and it passed inspection after replacing the rear springs (one was broken). Only a few small problems to address: make a second key, replace the "garnish" on the rear hatch, fix the busted glovebox hinges, and maybe do something about the peeling finish on the interior Seems ok so far, but I need to put some miles on it so I can check out the famous fuel economy. If it's a lemon at least I can make my money back, but my mechanic thinks they're rock-solid - we'll see. My other car's an Alfa Romeo, so it's pretty much at the other end of the car spectrum from this Anyway...thanks for having me!
Congrats on your new (to you) Prius. 110,000 is barely run in lol. I had 2 of this generation and as bisco says “it’s a tank”. Took them all over Scotland and Cornwall, coped with hills n valleys very well. I’d suggest a spark plug change every 60,000 miles so you might want to do it now. NGK or Champion Iridium sparks. I also added Redex to the fuel system every 6 months. If your headlights start to mist you can try the toothpaste method to refresh them. Also with headlights Halfords do a good “bright white” bulb that simulates the frequency of modern LED and the parking and internal lights as LED bright white.
Certainly a better engine than the next generation, eg the 2010-2015 in the States. Watch out for your brake booster system.
Thanks! Thanks for the tips. I sorted the plugs already, looked like they were the original Denso SK16R11's - I replaced them with the same ones. I went by Halfords the other day for some Redex and engine oil, but couldn't see any decent bulbs (around here, their stock's got pretty bad since Brexit...cheap tat or mega expensive, nothing in between). Anyway, I think I'll sort the headlights first. They were cloudy to begin with, but they seem worse since I got the car detailed I've tried the toothpaste thing before but it never lasted long. I've heard good things about the Turtle Wax headlight restorer...I might try that when I've got some free time Thanks for this tip too. The brakes seem really good, but I'll check out the posts so I can recognise the problem if it crops up. Forewarned is forearmed
