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Is it safe to buy a 2012 with rebuilt engine from someone who said they retired as a Toyota tech?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by DiscoCat, Sep 26, 2023.

  1. DiscoCat

    DiscoCat New Member

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    Is it safe to buy a 2012 with rebuilt engine from someone who said they retired as a Toyota tech? He said it has 1500 miles on it with new design internals and no longer uses oil like the original design. The egr valve and cooler water pump radiator and a/c condesnser has been replaced the hybrid battery was also replaced. The body has 325,000 miles on the body.

    Please let me know your thoughts. It's a great price, it fits my budget. And it's not all that far from me. Would you buy it?
     
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  2. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    If hybrid battery was replaced with brand new you get 10+ years, if replaced with rebuilt you get 3 months to 3 years. As for the engine, the most reliable fix is to replace the Gen3 engine with a used Gen4 engine. The second best fix is to replace the oil burning piston rings with the upgraded ones when you replace the head gasket, which is likely what this person did.

    Please get us more details... And yes this looks like a good option, though 325K is the most miles I've ever seen for Gen3 and the brake booster is expensive, so make sure that's been done too?
     
  3. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    I would ask detailed questions. What new internals? Pistons and rings from Toyota? Rebuilt head? 1500 miles is not much. Is there a guarantee on the motor of at least one year parts and labor?


    Were the engine parts above replaced with oem only? If so does he have receipts. Oem have guarantees but more importantly don’t fail quickly like aftermarket.

    A lot of people say they replaced the hybrid battery but it turns out to be used, refurb or repainted. Only new cells last. Otherwise the guy is just flipping a car that had lots of problems.

    Then there is price. To me new oem work “might” be worth $12k on a 325,000 mile car. Even then you factor in an upcoming $2500 brake booster, probably brakes, struts and suspension that has to be worn at that mileage.

    Non oem parts? $8k if it has any kind of repair warranty.
     
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    if he is really a retired toyota tech, he should be wearing red underwear
     
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  5. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    I thought was only true in New England states?
     
  6. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    oh no, utah, to compete with mormon magic underwear. i saw mitt romneys when he was governor
     
  7. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    Mormon's wear white underwear and it doesn't look anything like legit underwear... It's some kind of strange pioneering cosplay throwback to the days you had to sew your own underwear and they didn't have elastic bands back then so it had to be in the form of a onesie so your underpants wouldn't fall off.
     
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  8. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    exactly
     
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  9. bbrages

    bbrages Member

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    I would guess it depends on how good the price is and how good the condition is
     
  10. douglasjre

    douglasjre Senior Member

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    Toyota techs put in new pistons and rings. B is most common piston. No rehoming needed. If score do short block.

    Do u guys know if short block kits comes w gaskets kit and head bolts?
     
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  11. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

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    But inevitably when we get older the phrase it depends, just becomes https://www.depend.com/
     
  12. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    @DiscoCat, you're gonna need a better title than "?".

    I've edited the title for you.
     
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  13. Tombukt2

    Tombukt2 Senior Member

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    No Toyota is like echo and stihl today every part on the picture is a part number and you're buying it just like you're weed eater every little screw nut and bolt on the picture is a part number and you're paying for it except the parts that are circled that say they come in a bag like a carburetor rebuild kit so on and so forth so every head bolt slug piston ring main bearing shell all of that. That's not true the main bearings coming full circle so two shells equal one connecting rod or big end bearing or what have you. But yes you will be nickel and dimed for everything. This is why at a car this age you want to be trying to buy everything from the clothes out suppliers A lot of dealers have already closed out this merchandise if they were stupid enough to stock it in the first place so that's all gone to places like amiyama. And similar places in the States so you want to try and buy all this stuff on close out. Heat shield sleeves and plates and stuff like that shouldn't cost very much anyway those are just add-ons to put a gap in the next failure rate so that to make sure you'll be certainly out of the car You know these cars the generation 3 moving forward are not made to be on this planet for very long nothing like a Corolla or a generation too which can last a quarter century almost The Prius the Prius you see around that are 20 years old 23 years old most of them you're seeing are sitting in someone's yard and on the side of the road there are a lot of them on the road but you get the point You look at 2003 to 2005 Corollas you'll see nine times more of them on the road than the Prius just because of the battery problems and little things like that they get put down faster.
     
  14. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk EGR Fanatic

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    Pretty sure no; that’s 3 part nos. IIRC there’s two gasket kits; ones has a few more bits, but both quite complete. It’s hard to find a list of just what’s in the kits. Seems someone did find (or compiled) a list; forget if I salted it away, can look.
     
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  15. douglasjre

    douglasjre Senior Member

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    Might do a shortie coming up real soon. Would like to know. Might call the parts dept here soon.
     
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  16. DiscoCat

    DiscoCat New Member

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    Haha how on Earth did you see Mitt's magic underpants?
     
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  17. DiscoCat

    DiscoCat New Member

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    I decided not to buy it. It seems like a lot of worry in my future and I don't want that in my life.

    I did come across someone in one of the Facebook groups who seems anxious for me to buy his 2012 Prius plug in advanced technology with adaptive cruise control with only like 103k miles on it. He is selling it for $12K. Do I fly one way on a plane to pick it up in Florida?

    But since I talked to him, I test drove a V and I kinda like it more. Is there anything special I need to know about the Vs?
     
  18. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    No way

    They have the same gen3 engines with all the same issues. If you must have a gen3, a 2015-17 v would be my choice. The pistons and rings were improved.

    For less worry in your life buy a conventional Corolla, Civic or Camry.
     
  19. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    if you're serious about flying to florida, contact todd at tampa hybrids
     
  20. DiscoCat

    DiscoCat New Member

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    I'm not into the Corolla, Civic or Camry not my style. I had an 08 and had no worry whatsoever except I was lusting over the size of the Vs. But now that my 08 is gone I miss it terribly.
     
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