Hello, Locally, there's a fully loaded '08 Prius with 13,000 miles on Craigslist for 10,500, the KBB price of this is 18,500, which makes me take a second look at it. The owner says while the body work has been completed, the reason he's selling it so cheap is because the vehicle stability control light is on. I would like your advice, please! I fully know the danger of reconstructed titles, but I want to get your guys' take on if this is worth to pursue or not. Of course, I would take this to my professional mechanic before buying this. Perhaps I should go to a second one to make sure it looks good, too? Or again, should I totally not even consider this car? Also, please keep in mind I have a budget for a car in the 10,000-12,000 range, so this car does appeal to me seeing what it should be worth like new. I'm going to call the owner tomorrow to get more details on the accident. But what is your opinion? Thank you!
Exactly where did the accident damage happen, and what parts were replaced? Considering that the car has a salvage title, I would say that $10,500 would be a fair price if nothing was wrong with the car. Unless your professional mechanic is Prius-trained, he might be able to express an opinion about the quality of the accident repair work, but he probably won't be able to say much about the reason for the VSC light being on. I recommend if you are serious about this car, that you have it inspected by the Prius mechanic at your local Toyota dealer. Pay for a couple hours of labor time and find out what DTC was logged and what the diagnosis is for the VSC problem. Presumably the seller would have fixed the VSC problem if it was easy to repair, hence "buyer beware". Good luck with your decision.
Does the car have a salvage title on it? If so, you will essentially have no warranty (at least none of the basic, powertrain, HV system and HV battery warranty, IIRC). I don't recall which part, if any is retained in the event of a salvage title. You can see the warranty lengths at Toyota.com : Vehicles : Prius : Frequently Asked Questions. Oregon recently became a CARB state and new Priuses should have CARB warranties: 10 years/150K miles on the HV battery and 15 years/150K miles for hybrid-related components. I doubt a non-salvage 08 would be covered under that. I'd agree w/Patrick's advice.
bad bad idea. You might discover it is unrepairable. Without getting an extensive inspection, you won't know what it will cost to bring it up to road worthy condition. I doubt the remainder of your budget ($1500) will cover it. Even with an inspection, there still might be a continuos series of problems. There are better deals for efficent transport at that budget.
I called the owner today and he sold this this morning at a local car auction for 10,000. Thanks though for your guys' comments! I would've taken to the local Toyota shop to look into it further.
