I am looking at a 2005 Toyota Prius with 87,000 miles. It is a package 4 with side and curtain airbags, HID headlights, and smart key system. I have put the VIN in the Toyota Owners website and very limited details to service. But, they just replaced the 12V battery last month. They have done regular oil changes, but there are a few missing according to the log. The car drives pretty well. The front bumper is cracked on the bottom and the rear bumper has a couple of nicks and scratches. The front will definitely need to be replaced and the rear can be fixed. I have the seller down to $6,000. But, I am not sure if this is a good deal. I would like to pay $5,000 for it. I have never purchased a used car and always purchased new. I plan on taking it to Toyota to do a check over. But, if she doesn't agree to $5,000 or close to it I don't want to spend the money. Also, is there a way to see the hybrid batter and what state it is in? What should I look out for? Private party retail: Excellent $10,410 Good $9,635 Fair $8,410 Trade in value Excellent $8,275 Good $7,625 Fair $6,500 Thoughts? Comments?
Anytime I am looking at a used car and something is unusual (like replacing the 12v battery) I question everything. I would do a carfax. Cracked bumper probably means they either were the type to run into the parking lot cement stoppers or came flying into a driveway. Outside is usually easy to fix. The inside dings or cuts I have found more costly (if any). Also I find a quick alignment check tells weather the car was abused or not driving (or wreck). The dealer will always find something wrong (it's their business in service). Look at kbb.com and go low bluebook or under.
She did not drive the car for an extended period of time and the 12V battery gave out. I did a AutoCheck and it comes back good. One owner vehicle. The front bumper looks like she hit something. But, bottom of the front bumper is cracked. It looks all cosmetic. I wish there is a Prius tech in the Midwest I could have it looked over at. The price is good since she is a private owner and talked her down to less than trade in for fair condition. $5,000 is my magic number. She said she would not budge lower than $6,000.
$6k? That sounds like low ball to me, but if the seller is willing, I'd take it. I sold my '05 package III with 84k miles a few years ago and it was 100% trouble free, zero issues and I was not expecting any issues either.
She is a rich lady that moved to the city and doesn't need the car. She just wants to get rid of it with all cost of parking, insurance, and etc. I can understand that.
If the carfax is good, get a mechanic to inspect it and then write a check for $6000. That's a great price - KBB says $9000-$10000. I have a 2005 with 70,000 miles and its a fantastic car!
Yeah, I am going to go take another look at it tomorrow and take it to the dealer to have them do an inspection. Hopefully I can talk the seller down more.
If you are within the trade-in value range rather than the private sale range, for a private sale... it is by definition a good deal. Toyota, (and others with the right software) can pull up information on the battery pack, the voltage of each cell and most importantly the deviation (balance) between the cells. I wouldn't be concerned about the battery pack, they seldom fail until well after the 100K warranty period.
I main reason to get this car is to do a cross country road trip in it. At the end I will probably just give it to my parents. They could use another car. They already have a 2010, but the second car isn't so reliable and I think this would be good for them.
$6000 sounds like a good deal. Replacing the 12V battery in a 2005 Prius is normal - not doing it is likely to cause all sorts of weird computer glitches. The HV battery should be good for at least another 50,000 miles, and probably more. You may want to replace the inverter coolant pump since they are known to fail at about that age. Replacing the pump is a lot cheaper than replacing the inverter that could be damaged from overheating.
I bought a 2004 with 101k miles on it a few months ago. I paid $6,500 which I thought was a steal. It sounds like 6k for a 2005 is a must buy. So far the only thing we need to "fix" on our car is I think it may need a new 12v battery.
If the car was owned by a woman 100% of the time it existed, then chances are it has never been abused. Don't worry about the hybrid battery. Those never fail on priuses. Forget replacing the pump. Only fix it if it breaks. My dads 04 has 150k miles and his pump never broke. Don't waste your money on unnecessary repairs replacing perfectly working parts.
My '06 turned 98K yesterday, and has only been to the dealer once, for a "Check Engine" light which resulted in a new inverter coolant pump, and coolant replacement - free under warranty. Not one problem otherwise. I don't baby the car, run 70-75mph 90 miles a day on LA freeways. Best car I have ever owned. It sounds like a decent used car deal, go for it. I do my own oil changes at 5K and rotate tires at 10K. A couple filters now and then, and that's it for maintenance. I have never replaced the 12V battery, but now some of you have me wondering ... The Scangage always shows 13.6 volts, so it seems OK sofar.
When you mean under warranty, did you purchase an extended warranty? Or was that part of the hybrid system warranty?
