Buying First Prius from Private Seller

Ok...great! I'm not technical at all (so can't help you there) but here's what I suggest.

Ask the seller why he/she's selling it.
Ask what kind of mileage he/she got.
Ask for the car history.
Ask if they bought the extended warranty. If so you're in pretty good shape since they haven't hit 100,000 miles yet.

And these might be more of long shots but you will be glad if they work (and should be mentioned only if you are 95% sure you are buying):

- Ask them if you could drive the car for half a week.
- Ask them to pay for it to get Toyota Certified. If it passes and you buy the car, the owner can include that service charge in your cost. That way you don't end up paying for anything before the car's actually purchased. If you don't buy the car, the owner can still advertise that the car's been inspected and certified (buyers will be happy to know this). All sides win.

 

Obviously have a Toyota dealership do a thorough inspection. An ordinary mechanic lacks the tools and training to inspect the hybrid parts of the system.

The mileage isn't alarming, as many Prius last much longer than that, but do be aware that you are coming up on the end of the battery warranty. If the HV battery is having trouble, you want to know before you buy. It's not a deal breaker, but I'm sure you don't want to shell out another thousand or so for a replacement battery.

Otherwise everything is pretty much the same as with any other high mileage used car.

Tom

 

Probably not a HV battery problem Trm2103 but more money out would mean you could get a newer year. I've purchased all mine used. Drive it and have the seller show you stuff. I had to educate myself about the prii before I drove one (lots of differences that a regular car). I went to a dealer and pretend. Drove used ones and had them show me stuff. Then I looked at used ones in autotrader. No problems on my 05,06,2-07, 08 prii all used. I believe the 07 is the best of the years (my opinion) but there isn't anything wrong with the other years. Does the price lower than bluebook (it's still a car) make it attractive. Look at carfax. Maintenance records. There are things that should be done at 100k and could be why they are selling it. Maintenance records?
Toyota certified doesn't mean that much.

 

Has the car sat for extended an period of time without charging the traction battery.

 

Standard maintenance isn't any more than a regular car I would say. There is a thread in the knowledge base that gives the maintenance at 100k. There are some specific fluids (ATF fluid) that is toyota specific. It's not that costly and follows with other toyotas and nissan cars. Not all mechanics are well versed on prius.

Sounds like the car was through allot. There are so many deals with the prius (I found) that I stay away from rebuilt or salvage or somewhat major accident. ONLY consider salvage from a dealer. The expensive stuff on the hybrid is the electronic computer (ECU) and the HV battery. It's why I stick to the newer model as much as my $$ allow for the warranty of the battery.
Tires, brakes, oil change, filters, lights is the same.
caffeinekid has a point about sitting. Again with the HV battery. Battery technology changes (gets better) each year.
All years have had issues. All mine are still on the road going good. If you get the vin you can check carfax and toyota.com for recall info.
http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...-000-mile-service-experience.html#post1192904

Which model you are getting...
https://priuschat.com/forums/knowle...andard-optional-equipment-some-countries.html

 

Hi Tyler,

An independent repair shop specializing in Toyota ought to be able to perform a pre-purchase inspection service for much less than a dealer would charge to have it be certified. $100? $150? Ask around. Such a place should have the Toyota Techstream Lite scan tool, or comparable after-market like AutoEnginuity, and could pull hybrid-related info.

It is possible to perform a hybrid battery load test, but it is not common knowledge at dealerships, as far as I can tell. Generally, it will lose some capacity over time, but an actual battery problem will generate check-engine light codes.

Check the gas mileage on the display. If it is less than 40, that may indicate a problem with the hybrid system. With a very light touch on the gas pedal, you should be able to get the car to coast (no arrows on the display) or stealth (arrow from battery to wheels only) after the car has warmed up. Ask the seller to show you this.

Ask if the seller has replaced the inverter coolant pump. This is the most common hybrid component failure, the result of a design defect that just so happens to cause failures right after it falls out of warranty (60,000 miles as a powertrain item). Lots of info here on how to check for proper operation.

Next, check the headlights. Are they HID? If so, turn them on and leave them on for 10 minutes. If one or both shuts off within that time, replacement is necessary. HID lights don't just burn out, they get flakey -- working for a time and then cutting out, but coming back on after they have cooled. Lots of info here on how to replace DIY for less than $100 rather than spending $500 at the dealer.

The 12V auxiliary battery is often the cause of problems and is quite possibly the most underdesigned component on the car. Ask the seller if it has been replaced, and look here for information on replacing with a proper deep-cycle battery (Optima yellow top).

I'm a smart key snob and wouldn't buy a Toyota now without one. Unlock, drive, and lock the car without ever taking the key out of your pocket. Ask if they have it and have them show you all the features.

Make sure the A/C works. It is another one of those things that is more expensive to repair than on a regular car...but it makes a neat jet-turbine-like noise. Actually, there are a lot of unusual noises, especially noticeable since the engine turns off to save fuel.

Brakes either work or they don't. Unless the seller was a mail carrier or a taxi driver, pads and linings should be in good shape. To appreciate the strength of regenerative braking and understand why replacing pads and linings may never be necessary, put the car in N while traveling at 30 MPH with your foot lightly on the brake pedal.

Have the engine water pump checked, to see if there is coolant coming out the weep hole. The water pump service life is generally from 100,000 to 150,000 miles. Combine that replacement with an engine coolant drain/refill.

That 100,000 mile service experience post, I think maybe just half of the services were strictly necessary. You might just want to tackle the most important ones first: Serpentine belt (if there are a lot of cracks) and transaxle fluid. Next would be the coolant change. The rest would be as needed. I just changed spark plugs in my RAV4 at 150,000 miles, and think the Prius (same engine, different combustion cycle) could go to 200,000+ miles on irridium plugs. Stories about brake fluid show virtually no degradation over time/miles.

I would avoid the 2004. Body damage plus incurable computer problems are a bad sign. Lower mileage is irrelevent. A reasonably well-cared-for Prius will last for 299,999+ miles.

 

There are very likely other people far more qualified to comment on this than I am, but I have gleaned over time that having pretty much any traditional rechargeable battery-- including the NiMH in the Prius-- sit without conditioning for a given period of time effects longevity. Without going into the chemistry of the reaction, suffice it to say that these things love to be cycled to a certain degree and like a person who sits on a sofa eating chips day in and day out without proper exercise, they lose their potential power. For the Prius, I think the magic number would be ~ 30 days. The problem is that these things can sit in a storage lot for extended periods prior to auction for various reasons. If they are not started up and allowed to condition the battery, this could be a problem down the line.

 

Hey Tyler, now that you mention the car was in an accident and a peculiar Airbag warning light, I suggest you drop this seller and stay away.

As one poster said, there are SOOOO many Priuses out there being sold it should be easy for you to find the perfect one at a great price. There's no need to settle, and by biding time and looking harder at CPO dealers or private sellers you'll have peace of mind knowing you picked a car that didn't have any problems.

 

Hey Tyler,

I devised an excel spreadsheet, which figured in the yearly cost of each vehicle I was looking at. (It is good that you are looking at more than one vehicle.)

I used it recently when I picked up my 02 prius. I was also looking at an 01 prius from an actual Toyota Dealership, but, all things being equal, I ended up picking the 02 up for it had less miles on it and no ominous warning lights on the dash.

Besides obvious things like gas mileage, and how much per gallon gas costs, this spreadsheet also figured out insurance costs, license plate and titling costs, the amount of city driving I do per year and the amount of country driving I do per year.

The rebuilt Prius sounded interesting up until the point you mentioned that "even the Toyota dealer couldn't figure out why the light for the airbag was on." The insurance companies put rebuilt titles out on any vehicle they deem costs more to repair/replace than it was deemed to be worth.

I think more and more people are buying from private parties as they realize that Dealers have to make money hand over fist over every sale to pay for their overhead costs, etc. whereas private parties just want a certain amount of money for a certain purpose.

The point about the airbag light being on is troublesome. If the airbags replaced, this light only means there is a malfunction in the airbag system, which could mean in the event of a crash, they won't deploy, OR, I've even seen it happen where you could be driving down the road, and they deploy merely because you hit a bump in the road.

One last thing about "rebuilt" cars. I'm not saying that there aren't some finds out there with these titles, usually they are priced fairly well below market value, assuming the car is in good shape, but the insurance companies will NOT issue full coverage out on a rebuilt car title. This is due to the fact that they would rather you get a brand new car, and not have to keep paying to keep the same car on the road accident after accident after accident.

If you would like a copy of the spreadsheet, let me know. Good luck prius/new car (or new to you) hunting!

Kyle