Newbie looking to get a used Prius

What's your budget? I'm not sure I'd go w/one over 100K miles as its HV battery warranty will be over (unless it'd been replaced under warranty or some other reason already). Provided your budget is high enough, I'd recommend getting a 2nd gen (04) or newer.

These should help:
http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...ed-prius-need-help-what-look.html#post1215778
http://priuschat.com/forums/newbie-forum/88979-used-prius-buyer-best-model-year.html
http://priuschat.com/forums/dealers-pricing/88518-18-000-please-help-me.html#post1241833
https://priuschat.com/forums/knowle...andard-optional-equipment-some-countries.html

 

04 had the most issues. 05 was better. 06 and up are pretty solid. Pay close attention to option packages. Get one with SmartKey for sure!

In CA, you have 10 year/150K mile HV battery warranty.

100,000 miles is a good spot. Even for lack of some preventive maintenance, it is still possible to do a major service and have the expectation that the car will go for a long time. If you can, get one with service records. A private sale from an original owner is the best bang for the buck; certified pre-owned from a Toyota dealer is the most expensive. 100,000 mile service should include a complete drain/refill of both cooling systems, drain/refill of the transaxle, a new engine water pump (you can get up to 150K but then you have to pay for the cooling system service again), spark plugs, and PCV valve. That gets you potentially another 100K miles without doing anything more than changing the oil and filter regularly -- though a transaxle fluid change every 50-60K miles is strongly recommended.

 

Woah, didn't realize the OP is in California. Please confirm. Before looking it up, I figured the city was in GA.

Yes, if the OP is in CA, to be on the safe side (to ensure the 10 year/150K mile HV battery warranty is valid), I'd stick w/Priuses that have been bought and only registered in CA.

Non-CA and non-CARB state HV battery warranty is only 8 years/100K miles.

 

Yes, it should be. Just make sure it doesn't have a salvage title and hasn't ever been declared a total loss (if it does, it will have virtually no warranty on anything). Also (to be on the safe side), see my earlier post about CA purchase and registration.

You can see the terms of the warranties in the warranty booklet. Hopefully the seller has it or you can borrow one, to see for yourself.

 

Carfax shows the registration history if I recall correctly, and the dealer ought to give it to you for free. Depending on the options (Smartkey, backup camera, HID headlights, etc.) $10K sounds pretty good.

 

My first post! Great info here..

I just purchased a 2007 Base very clean, smart key, backup camera, leather and 60k miles with 40k warranty left from a Toyota dealer. Its clean and I took it on a road trip for 2000 miles right out of the lot. Keep your eyes and ears to the ground. I did a lot of eBay and Craigs list searching.

Steve

 

Congratulations Steve! Given that you are in South FL, take some time to review threads on the 12V auxiliary battery testing and replacement. If what is in your car is the original, then it is nearing the end of its service life, and is not covered by warranty. Otherwise, you should have many years and miles of trouble-free operation ahead of you!