It has 106,000 miles and is only $6990, but I was told that the usual life-span of a Prius battery is 150,000 miles. Is this a risky thing to do? I am a novice at Prius or any car buying, for that matter and could really use some advice. Two owners in the 9 years. No problems with the car from carstat info.
Hybrid battery lifespan is a combination of age, mileage, and operating conditions. It is not easy to predict when failure will occur, but, as with any car, it is important to keep in mind that the potential for a major $2000+ repair exists. The transaxle also has a small-moderate failure rate. If you are financing more than half the purchase price on this car, I would not recommend it. If you do not do your own maintenance or repairs, it is important to have someone other than a Toyota dealer lined up to perform such work for you. Dealerships will eat you alive. Hybrid repair is a small niche, and dealerships will take advantage of this and tell you untruthfully that no one other than one of their "certified" techs is qualified to work on the car.
I really want a prius for the 50 mpg rate. I have a drive of 19 miles each way to work. I tried out the corolla as a rental and didn't like it. I thought of asking if they could give me a warranty on the car at the deal for a year.
Fuel Economy of the 2003 Toyota Prius 2003 Prius is rated 41mpg combined, not 50mpg. The battery is within warranty, as long as the car has always been in CA. The rest of the hybrid system might be outside warranty. What is your commute like? What other miles do you do in your car? What are those trips like. What's your current vehicle and what mileage do you get? How much do you use the A/C? Where do you have your cars serviced? Are you willing to learn to improve the efficiency of your driving? Those are important in order to know what your overall savings could be compared to a conventional subcompact. Once you can get a better estimate of your savings, you'll know whether the price difference could even be worth it and then you just need to worry about repairs. The Prius has proven reliable. Importantly, the issues that have arisen seem to be one-time fixes rather than persistent problems. However, it does have some big ticket items, so if you can't afford a $2,000 repair (afford including the ability to borrow) the Prius might not be for you. As noted above, it would help if you can find an independent Prius technician who would charge less than a dealership.
Hey csley: A Prius is probably the most reliable car you can purchase, so if that is what you would like to own ,go for it! I don't feel you will ever regret your purchase, you will only save. Be a happy Prius owner!!! Hal
50 mpg is great. 40 is not too bad either. but you'll never make up the extra cost of the car with fuel savings unless prices spike drastically. how about a civic?
Gen1 Prius (2001-2003) have a much higher failure rate on their HV batteries and Transaxles (transmission) over Gen2 Prius (2004-2009). If you are buying a used Gen1 with 106k miles and the HV battery is original, it could die any minute. Warranty on Gen1 hybrid bits was NOT 150k miles, I believe it was 80 or 100k miles. You can replace the HV battery for around $2000 with a rebuilt pack...ask the dealer for a 1 year warranty if they are so sure the car is good.
