I might buy a 2005 Prius - need help

40mpg is average for pedal to the metal drivers. you definitely want to take it for a long test drive,reset the meter and see what you can get. batteries should be good for 2-300,000 miles and are about 2 grand to replace. a weak 12v battery can reduce mileage and only costs about 150. to replace.

 

Surf: I bought my '05 Prius last October. It had 130,000 miles on it. It had the original 12V battery in it. After signing up here and doing a lot of reading I replaced the 12V battery with an Optima Yellow Top ($160). I also replaced the transaxle fluid, changed oil and oil filter, replaced cabin air filter as well as engine air filter. I'm getting 48-50 mpg. I love this little car and had I known how much technology and good engineering they have, I would have bought one long ago. I'm looking to keep this baby for another 5 years!!

 

Buy it but plan on doing a major service:

Engine coolant
Transaxle fluid
Serpentine belt
12V battery replace
oil+filter
engine air filter
cabin air filter

The inverter cooling pump should have been replaced within the past year. Ask the owner. If that has not been done, then it is a free fix at the dealer, which includes a drain/fill of the inverter cooling loop. Some techs do not do the drain/fill, so be very insistent on that point, if you take it in to have it done.

The only thing that is a dealership job is the engine coolant. There are instructions here for everything else. I agree, the low mpg is probably a weak 12V battery + cold weather.

 

Just traded in my 2005 Prius today with 210,000 miles on it. Purchased a 2011 Prius III. My 2005 was an excellent car and needed minimal service: front wheel bearings 80k miles, brakes at 125k, radiator at 130k, 12V battery at 150k, and a muffler at 170k. The radiator was probably related to hitting a deer when the car was new. I never had any concern with the main drive battery. There are lots of drivers out there with 100's of thousands of miles recorded on their cars without a problem. I would recommend the coolant and transaxle fluid change around 100k based on what I have read in the forums but opinions vary. I did my oil every 5k miles with synthetic. If I was buying used I would up the frequency to every 3 to 4k and use conventional oil.

I averaged mid to high 40's for MPG in the summer months with almost a 10% drop in the New England winters. When I focus on MPG I would be in the high 40 mpg range (70mph highway, lighter acceleration, more glide, longer braking). If I am real hard on it, heavy acceleration and 75+ mph on the highway it sits around 40 but never lower. There is tons of information here, take advantage of it.

My advice for best MPG is increase your following distance. You will be amazed how much less throttle you use and how little you hit the brakes...

 

An oil change every 4k!!???

I last changed mine after 10k and it was clean as a whistle.

 

I bought my '05 with 134K miles in Oct 2010 for $6800 + tax

As long as there aren't any warning icons on the MFD and the traction battery charge indicator reaches light green after a short time of stop and go driving, you will have found what will probably be a sound one.

Mine also had meticulous records of service at the same dealership I purchased it from. The prior (and only) owner took good care of the car and experienced no major repairs.

If the car looks and drives like new, then pull the trigger. You won't be disappointed.

 

i would without a doubt say...go for it! I was in a major car accident in december and had to find a new car asap - i went from my (demolished) 04 civic to an 05 prius and *literally* could not be happier with my decision.

Mine is in excellent condition, squeaky clean carfax, 80K miles, package 5 with bluetooth and navigation, bought from dealer for $10,000 (though they originally wanted $13,000. Shocker). Yours seems like a good deal to me!