Thinking of joining the club need advice.

Test drive it to see whether you like the seat. Pay a Prius technician (usually a Toyota dealer) to inspect it before you buy. Do a title search; if a salvage run far far away.

 

How do you feel about $5+ a gallon???

Nuff said?

 

Is it a one owner car and can you speak with them?

 

It's priced more like a salvage vehicle, but if it inspects OK it's a good price. Depending on what you're driving,

You might want more seat time: the seat and steering wheel not telescoping can be annoyances for people.

If you get it, search for used Prius preventative maintenance or something like that and you should find check lists of work to have done in case it wasn't maintained properly or was harshly treated.

At that price, I think you can afford for there to be some fixable things wrong with it.

 

I know this sounds a strange question but it is important. What make model and size of tyres are fitted on the car the choice can and will make a big difference to the fuel economy, post hear and verdicts will be given.

 

In my experience of the use of such vehicles in their previous life....

They are driven carefully with a passenger on board and then mercilessly thrashed about to/from pick ups. I would be looking at reasonable wear and tear and having a good long think.

However, you could be onto a steal.

 

From your description I bet it was driven by retired or semi retired people making a few extra bucks. If it looks nice ans that it's been treated right I bet the same will apply to it mechanically. I know a gal that put 295,000 on hers before she hit a deer and that was the end of it.

 

:welcome:Is it a Touring model? The base model comes with 185/65R15 Goodyear Integrity tires that are LRR. The Touring comes with 195/55R16. The low mpg might be due to either heavy aftermarket wheels if it isn't a touring and/or non LRR tires not to mention that is wider than the 185 and 195(touring) that came stock.

Driving habits and environment also have to do with the MPG you get such as coasting to red lights, no jackrabbit starts, etc...

My guess is the tires though

 

The tyres are likely your problem. I must admit though I have never heard of them,perhaps someone will give more information on them.
The wrong tyres can add 10MPG to the Prius also set pressures at 40PSI front and 38PSI rear or as close to as comfort permits. The tyres should be 195/55/16 so the extra width may hurt your MPG a bit, but to get good figures LRR (low rolling resistance) tyres are a must and will pay for themselves.
205/55/16 are cheaper and there is more choice of tyres against 195/55/16's they are also larger in diameter by about 2.8% so you are actually travelling further than your odo says by that amount.
I actually use 205/55/16 tyres myself but they are very LRR, check fuel economy section for list of LRR tyres.
Good luck with your new car and enjoy.

 

Forgot to say new tyres need a brake in period so mpg may improve in 2/3,000 miles, not by a lot but maybe 2/3 MPG.
Just checked Kendra tyres hear in the UK, they appear to be budget tyres that are not marketed as LRR. They seem to manufacture bicycle m/bike and off road quad tyres so I feel confidant in saying they will not be low rolling resistance tyres.
The difference between 40MPG and 50MPG over the life of the tyres say 30,000miles is 150 gallons, I do not know how much your fuel is but at $4 a gallon average that is $600,.and fuel prices are only going one way.

 

In that case set the pressures as outlined in my previous post it will make a difference to MPG, and you will also find they will last longer.
When you get some miles on the tyres 2/3000 MPG should improve slightly. If you calculate your fuel consumption from the pump remember to add about 2.5/3% on to your odo mileage due to your oversize tyres, strange as it may seem your speedo will be more accurate.

John.

 

The mpg you get has a lot to do with the length of your typical trip. For example if you drive a lot of short trips, your mileage will be a lot lower than if you drive longer trips. The reason is that the engine must initially run until it warms up the emissions system, which takes about 5-10 minutes. You get lower mpg during that time, so the longer your trips, the more that lower mpg averages out. My 20 mile one-way commute used to get me about 49 mpg in the summer (46 in the winter), while my 40 mile one-way commute now gets me about 53 mpg in the summer (50 in the winter).

Enjoy your car.

 

See if you can sell the tires on craigslist.

There's a good chance you will pick up 10% from tires alone.

Over 40,000 miles, a 4 mpg (10%) increase will save you $478.