Did you buy a Prius with 100K+ miles? Share your story here!

Proud owners of a 2005 Black Prius, it has the HID, Fogs, VSC, and Side Curtain Airbag package. It had 100k (basically on the dot) and upon inspection of its service record, has always been taking into either Precision Tucson, AZ Toyota for every service and recall upto to 80k, and then every service here at Capitol Toyota here in Salem.

Absolutely beautiful car, drives great, our first week was a 47mpg tank and we are only getting better at driving it.

Some glaring issues: glovebox doesn't pop up fully (now fixed), weatherstripping melted or cracked (on the hunt for replacements), and a dirty cabin filter lol. Capitol gave it the green light in every other area of their 19 point inspection.

I plan to get the iridium spark plugs, engine and coolant, and transaxle fluids replaced at 120k. Is there any other maintenance/repairs I should be doing at this time?

 

Just got "one owner" 08 with 110K ...

 

Got my 07 with 94k from my local toyota dealer back in January of this year, I'm 19 and am successfully paying for it myself. Got it for around 11k, payed half in cash and paying for the rest over two years. A couple almost non noticeable dents and scratches around the car and in the interior along the plastic (I guess the old owner couldn't get the seat belt in the right place). Apparently also had a collision with a animal but nothing serious. So far I've swapped out all the interior lights for leds, added led drls to the grill, upgraded the rear back up lights, and upgraded the halogens. I've done my own oil change for it and the first check engine light came on, went off for a few days and turned back on today so I'll find out what thats about next week. I deliver pizza and get around 45-50 over all. All in all I'm pretty happy with my purchase, would have rather got the next gen but of course a college kid can only afford so much.

 

Pics of mods would be awesome!

 

On a bright day (In person much brighter and noticeable)


Rainy day (not as yellow in person)

Took the plastic rim covers off the stock wheels (anyone can do this, just pull on the plastic part and itll come off)

Led interior

 

The garage light was on so thats why the led interior might have some yellow but anyone can change it and they should, looks much better.
My next project is putting on some rain deflectors on the windows!

 

Love the rims, it's how my 2005 came, and I thought they were the sport ones haha.

 

I have a 2005 gen 2 I picked up on Jan 2011 with 148k miles. Currently have 181k, and is still going strong. I average about 48 mpg, but ive easily gotten it up to 52, and easily dropped it to 41 when I thought I was Aryton Senna. Did synthetic oil changes every 4-5k miles and never let oil levels get too low. The only thing I changed was the cabin air filter, brakes, tires (michelin weatherwise II), water pump, and the 12 v battery. Surprised it still runs like new, considering I drive it like a racecar everyday.

 

I just picked up mine last night. 07 silver pine mica with 159k miles. one owner with all service records. Traction battery replaced April 2013, so still have 10 months warranty on it. It's more car then i expected it to be.

So far i'm pretty happy with it.

-D

 

Update to the engine light problem, I had a temperature gauge fail to work in the coolant box, part was 70, labor was around 200. Also had a bearing that needed to be replaced. upset with the estimated 700 dollars of work needed to be done already and it being under warranty, I was confused. Turns out 100k warranty doesn't transfer to me, I was told it was. Eventually settled to do everything for 340, fair enough to me.

 

My wife and I have been feeding our neighbor's dogs (when she's not there) for a few years. This neighbor has been driving her 2005 Prius to and from work (50 miles - one way) for 8 years. She decided to buy a new car and give her old Prius to my wife as a gift. We were floored! It has 239K miles on it and has had the 205v battery replaced at 145K miles (just under the warranty). It does need a quart of oil every 500 miles or so. So, we expect to get a few good years out of it, then we'll see about breaking the mileage record. I bought a Bentley manual and am a bit confused by the Atkinson motor, VVT, three cycle AC electric motors, offset crankshaft, etc. Let the learning curve begin.

 

What a great idea for a thread. I'm excited to read these stories.

 

I have a 2008 I picked up this May with 111k miles. Currently have 114k+ and is still going strong. I average about 46.8 mpg. Changed cabin air filter, engine air filter and ATF-WS last weekend.
1,700 miles trip from Chicago to Niagara Falls/Toronto and back, with 4 people on board a month ago.
Like it so far !!!

 

Up to 113k on our 08.

Put in a new water pump & belt last week, along with a fresh set of spark plugs and a turn signal bulb.

 

Bought an 08 from a local dealer with 156k miles in June '13. Some service history on Toyota Service History, but I didn't see any indication of a transaxle fluid change, so I had that done at the dealer for $100.

Since getting the car, I've added floormats, changed cabin air filter, cleaned HV battery fan, replaced license plate bulbs, and replaced 12v.

I believe that the previous owner got worried and traded the car in when the electronics started acting up.

A few things happened the first day I got the car home to make me think that.

1. The 6 disc CD player wouldn't accept any CDs
2. The MPH/KPH button didn't work
3. When the car turned off, the hazards would come on.

Replacing the 12v fixed all of those and I'm crossing my fingers it'll last a while. I don't see any evidence of burning oil, but the car only has about 1500 miles on it since I've gotten it.

 

Great thread, especially for us new 100K+ owners!

Bought a 1-owner 07 Barcelona Red Pkg. #3 about a month ago with just under 161K miles. Have wanted either a Prius or Honda Fit 2009+ for years, but very difficult to find a good one of either on the cheap. I am not a fan of high mileage cars, but I knew to get a Prius at the price I wanted, it would undoubtedly come with a boatload of miles.

Felt pretty good about the purchase - the price was very good, the owner was a young, married traveling sales guy who seemed pretty laid back and didn't strike me as a "hard" driver. He appeared to have maintained it fairly well through the years, only 6 dealer records but had the oil changed regularly with full synthetic and tires rotated every 5K. The car had a good-sized ding in the right rear bumper, from an accident the original owner didn't bother to fix - didn't file an insurance claim, no doubt because he knew he was selling it soon. The impact broke several of the underlying clips, causing the bumper to be loose in that area. Had it fixed for $320 without replacing the bumper, which included buffing out some noticeable side scratches.

The last dealer service was done at 144.6K miles, which included replacing both the inverter and gas engine water pumps, a multi-point inspection, cooling system drain and flush, windshield wipers replaced, replaced a lug nut and did the 90L pedal mod. I see no records of the transaxle fluid or spark plug replacement in the service history, so I'll be contacting the dealer to find out what the "multi-point inspection" involved and whether I need those things done asap. The steering column recall apparently needs to be done as well.

I'm not big on taking a car to a dealer for service, would rather find a reliable independent Toyota shop, hopefully I will. But considering the high miles, the complexity of the Prius and my newbie status, I think a trip to the dealer to cover all the service bases would be wise.

No red flags so far, it's been fun learning about the car and seeing the unbelievable mpg figures on the display. The car had to sit in my garage for about 2 weeks while I was in the process of selling my other car. I didn't drive it and only started it a few times. When I got ready to license it, I started it one night briefly in the garage and it ran/idled rough and the check engine light came on. I took it to an auto parts store the next day, where they read the code, which pointed to the spark plugs possibly needing changed. I figured the car just needed to be driven after sitting, and sure enough, after a 50-mile trip on the interstate, the check engine light went off and hasn't returned. I plan on checking the cabin air filter soon too.

I also just tinted the windows with standard, non-ceramic tint, hopefully will help block UV rays and reduce interior heat. Looks nice too.

Have read some of the service horror stories here, which tempers my enthusiasm somewhat, but seeing all the 100K+ success stories makes me feel better about my purchase. I knew going in the Prius is somewhat high-maintenance, completely understandable given its advanced battery and electronic-based technology. That's the risk we're all taking with our purchases, and most, if not all of us are happy to take that risk given the rewards the Prius gives us .

 

High Maintenance? Probably not more so then any other car. I am getting accustomed to hearing auto repair stories that all result in hundreds if not a thousand or more dollars, regardless of whether we're talking wheel bearings, brakes, or transmission. The Prius items are all pricey too but it seems that you drive a very long time before anything requires replacement. I was changing my oil last week and I marvel that the engine, at 223K, doesn't have oil leaking all over everything. I occasionally work on a domestic car and anything over 100K seems to have oil leaking. If I had a criticism, it is that I see more of these cars using oil then I'm accustomed to seeing. My non-hybrids, mostly Hondas, don't use oil. But we're not talking a LOT of oil and it is an extremely deferrable problem. Just add a half quart or change oil sooner. A traction battery is scary but can be cheaper than a transmission. My Honda Odyssey is known to have a weak transmission and I still love the vehicle. I find the car to be no more expensive to maintain than most cars and less than many. And that is based on reading this forum more than my personal experience. My costs have been nil.

 

New owner here.
Mine is 110000 mulish (176000km). Good interior, some blemishes on the outside, but I didn't pay the price it goes on the used market so, I'm good.
Very happy with the car. I wish the exterior would look just as immaculate like some of yours, but I've been waiting for some time to buy my first car, and ever since I drove my mother in law's Prius I've wanted to own one, so when the good opportunity arrived I jumped in.
Good "little" car. (I'm european, there's nothing small about it)

 

The car is actually mechanically simple compared to most cars- high technology doesn't necessarily mean high complexity. Most people don't realize that the most complicated part by far in a normal car is the automatic transmission. It has more than enough clutches, planetary gearsets, and computers to scare away most mechanics. The Prius transmission is no more complex than a differential and the motors are simple and low maintenance.

 

I bought mine with 106k on it in April, it now has 121,000 on it, it's now used as a taxi.
Replaced so far:
3 tyres
12v battery
2 x cv joints
Major service
Both rear lamps (led units failed)

It does about 150 miles a day and will return 50-55 mpg, it is a real talking point as well.
Hopefully if will last me through to 160/170k at which point I will trade for a newer one