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Bought a 2006 Prius for a Steal

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by jakthebomb, Dec 22, 2013.

  1. jakthebomb

    jakthebomb Junior Member

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    My 99 Acura TL's Transmission Died last week when going on a trip down the shore in NJ. My choice was to either pay $3,000+ for a rebuild or look for another car. I only got about 8,000 Miles out of the car before it died. I will miss it dearly since it was my first car... but...

    Now I own a 2006 Prius with Package #5. It has 132,240 Miles and I got it for $7,200 with alot of negotiating. Who would have thought that a Used Car Dealer would be selling me their very first Hybrid? They really gave me the car for a steal since they had no clue what they were selling. First CarFax is really good. Previous owner kept up with all regular maintenance. Second the car has no scratches on the Black exterior paint, third interior is in like new condition. Only issue is I need to buy new Tires as the current ones were horribly worn due to a much needed Steering Alignment, which I just did today.

    The icing on the Awesome Cake is that I just discovered a Service Record 5/1/13 - 124,902 - Hybrid Battery Replaced. This means the battery only has 7,338 Miles on it!

    I really can't believe I got this car for so cheap and without any reported accidents.

    I am currently getting an average of 50.1 MPG and it is about 34F lately. I also like that to fill this car it takes about $25 as opposed to $50 for my Acura TL. I have already put 300 Miles on this car and only used half a tank.

    I have to say I am thankful that this car came across my path. I am also thankful for Prius Chat for the massive amounts of useful information I got from here.

    One Question I have is, What Tires should I buy? I have seen people say they like the Bridgestone Ecopia ep422 or should I stick to the Goodyear Integrity?
     
    #1 jakthebomb, Dec 22, 2013
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  2. FreydNot

    FreydNot Member

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    Anything but the Integrities! I'm a fan of the Bridgestone EP422's. Do a little searching; there are lots of threads here about tires.

    Congrats!
     
    #2 FreydNot, Dec 22, 2013
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  3. Flying White Dutchman

    Flying White Dutchman Senior Member

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    battery replacement at 124k miles thats soon.
    did you do or are you plannnig to check the battery fan if thats still clean. vents and stuff and the Fan it self.
    search for it here good thing to do
     
    #3 Flying White Dutchman, Dec 22, 2013
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  4. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    Yep. The stock Integrities suck. Don't get those.

    I have 2 EP422 on my Prius and my Leaf came w/4 of them. They're fine to me (although some folks on mynissanleaf.com think they suck.). Ingineer over there (pEEf over here) said his part on them at My Nissan Leaf Forum • View topic - Ecopia EP422 tires suck. All '11 and '12 Leafs and (IIRC) all '13 Leafs w/S and SV trim (but not SL) come w/them.

    Re: battery fan cleaning, see Luscious Garage | Blog | Prius battery cooling fan cleaning, P0A82.
     
    #4 cwerdna, Dec 22, 2013
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  5. CLUBGUY

    CLUBGUY Member

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    #5 CLUBGUY, Dec 22, 2013
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  6. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    Congrats on the car...it is a good deal you would expect to pay $9000 private sale I don't know if battery replcement makes a difference. I am thinking abut the Bridgestone 422 or the Michelin Energy saver A/S as my tires are due for replacement also at 130k miles.
     
    #6 wjtracy, Dec 22, 2013
  7. dorunron

    dorunron Senior Member

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    Same as above. Either the Bridgestone or the Michelin that wjtracy mentioned.

    Good luck with the new to you Prius. Sounds like you got a good deal.

    Also welcome to Prius Chat.
     
    #7 dorunron, Dec 22, 2013
  8. Rph74

    Rph74 Active Member

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    Very nice! I have owned 20+ used cars in my years and I am a big fan of buying cars that have had major parts replaced, making it less likely that I will have to. Enjoy your Prius, these things are awesome!
     
    #8 Rph74, Dec 22, 2013
  9. N.J.PRIUS

    N.J.PRIUS Member

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    Congratulations on your new Prius. Yes it does sound like you got a great deal! Especially if the hybrid battery was just replaced. Good luck and happy motoring!:)
     
    #9 N.J.PRIUS, Dec 22, 2013
  10. JimN

    JimN Let the games begin!

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    If it was a Jersey car and IF the traction battery was replaced then it was done under warranty. It's more likely the 12v battery was replaced. Did you register the car on the owner's site to get the service history? You have a great car there, enjoy.
     
    #10 JimN, Dec 22, 2013
  11. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    I was going to say that too (re: HV batt) but I was not sure if Jersey was CARB in 2006 so I was not sure if the 2006 would be covered by warranty.
     
    #11 wjtracy, Dec 22, 2013
  12. jakthebomb

    jakthebomb Junior Member

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    Well about 2,500 Miles later and everything is still going strong. I had replaced the Transaxle Fluid and the car passed Toyota's Multi Point inspection. Well except for a few items. I had bought 4 new Spark Plugs as the car felt like it was misfiring, the multi point inspection pointed out New spark plugs, Belt and Water pump needed. Since I have a background in mechanics I knew that the inspection was BS as the water pump was in perfect working condition, the belt and plugs I replaced myself for less than $30 in parts. There weren't any leaks which I don't understand why Toyota felt like lying to me.

    I still love the car, and the average 53MPG I am getting on it.
     
    #12 jakthebomb, Feb 4, 2014
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  13. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    I'm wondering what you used for replacement parts? The plugs should be the correct NGK or Denso iridium to enjoy the 120K mile service life per the maintenance schedule.

    Dealer techs have been known to exaggerate the need to replace the engine coolant pump, but I suggest you keep an eye on the coolant level in the radiator itself, not just the reservoir. If a substantial leak develops and air enters the system, the reservoir will not replenish the radiator.
     
    #13 Patrick Wong, Feb 5, 2014
  14. tanglefoot

    tanglefoot Whee!

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    Congrats on the Pri!

    You can look for evidence of coolant seepage (pink, dry or crusty residue, sometimes forms a pink line on the underside of the hood) around the water pump pulley--it is a bit of a trouble spot on the Gen IIs. If it is leaking, this is a low-cost place to get a new genuine Toyota pump (learned about it here on PC):

    2006 Toyota Prius Parts - AutoNation Toyota Gulf Freeway Parts

    I agree that the Integrities are over-priced and under-performing. I really like the Hankook Optimo H727...great snow performance, and even decent rolling.

    Honda really has a major blemish on their reputation with their automatic transmissions. There are seemly endless threads of auto trans failure reports, especially around that time period.
     
    #14 tanglefoot, Feb 5, 2014
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