Which used Prius should I buy or avoid? Advice please.

What options do you like on the z06 that you can't live without?

SM-N900P ?

 

If you don't need quite as high MPG as a Prius, you might get more bang for your buck in terms of age and mileage with something like a Corolla. That said, you can read up on the general Prius models (c, liftback, v) which are subcompact, midsize, and wagon. Within those there are numbered trim levels (usually something like Two - Five), which you can also read up on online.

But one red flag that I noticed from your post is ground clearance. Prii are known for scraping ramps, though maybe not as bad as your 'vette. So I'd definitely suggest once you decide which model you're interested in, try to rent one for a couple days, or at least take a long test drive, to make sure it'll have the clearance you need.

Also - the Toyota Certified website: Certified Used Toyota Cars, Trucks, SUVs & Hybrids is a wealth of information. Even if you decide not to spring for a CPO, the site will give you an idea about models, features, and rough prices. Each car also has a link to the e-brochure for that car's model/year, which I found really handy when I was considering buying used.

 

Toyotas are not like American cars. They actually hold their value. If you want in the $4K area, you will be in the high mileage (200K+). Even at $11K, you are looking at GenII's only (2004-2009) and with moderate mileage.

The Gen I's (2001-2003) are less reliable because they were the pioneers of the field. Weaker batteries and less creature comforts than the 2004 and up. When people think Prius, they think 2004 and up generally. The 2001-2003's look like normal cars and you need a trained eye to pick them out of a crowd.

Your budget may need some readjusting unless you are OK with 6 digit miles.

The Prius has 6in of ground clearance, more than the vette. In some cases double with the rear air foil. Not sure why someone thought that would be an issue???

Personally I would limit your searches to a 2006 to 2009 Prius. The 2006 was the mid-model refresh. Better screen, better textured plastics inside, just a few little exterior touches like the hybrid badge emblems. Then I would limit to those with SKS (Smart Key System) and rear view camera. The camera means you have the higher resolution interior screen (MFD). Navigation also means the better screen.

 

You've received excellent advice. Make sure that you test drive a good number of Prii. When you find the right Prius, be sure to spend the $125 at the dealer to get a buyer's inspection. Prii hold their values well but you will likely find that the asking prices are higher than the Edmunds and KBB estimated values. You will have no issue finding a pre-owned Gen II within your budget, but I doubt you will find many that you should purchase for less than $6k. You may find a 2010 Gen III, right at, or just north of your budget. Good luck in your search and report back what you find out there.

 

just paid 15.5 for a 2010 prius iv with 45K miles...

keep in mind with the Gen II they have the fuel tank bladder which can cause some fueling issues if you are in colder climates

 

OP, Where are you located?

 

If all you need is the a/c and power windows and locks, any of the Prius models would work. At a minimum, I would look for a package 2 which will have your SKS smart key. That will allow you to get in the car and start the car without taking the key out of your pocket. A great Prius feature that you should have on your car.

I would suggest you get as new as a model as possible, seeing you have a $11,000 budget, you can get a pretty recent model with lower mileage. The reason for a newer model is because more of the bugs would have been worked out and the hybrid traction battery will be fresher and last longer. For a Gen2 car, you should get a 2008 or 2009.

 

I hear a lot of people tell others on here to get a Corolla or Civic. To me, they don't even compare to the Prius. I recommend Prius all day long but..., based on my signature and experience with the Prius, I might be a little biased. lol

 

The GenII North American models do have the bladder but they work just fine. The "fuelling issues" might be not able to get the full maximum gallons into the car for the longest range. And if overfilled to the point where gas is pouring out the hole, you may gum up the sensors located within the assembly but outside of the actual bladder. My Prius lives in the cold all the time and have never had an issue.

The Corollas are great economy cars, but not even in the same league as the Prius. The Prius trumps any other economy type car out there easily in many ways. More on that later...

The Prius makes no such statement. People have tried to portray that since the 2004's came out, but they don't. They recently passed 5 million Toyota hybrids on the road. The niche type market is gone and now they are mainstream and anyone can have one. If you want to limit petrol usage, there are very few options in the class of the Prius. And even fewer that come with the reliability.

You may be surprised at how peppy the Prius is. The lack of a transmission makes the power delivery instant and the hybrid drivetrain takes advantage of the electric motors making boatloads of torque at the low end. You can chirp the tires in a Prius... It won't go 0-60 in 3.8seconds, but like you said that's not the point. And if you do want to drive it speedily, it maintains triple digit speeds with ease for prolonged periods of time.

This is silly. "More of the bugs worked out" doesn't really happen with Prius. They are all about the same when grouped by generation and mid-model refresh. So in this case, 2004-2005 and then 2006-2009. The hybrid battery may be newer but that is not always a good thing. A 2 year old car that has sat idle for a year or has only gone on 1 minute drives down the driveway to the mailbox is a worse buy than one that was bought and actually used. Short start/stop cycles of the engine during the warmup stage are generally considered bad for engine longevity. Condensation can form as with any engine. Also the battery doesn't like to just sit there doing nothing. They have a self discharge profile and if left to their own devices completely disconnected (as they are when the car is not READY), they will slowly discharge to the point that they die and require a HV recharge. Also keeping it in a very low SOC can be detrimental to the health. An average used Prius with average miles is usually the best bet. It is also really hard to tell how a used car was treated. A Prius that does 90% highway miles will have had the engine on at least 90% of the time because of the high speed driving and then some around town. Whereas a 90% city Prius may have the engine on only half the time. Or it might have been abused by creeping around in EV mode all the time. There are so many factors.

Agreed. To expand on this and the tease I wrote above, the Prius has many features that make it superior. The biggest to me is that it is smooth. No transmission and no torque converter with a single static planetary gear system directly coupling the engine to 2 electric motors allowing for almost any power at any speed and instantly. No jerky downshifts before passing or transmissions that can't make up their mind. It works brilliantly and you can only get that with the HSD. Because of the regenerative brakes, 200K miles on original brake pads is pretty common. Most go without ever changing them. The thing is gigantic on the inside. I have fit an entire full size bathtub in the hatch (with the door CLOSED!), 10ft lumber to build a deck, many hundreds of pounds of stone tile, my long oldschool style skis fit in the back with no hassle, you can even fit a small bed back there for camping trips or extended road travels. The 12v output can supply 100A meaning with a standard 12v inverter you can power 1.2KW worth of stuff of your car as a generator. I have powered my entire home including my server rack, fridge, TV, etc from the Prius while my electrical panel was being upgraded. In hurricane areas, you can power your entire house while the power is out. It is very efficient when compared with other generators at medium to high loads because it can shut the engine off when you aren't drawing as much power. A generator can't do that. It has no starter motor so that will never go out. And when it is cold outside it just starts with no hassle. No turning the key and chugga-chugga-chugga-chugga, it just beeps and is ready to go. I've had mine down to -50C and it started right up. Generally batteries will freeze in that temperature and your normal car will not turn over until warmed a bit. Or even the diesel in trucks freeze. The creature comforts for the time were great. It is a decade old now so they are more "common" but that is a testament to what they were. When technology of 10 years ago is still relevant today, they did good.
Other things to look for in a used Prius, is make sure the previous owners did not have dogs that rode around in the car or a family member that looks like Cousin It from the Addams Family. Or if they did, make sure to check the HV fan vent for hair and clogged tubes. If that gets full, the fan cannot properly cool the HV battery and the life will go down. It will also pop up with weirdness while driving where the power will cut away because the battery is too hot to help and now you are stuck with only engine power which is meek at best.

 

There just happens to be a TSB on the transaxle that applies to 2004-early 2007 model Prius. I suggested 2008-2009 model to avoid this issue.

"Some customers with 2004 to 2007 model year Prius vehicles may experience a
M.I.L. “ON” condition with DTC P0AA6 or P3009 with information codes 526 and 613.
The transaxle assembly has been improved to prevent this condition."

The transaxle has been improved....thereby more bugs have been worked out.

Toyota Technical Service Bulletin T-SB-0306-08 MIL ON DTC P3009 or P0AA6, Information Codes 526 & 613

 

Used car finance rates are stupid - cheap, I'd suggest you up your budget to 15ish and get a Gen III. I bought a 2010 with 37k miles model 3 with nav for 16,000.

SCH-I545 ?

 

Time to revise your data table, 2K1Toaster. The 2005 Prius package 6A has bluetooth. I use it every day for my phone and my Torque app .

 

I suggest you start your search with a 16,000 upper limit. I think you will find a big difference in what you get when you look at a $11000 Prius vs a $14,ooo to $16,000 Prius, and by all means buy from a private party, have the car you think you want checked out by a Toyota Dealer Service Department and you should be good.
Now is a good time to buy before gasoline reaches in summer market highs. The rule is; the lower the price of gas the cheaper the price of used Prii.

 

JC, from the above statement would you
say the transaxle in the 06 I'm about to buy could fail early ?, As you know it has 144k on it now.

 

The transaxles are rock solid. They make small changes all the time to parts across the line and then sell them as "improvements" even when it is just a change in supplier. The water pump is pretty much the only thing with different part numbers that you can even tell has changed and even then, they all work just fine.

Also keep in mind Toyota "improved" the inverter assembly in the GenIII by making it smaller and lighter but it runs hotter and taxis are seeing early failures when compared with the overengineered GenII. Improve can also mean lower cost and quality because it is improving the bottom line.

The Prius is a great car, and any 2004 and up model has a great probability of being a rock star. Of course there are always exceptions, but you buy Toyota to limit the pool of lemons.

 

Toaster, thanks for your help, sounds like the transaxle are rock solid.
I will still keep the oil changed in it.
Looks like you have a great fleet of cars.

 

If you don't care about the hatchback, the Lexus HS250h is the sedan version of the GEN III Prius but with a bigger engine and more creature comforts. It still has the full Hybrid Synergy Drive.​

​

Bill the Engineer​