Looking to get a used Prius, first time car buyer...

Ben
There might be a place to find mechanics on here, I am not for sure. Click and Clack from NPR has a national garage list, their website should be online, just google click and clack.
That is low miles, I would not change transaxle ATF fluid until 100 k, then 60k after that, some say 30k. I would also change coolant for the transaxle at 100k also. Also change coolant for ICE (internal combustion engine) at 100k.
As far as scratches, I have a black car that is scratched all over. Turtle wax makes a kit for blacking the paint job some, it may be a joke. So I think there are products for scratches out there. Mine has a deep scratch down to primer on roof. Car was owned by a professor , I bet one of his students keyed it.
Btw, have done some stuff on my car since buying a month ago, cabin filter, ICE intake air filter, plugs, ur not ready yet. My car has 144k and the main hybrid battery was replaced at 128k.
Car is awesome and runs great. Plan to take it to Charleston , S.C. In a couple of weeks.
Good luck with your car.

 

Is this a private party sale ?
If so, I strongly encourage you to arrange an inspection by a Toyota dealership.

While changing fluids is important, you should be more worried about any major mechanical problems (engine, battery) or any major body work that might have been done indicating a wreck.

ASK the seller point blank if it has been wrecked or had any major problems.
Also ask to see the service records.....or get permission to look at them where the service has been done.
Most sellers won't outright lie but will "forget" to mention things that you don't ask about specifically.

 

Easy Rider is right, I did all that too, when I bought my car.

 

The 2 major concerns you have about rust and suspension, you can visually inspect these 2 items yourself or you can bring it to any independent mechanic to do so. These are not hybrid specific components that require specialists.

You didn't mention the year of the car, just the 80k miles it has on the clock. I believe NJ is a state that offers 10year/150k miles warranty on the hybrid system. This would be great for you if the car is a late model and at 80k miles, you would have quite some time left before you have to worry about any of the hybrid components needing costly replacements.

 

I doubt that there are many independent shops that really know much about hybrids; heck, a lot of the DEALERS don't seem to either at times. The recalls would have to be done, or checked at least, at a dealer.

A clean Carfax is pretty much meaningless as in most places reporting to them is not required......and is done a lot less than they like for you to believe.

 

I would have a pre inspection of complete car, preferred by someone who knows the Prius.

 

I'm in big favor of buying a late model lower mileage Prius with a 150k miles hybrid warranty. You just have to do the routine maintenance specified on the owners manual and you should be fine.

Three things to pay attention to:

#1 is the oil level. Make sure you check it and make sure it's full (but not overfilled), then check it every 1000 miles for the first couple months of ownership to determine if the car is burning oil. If the cars does burn oil, top off accordingly and note how much oil is being used for a specified duration. That way you will know how often you would need to check the oil level.

#2 is possibly a leaking ICE water pump. If the pump is leaking, make sure the dealership changes it out before you buy it. This is a common part that leaks and it's about $300-$400 if you were to do it through the dealer.

#3 is the health of the 12v battery. Have the dealer test the battery, if it's the original battery from 2008, chances are it will need replacement.

 

There are 2 water pumps on the car, one on the ICE engine side, one on the hybrid inverter side. The hybrid inverter water pump one is the recalled unit.

Battery is about $200, but it's up to you how you want to get it replaced.

 

I was told in my pre inspection by indepentant garage that specialized in Prius, that my 12 volt battery was weak. Did not question it at the time, maybe I should have. At this point I don't have any signs of battery being weak, going to let it be for now.


Good luck.

 

Worth a try if your having trouble .

I need to check my 12 volt, thinking of doing it through the internal car computer , or whatever you call it.