Would you buy a 218K mile 2005 w/ new battery?

Seems a bit high. The key is to look at the service history from the toyota owners website. You can register and input the VIN to pull up dealer records. Even with a great service history I think even 5k is too high. Some PC members will say that the toyota service life for the prius is 150k-200k miles. Water pump, serpentine belt, inverter pump, spark plugs, transmission fluid. most of these would be due for the 2nd time. I would try to find a lower mileage one but not pay an extra premium for excessively low miles. The sweet spot seems to be around the 95-125k mileage area from my research.

For price info comparison, I got a 05 loaded except for leather with 100k (and new HV battery at 99k) for less than 6k from a private seller in SoCal. The dealer offered him 4500 for trade-in. Excellent service history from dealership. oil changes every 5k and etc. All it really needed was a transmission fluid change and new tires.

 

NO.

Why doesn't seller list an asking price? KBB says that year, mileage, in 90815, and in "Good Condition, " is worth $4626.

What owner number would you be? 3rd, 4th, 5th, ...?

Brakes are cheap, esp if you can DIY. Which brakes were replaced? Front, rear, both? Were the disc/rotors, changed too? Brake fluid ever flushed too? I'm the original owner of a 2007, w/ 138K miles, which my wife now drives. Just to give you perspective, over 50% of brake life left on original parts: front pads & discs, and rear shoes & drum.

Is this the original HV Battery? Expect this item to die sometime soon. If the current owner says battery was replaced, replaced with what? BRAND NEW HV Battery from Toyota? Or was it a rebuilt/remanufactured/used battery? I would want to see original invoice and verify with the dealer.

How much oil is the car currently consuming, between oil changes?

How many times has the transaxle (think transmission) been drained and filled with Toyota ATF WS?

Any accidents?

Are cheap, if you can DIY.

Write123 got a very good deal on his 2005 Prius at half the miles of what you are looking at and a NEW HV Battery (assumed replaced at a Toyota dealer, b/c of HV Battery warranty).

 

To date, the ONLY time I've visited a Toyota's service department is for recalls, and one dash warning. I've done all my own oil changes, 2 transaxle fluid changes, the brakes. The car is garage kept, low miles, waxed twice yearly. But, lousy "service history" I guess, lol.

 

I do my own service as well. However, it's always nice to have a previous owner that literally brought their car to the dealer every 5k miles and had excessive preventative maintenance and extra services performed. That way I don't have to gauge the previous owner's DIY skills or level for maintenance history.

 

It's a good thought, except: now you have to gauge the dealership's competence, lol. A dealership serviced car could have chronically overfilled oil, overtorqued oil pan drain bolt and lug nuts, neglected brakes, broken underbody panel clips or pieces, you name it. And I'd suspect a dealership maintained car is more likely to have owner neglected oil level, and so on.

You can't win. My take: very carefully look the car over. There's lots of clues.

 

I don't think it's a good buy with that many miles on the car. Also that battery is not new, most likely rebuilt. I would think that's the reason the seller is selling it. Just got the battery rebuilt and now selling it before it breaks again

 

I'd buy it in a heartbeat.....

...for $1,500.

I might even go higher if the vehicle were in pristine condition but I'm not sure that I'd be willing to use a vehicle with 218,000 miles as a daily commuter unless you're on a fairly flexible schedule.

 

I bought an 04 with 149K miles with a brand new battery for under $6k here in California. The important thing is to first check the service history of the car via carfax. I tried calling the Toyota dealer where they usually brought the car for service but had no luck getting a copy of their service history. But I relied heavily in the carfax and asking questions back and forth with the owner. There I saw that the battery was replaced by a Toyota dealer via warranty and not some regular craigslist shop that supposedly does hybrid battery replacements. I also found out how the previous owner meticulously did all the service maintenance as scheduled including the water pump and the belt. So from there it was an easy decision to make knowing that the car is well maintained and luckily had a new battery. During my test drive he gave me a copy of a Costco receipt for the new Ecopia tires so I was happy about it. Hey it took 10 years before the original battery gave out. So I am hoping the new battery they put in assuming the new battery technology is better from 2004, will last at least 10 years. We're in the same boat, just need a daily beater car without breaking the bank. This purchase felt good and now I have a reliable daily driver averaging about 47MPG and "toy car" along with it.

 

If he's asking for $5500, haggle down to $4800-$5000. Or check KBB for the lowest estimate on a "fair" condition 05 Prius. Does it come with Navigation and premium sound? Funny thing, the seller on my Prius didn't know it had navigation until when I test drove it and showed it to him.

 

keep checking the auto listings... there will always be those diamonds in the rough type. and definitely, the carfax report is worth it in my experience. in fact even those jiffy lube trips now show up in carfax reports.

 

Glutton for punishment.
$5500 asking price for 2005, w/ 218K milesLevel of service or lack of service unknown. HV battery replaced, and definitely w/ rebuilt or just replaced dead module; would you spend $3K+ on NEW Toyota battery, on a car you are planing to get rid of?

Write123 got a 2005, 100K miles, excellent Toyota service records, & NEW Toyota installed Hv Battery for $6K.
Thegoldenhand got a 2004, 149K miles, good service but poor records, & NEW Toyota installed HV Battery for $6K.

ETC makes a compelling point; be prepared for a breakdown.hopefully you have a flexible job, and quickly learn how to DIY. Be prepared for angry wife (if that is the woman in your Avatar).

Widen your search by a couple hundred miles. Try CarMax.

Your wallet, your choice. But everyone so far is saying no, unless dirt cheap (<$2K).

 

If I were in your shoes (looking at your avatar with the lovely family) and you really want a smaller fuel efficient Prius, I would then sell the 2009 highlander and get fairly new Prius. Having 2 reliable safe cars in a family is all I would want. Less time spent on thinking about repairs and more time to spend with family.

The savings in not having to insure a 3rd car, worry about the undriven car depreciating in your driveway, and the fuel savings would make the Prius purchase a no brainer. Also it's a lot safer and more comforting to not always have to worry about breaking down from driving a high mileage car when you are out.

 

my 04 actually had excellent toyota service records. everything is documented all the way from the birth of the car.

no i don't think you will find a used one for under $2k. i am not sure which area you're from but here in socal, most priuses even salvaged ones are still being listed at around $8-9k. then you have to weed out the resellers who obviously buy low and sell high. mine was listed for $7900 on autotrader but i haggled with the owner telling them of the kbb value. i guess they were in a hurry to sell because we actually completed the deal at a chevy dealership. so there are good deals there... just have to be patient and keep in mind the very reason you are thinking of buying a prius - SAVINGS

 

and i wouldn't sell the highlander. especially for a young family like yours.

 

Just dawned on me. And this is sac religious for me to say this here, but consider a different car as well.
Consider a Honda (Civic, Fit), Toyota (Yaris, Matrix), Scion (xB), Pontiac Vibe (a Matrix w/ a Pontiac badge; will be cheaper than an identically equipped Matrix of same year and mileage), Ford Focus ( the Euro version, but I don't think this will be cheap yet).

 

Oh please, most of ya'll are being way too over dramatic, yes ya'll are right. . Something major component could fail, I could also die in my sleep tonight, yeah that probably won't happen, but it could! If could get it for $4800-5000 I would go for it. I drive a 2005 with 232,700 miles every day with original hv battery (soon to get a grid charger) and she still gets 48-50 mpg in the summer.
Living on the edge? Maybe? Lol

 

$2K was meant as a sarcastic joke, to emphasize that the asking price is out of touch w/ reality.

If you are a recent transplant, you're forgiven. If you've lived here for some time, explore.
Long Beach, CA, is definitely considered to be a part of Southern California. You might have heard of the Port of Long Beach, The Queen Mary, or California State University Long Beach.

Some Long Beach trivia:

• 7th largest city in California (Link).
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