Hello all!

This is a tough call.

Will you be taking out a loan for most of the cost ?

Someone in your situation probably would be better off getting a conventional Corolla or Civic and keeping your debt down.

 

Welcome to the forum. The Prius is not always the most economical choice due to the higher initial cost, which is not really off-set by the lower fuel consumption. Government subsidies can help.

The lower price of a used one is off-set by the riskiness of potential repair/maintenance. A Prius of that age could be in need of a new traction battery, which can be very expensive. You need a bit of luck to make the used one a good deal, but it can also backfire in the other direction.

 

Letting us know where you are could make this a different ball game. If you are in a CARB state the hybrid system including the battery is guaranteed for 10 years 150,000 miles.
This information should be in your avatar.

John (Britprius)

 

Yes somewhat. Like Greg said.
But buying anything used without a factory warranty involves some risk.
The less money you put out, the less risk.

If you have no other debts AND you can afford to pay off the loan in 36 months or less, then I'd say go for it.
Wait, Craigslist and priced below "blue book"........nope, that situation has too many red flags.
You should pass.

 

I don't know if the warranty on hybrid components is transferrable from the original owner, but someone on here will probably know. From what I've seen in these forums, the hybrid battery can start failing, one cell at a time, after 5-7 years. The individual cells can be diagnosed and replaced, but after a while it becomes a whack-a-mole exercise, and a new battery becomes the best option. It's impossible to know what will happen; it's a crap-shoot.

 

The guarantee is transferred with ownership.

John (Britprius)

 

Welcome, and thanks for your service!

It does sound like a good deal to me, but check kbb with your local zip code and the car details (option package, etc) to be sure. There is a little risk (as with any auto purchase), but reliability has been excellent, overall. We forum users get a little spooked because we see the problem reports roll in, but the actual probabilities are in your favor: failure rate percentages are low. The Prius remains among the easiest cars to own.

The gen 2 (2004-2009) is often regarded as the "toughest" Prius, and the majority of them hold together very nicely for several hundred thousand miles while needing very little. They are favorites among taxi and delivery fleets for their ease of ownership and low operation costs.

It's sometimes not just about the money though. It's just an amazing total package. I'd be willing to pay the price premium (if there even, really is one) for the low emissions, alone. Then you've got the great features, the ownership experience, the versatile design (liftback with folding seats), the safety, and of course, the low fuel consumption.

Just a few notes for shopping: some trouble areas include HID headlamps (on higher-optioned cars, packaged with the fog lights in the lower valence. The non-HID headlamps are more reliable), the engine water pump (a mechanical pump that can develop leaks. Look for pink or whitish crusty buildup behind the pump pulley, low on the passenger side of the engine), and the 12v aux battery (lasts a handful of years, causes strange behavior when it starts to go, usually costs $120-250 to replace, depending on battery choice and DIY/installation).

Other things have gone bad, like traction (high voltage) packs, multi-function displays (MFDs), transaxles, inverters, ECUs, but failure rates are low.
Sure, there is some risk (even with a new car purchase), but with careful shopping, I firmly believe a pre-owned Pri can be a wise auto-buying choice. You might try to set aside a fund of about $1500, just to keep Murpy's Law in check. We have three Gen IIs in the extended family and they have been incredible. I can't imagine owning anything else.

Good luck!

 

California is indeed, a CARB state (the original!) and yes, the warranty coverage transfers to the new owner.

 

CARB stands for California Air Resources Board. So yes if the car was first sold, has always been kept, and is not a rebuild title the guarantee stands. California was the state that first signed the agreement.
You prospective purchase would have the hybrid emissions guarantee until 2018 or 150,000 miles. Your local Toyota dealer should be able to give you more detail.

John (Britprius)

 

The guarantee covers things like the transmission, HV battery, and catalytic converter. Basically most things that affect the emissions.
You can see why it is important to give your location here on PC particularly as it is world wide, and there are many variations on the Prius depending on where you are.

John (Britprius)

 

You're welcome to post pictures and car details. There's limited feedback we can provide, remotely, but there may be something we can add.

One theory discussed here that may affect HV battery life is extreme heat. Try to find examples that were garaged. One indicator of sun exposure is the clarity of the headlights. Cars parked outside usually have pretty dull-looking, frosty headlamp glass (unless they have undergone headlamp treatment/replacement), while garaged cars usually have crystal clear headlamp glass.

 

Do not post it here but take a note of the Vin number and you should be able to check on the cars history. The local dealer should be able to supply all the service data, if the car has had all of the recalls done " if not they will do them FOC" and tell you if the car qualifies for CARB which it should.

John (Britprius)

 

Please do. PLEASE.
Those "too good to be true" prices on Craigslist often have a good reason behind them.
In addition to checking out the car, also check out the title.
And ask point blank if it has ever been wrecked or if there are any unsolved problems.
Some people who think it is OK to not mention details won't stoop so low as to outright lie about it.
Then some will.

 

Be careful however, Toyota disqualifies from CARB warranty coverage any car not orginally "sold, registered, and normally driven" in a CARB state. We are getting quite a few cases of used cars crossing boundaries for sales purposes. So its not a slam dunk. However, the worst case is 8-yr/100k miles which is not too shabby either.