Advice on Purchase

In that price range you can move up to the nex gen, maybe with 40-60k miles. Nothing wrong with the second gen, but in my opinion you are at the very top of the price range for it.

 

The standard advice is to always check the carfax.

My greatest concern would not actually BE the water in the headlight but perhaps what is causing the water in the headlight. I've taken my Gen 3 through numerous car wash's and I live in a rainy climate and have never noticed condensation or water.

It may be a minor issue or no issue at all BUT what you don't want to discover is that everything is not sealed as it should be because it has been rebuilt after a wreck.

As far as "sluggish start"?

When I very first started driving my Prius, I think it felt similarly sluggish to me. Coming from a lifetime of standard internal combustion engine vehicles, a vehicle that was actually starting out on electric motors didn't seem to quite have the same "snap" right from start out.

IMO while the torque from the electric motors may be instantaneous, you don't quite get that "instant" power feel that most standard vehicles provide.

Having said that, I actually now LOVE the way The Prius starts out. It does move when commanded and you adjust to the feel, and the smooth starts I think a nice benefit and "side effect". Now when I drive or are in a rental car, the starts actually seem way too jarring and harsh. I look for the nice smooth electric motor starts of The Prius.

There IS a different feel to a Prius starting out from a start, but as you adjust to it, I think you can actually come to find it a nice benefit.

Suspension? Well....most of the vehicles I've owned have NOT been luxury vehicles. I would say The Prius is a little on the rough side, but in comparison to most of the vehicles I've owned and operated, not out of line.

If you can afford the Gen 3, you might like it better. Don't get mad at me Gen 2 owners, but I think it's slightly more refined, so the transition for someone that is coming from never owning a hybrid might be less extreme.

Also the Gen 3 has an available "Power Mode" which increases accelerator pedal response, and has the vehicle rely more on the gasoline engine from a stop. It's not so good for gas mileage, but it does divorce the Hybrid start up feel from any merge on the highway experience. You might like that.

 

Somehow the low miles used Gen2 Prii sometimes seem more susceptible to HV battery issues. Your warranty would be good for 8 years from orig purchase date and 100k miles. So that's pretty good insurance. If the orig purchase date was as early as Oct-08 then that's only 1.5 yrs coverage. Be nicer if it was Oct-09 and then you'd have 2.5 years,. So far batt failure rate on the 2009's have been very very low, I don't know if that's cause Toyota made some improvements after 2006 or just the younger age.

 

The 2009 is the last year of the second generation Prius.

I'm afraid what you've experienced is typical in terms of throttle response and ride for a Prius.

The price seems a little high on the 2009. With the dip in gas prices hybrids are more or less a buyer's market right now.

 

Find a gen III, best to skip the 10 (first year) I think your gen 2 with the fogged headlight is somewhat of a gamble.

 

...possibly the light fogging is just that the fixture has a rear opening for the bulb. so it can be water can get in there and you need to air it out,
There are prior posts on fogging to check. The headlights on a Gen2 Prius are a bit if a pain to work with, but there are You Tube videos. If you have small enough hands you can get to the bulbs without disassembling too much. If you have a dealer change bulbs you are talking $200. I don't have the special HID bulbs, so I duuno about that. I am just talking $5 bulbs at Walmart cost you $200 to install at the dealer due to the hardness of getting to the fixtures.

 

i came from an '08 (fabulous car and daughter hast it with 100k miles) to a '12, and didn't notice any difference in ride, handling or power. i would go for the '09, but not if you feel something is wrong.

 

I'd pay $4000 more and get the Gen3. You're paying way too much for an '09 Gen2 Prius. I bought an '07 Gen2 Prius for about half that amount a few months back, in Southern California.

 

I'm a firm believer that the battery life is measured more in calendar years than miles.
I'd argue that the 2013 is going to last quite a bit longer as a result.
If I preferred a Gen 2 for other reasons I wouldn't let this sway me but given that you seem to like the 2013 a little better, you might as well steer yourself in that direction.

 

i don't know, there's a ton of gen II's on the road with original batteries. there's just no objective info out there.

 

My gf paid $15k for a 09 Prius with the 27k miles. With leather, heated seats, camera, etc. The car felt like it was in like new condition. That was a year ago. No regrets whatsoever.

I drive the 2012 Prius Four. Not so much of a difference between the two gens, and I almost pay twice as much on the loan.

I would go for the 09 Prius.

 

It's true that we don't have any representative sample here.

Just my belief system I guess.

 

Consumer Reports last year reported Prii batt failure rates for each model year.
2009 and all Gen3 were essentially near zero failure rate.
2006 was up to 3% replacement rate in 2014, and I expect higher this year if CR keeps up the survey in 2015.
But I don't know if just age or something else (Gen3 has some better logic to prevent batt from discharging when fuel is out).

 

would love to know total '04's on the road and percent with oem battery.

 

the problem with cr is the statistical model.

 

Oh..so the dealer you are contemplating purchasing the vehicle from is NOT a Toyota dealer?

I'd be real sure to check out exactly what warranty they are offering.

No used vehicle I have ever heard of, from anyone, comes with a full "Lifetime Warranty". So I'm real suspicious of that. Brand New Toyota Prius do not come with Lifetime Warranties so I can't imagine a reputable dealer really providing one for a used. If only because eventually break down is inevitable, and it isn't a viable business model.

Especially if it's NOT a Toyota dealer, I'd certainly want it taken to a dealership for a pre-purchase inspection.

If this is a non-Toyota dealer, than their familiarity with the vehicle is always questionable at best.