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First-time poster and used Prius buyer, hi!

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by NickL, Apr 30, 2015.

  1. NickL

    NickL Junior Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Orange County, CA
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
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    N/A
    Hi all,

    My wife is considering an oldish used Prius for her next car so I've been lurking around here to find out more. Never owned any kind of hybrid before so I've got a bunch of questions. We're looking at cars around 2004-2008 with a rough budget around $5 to $8k (we live in Orange County), so our candidates are likely to be near or out of warranty entirely. I know you guys have probably answered a million questions on the battery by now but I'm hoping that some of you may indulge me with clarifying a few issues.


    The hybrid/traction battery. I've noted some commenters say that there is no way to determine the condition or remaining life of the battery. However I have come across a YouTube video featuring The Hybrid Shop who say they can indeed test it. Does anyone have experience of this and what useful information can this yield? Or is this bogus?
    Vid here:



    Are there any telltale signs of imminent traction battery failure that I can look for? My concern here is that a smart Prius owner who can tell the battery is near failure will sell it on to an unsuspecting buyer. I don't want to be that guy.


    When it comes to traction battery life, which is better, a newer high mileage car or an older low mileage model? I've seen a few comments to indicate that a newer model with lots of miles fare better with battery life and those tales of taxicabs with tons of miles on the original battery would seem to back that up. Any opinions on this?


    Inspections. If there is no legit way of testing the hybrid parts of the drivetrain I figure your ordinary mechanic's inspection will do the job (I was thinking of places with AAA accreditation for instance), but what is your opinion? Should I be looking for an inspection by hybrid or Prius specialist? As it happens there is a location listed by The Hybrid Shop around 20-odd miles away but if you know of other good places to take a Prius around central Orange County, I'd love to hear it.


    If it came to a battery replacement, what is a refurb battery? I've seen users who say there is no such thing. Is there an actual refurb process to look for if buying a used battery or are we merely talking about a battery which has been checked to see if it still works?


    As a rule of thumb, I avoid the early examples of new models on the theory that manufacturing issues and potential probems are fixed over the first 6 months to a year. Any thoughts on this for the 2nd gen Prius?


    Ok this is more of a general question than Prius specific. For Southern California private and dealer sales, how do Nada, Kelley blue book and Edmunds used valuations match up to actual prices I can actually buy a Prius for? This will actually be my first used car purchase in the USA. Where I'm from, the book price typically reflects the initial advertised price and you can expect to negotiate a considerable discount from there. But I don't want to offer less if that would be an insulting, counter-productive low-ball offer.


    Thank you all very much in advance for sharing!
     
    #1 NickL, Apr 30, 2015
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    Plug-in Base
    hi nick, welcome to the forums. all the best with your search!(y)

    toyota can tell you the condition of the battery, but they can't tell you how long before you'll have a problem.

    there are a few companies that rebuild packs. but it is a hit or miss process, and short of buying a new one from toyota, the only guarantee is the quality of the rebuilder, and how long they will stand behind it.

    a newer higher mileage battery seems to be getting the press here lately, but i don't think there are any metrics to back it up.

    i would have it inspected at a toyota dealer unless you are near a reputable hybrid shoppe like lucious garage, or avi's automotive.

    the 2004 was a very strong model year.
     
    #2 bisco, Apr 30, 2015
    Last edited: Apr 30, 2015
    NickL likes this.
  3. GKuma

    GKuma Junior Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Castaic, California
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    One
    I have 2007 with 245k, I put about 100 miles a day excluding weekends, same battery. That said I am in process of buying another 07 with 110k, battery recently died.
     
    #3 GKuma, Apr 30, 2015
  4. Texas Hybrid Batteries

    Texas Hybrid Batteries Senior Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
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    Nick,
    More miles and less years is better for the battery. In my area the drive batteries are lasting 8-10 years. If done correctly refurbs are good. The trouble is people that just go in a replace a couple of modules in a pack and think that's good enough. Every module in the battery should be reconditioned and tested/replaced to make sure that it will last. Unfortunately it's hard to know if they are doing it right. There is no quick test to see where the battery is in its life. The only test that can be done with the car/battery assembled is a voltage comparison between the modules at rest and under load while driving it. It's been my experience that the noticeable voltage spreads don't become visible until well into the imbalance/failure process. If your buying a Prius that's 7-9 years old plan on replacing the battery within 2 or 3 years because it will need it. Go refurb from a reputable company like greentec or dorman. Stay away from Craigslist. I've followed The Hybrid Shop closely over the last year and I think they know what they are doing but are way over priced. That's just my opinion. Good luck.
    Matt
     
    #4 Texas Hybrid Batteries, May 1, 2015
  5. NickL

    NickL Junior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 18, 2015
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    Location:
    Orange County, CA
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Thank you for your replies.

    It looks like the best approach is to assume that the battery could fail in the near-future and budget accordingly. I've been looking into replacement batteries and it looks like it wouldn't be a disaster. Around $1000 for a refurb plus ~$200 for installation. Costly but not the end of the world, you could encounter similar costs with any used vehicle of this age I reckon.

    Oddly, I haven't found many garages specializing in hybrids around here, I thought there would be tons. Closest seems to be Ray A Motive in Bellflower, anyone heard of that place? For inspections I'll probably take bisco's advice and take it to a Toyota dealer. At least there are plenty around so I can dodge Toyota Irvine, seen bad things about them on here.

    Cheers for your help and thank you for wishing me luck!
     
    #5 NickL, May 2, 2015
  6. GKuma

    GKuma Junior Member

    Joined:
    May 8, 2014
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    Location:
    Castaic, California
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    One
    An update regarding my attempt to purchase another '07 with dead battery.

    Just been informed that Toyota warranty the battery for 10 years or 150K miles, which this car falls under, so I may be purchasing the '07 with 110K miles and new battery. A win/ win situation for all!


    Latest update:

    Purchased car, already put 2500 miles, drives like new compared to my old one. Didn't realized how loose the suspension was after 248k.
     
    #6 GKuma, May 4, 2015
    Last edited: Jun 7, 2015
    Sarge likes this.
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