Advice on used Prius purchase

The big battery is pretty much OK with months of non use, the 12 volt battery may need replacing. Most tires are resistant to 'flat spotting' but you will not know if yours are until you drive at high speed.

If it turns out your 12 volt battery is weak, the Toyota replacement battery has a 84 month warranty, so is as good a choice as any. For safety sake, you want an externally vented AGM battery, for convenience you want JIS posts and a 46B24R size.

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welcome! the hybrid battery suffers with low usage. 15,000 is about as low as i've heard on an 8 year old car. other than that, everything should be fine. you may want to find out if pa was a carb state in 2008, which would give you 10/150 on the battery, intend of 8/100.

 

PA is a modified CARB state from Model Year 2008, that retains the 8 year/100,000 mile warranty

The 2014 list of CARB States in the US | PriusChat

 

thanks jumbo, so you are out of hybrid warranty, and if the battery should go bad, you need to be prepared, both in knowledge and financially.

 

2008 is a great year, all the best!

 

If the car was sold & registered in NJ the warranty is 10 years/150000 miles. Registering it out of state leaves you subject to Toyota's whim if there is a failure within the 10 years.

 

$9000 for a an eight year old car is a bit high.

I'm thinking that the street value for this car is about 8, and the excellent condition of the car seems to be offset by the traction battery concerns - which would concern me not in the least.
Batteries are repairable or replaceable and they're probably cheaper than you think.
If you're a road warrior, then you may consider this car but only if you're deep enough to stroke a check for $2k...which would just about do the battery......brakes......transaxle.....etc.

There's also the 'family-friend' angle.
If they're realy tight with you then they may feel compelled to offer you what THEY consider to be a screaming good deal on a car (that's not so much AFAIC.)
How big a ding on your friendship would happen if your engine sucked a valve a month after the sale???
Decide amongst the both of you what the real-world value of the car is using KBB, and then decide on a 'buddy' discount.


It's an 8-year-old car.
Would I buy it?
YES!
For $9,000??
No....but my commute to work is 3 miles.
If it were 50 miles and the car was priced at KBB trade-in value?
Probably....although I prefer G3s.....but I can write a check for a traction battery, brakes, HVAC, etc...

Good Luck!
Let us know what you decide.

 

low miles is not a good thing for the battery or the gas motor itself as all rubber parts will have dried out from lack of lubrication.. I have seen many "low mile gems" blow seals in the motor once used on the highway.. you should expect to replace the 12 volt battery and tires and check the brakes for leaking fluids...honestly Id rather have one with 100,000 miles then 15 at this age

 

Sadly, NJ was not a CARB state until calendar year 2009, so it does not apply to this car.

 

NJ was CARB when I bought my 2006.

 

A low mileage 2008 will be rock solid. The car is fantastic. $9000? Pass. Way too much money for an 8 year old Prius no matter the condition. $8000 is more like it.

 

Low mileage old cars are not a good idea. Here is a post on reddit about a very similar situation

 

Welcome to PriusChat!!!

Your commute changes the equation significantly, and with a little maintenance, I think the car will be fine.

Keep in touch.

Best of luck!

 

Your well to do and buying a Prius for a 150 mile a day commute?

Your not buying it for a great deal cause its not. Your not buying it to save on gas. Cause your well off. And gas is cheap.
And you must not have driven this car even 100 miles yet.

Its got loud road noise, seats are really uncomfortable, handles poorly as the wheelbase is so short and the electric steering so tight you need constant attention to keep the car tracking perfectly down the road. It's super twitchy. You can't take your eyes off the road. It has no power to pass at 70. The brakes suck. Its not a car to relax in much less spend 5 hours a day in. And its pretty scary to drive on really windy days. And certain parts of the country your going to get bullied on the highway. And in the case of your car your looking at a Hybrid Battery for sure which is $2500 and alot of hassle. For what? To save on gas? Within months you'll have $12,000 or more in this car.

Plus side is its a great around town car. Pretty zippy in and out. The short wheelbase helps you here as steering lock to lock is awesome and easy to turn around anywhere. Hauls alot of stuff. Easy to operate. Super reliable if you keep after it. Easy to maintain. Wife loves it.
Mostly because she doesn't maintain it.

But 5 hours a day....your freakin' kidding me. There's hundreds of cars that fit that bill 100% better for a bitch of a commute than an 8 year old Prius.

 

Ya, the prius has shitty seats. Hurts my back if i sit in it too long.


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Yeah for a long distance commuter it may be a stretch of sorts. We bought our two for around town runnabouts which work out great.
If your driving those distances maybe a Camry Hybrid is more the course? Now some here have modded their Prius with seats from another make which are a lot more comfortable it seems. That may be an avenue to explore as well. But in any event since finances are not a question here you have many options if one does not pan out - no loss really. As they say, Money talks BS walks...