Hi! I'm buying a car for the first time and I came across a used 2006 prius that looked pretty good. For an 11 year old car, it's surprisingly in good shape. I took it to the mechanics and everything checked out. The seller wants 5800, but I'm not sure if that price is justified. He's saying it's because he recently added in new tires and a new hybrid battery. The mileage is 141000. I checked the car history using a free car history site and it seemed it be ok. The interior of the car is pretty clean. There's a little front bumper and little window crack. The 2 back door handles look like they've had some wear and tear.
Second time today a seller claims his Prius has a new hybrid battery and with new tires to boot. Could be a record. $5800 is too much for a 11 year old Prius in Dothan - with or without a "new" battery. You have not mentioned the odometer reading but I'll guess it's not much more than 100K miles. As to this new battery. The only new battery (excluding Bumblebee's which I believe is new) is sold through Toyota dealers (B&M or web). You need proof of purchase from this seller that a new Toyota battery was indeed installed in this car. Even with that, it won't be proof positive that the pack still resides in this vehicle. The only way to be certain is to open the case and read the date codes from the modules. This is not easy to do and something that the seller would undoubtedly refuse to do. It is much more likely that a remanufactured pack with used modules was installed. That is much easier to check for because most of the major rebuilders paint their packs different colors. All you need to do to check for a rebuilt pack is to remove the carpet and black plastic pieces from the back of the car. Don't buy this Prius or any Prius that is more than 6 years old as a first car at this price level. This effectively prices you out of most of the newer ones and believe me you're better off if you do because the pitfalls of buying a beater Prius can be wide and deep.
The odometer reading is 141,000. Because I'm new to this: what are you referring to when you say "buying a beater prius can be wide and deep." What type of issues typically arise with an older prius?
Issues don't typically arise. The Gen 2 Prius is a extremely reliable vehicle - until it isn't and the older it gets the less certain the reliability becomes. There are many systems unique to the Prius that can cost you an arm and a leg to repair if you are not a mechanic. Here's a short list: HV battery pack HV electric inverter water pump Inverter MG1 or MG2 Multifumction display Combination meter Brake actuator A/C compressor You might be fortunate and not have any of these fail but in the long run you will have at least one - the HV pack.
welcome! what type of budget and/or diy skills do you have for repairs? the biggie is the hybrid battery at 150k. if he can prove it's new from a toyota dealer, than all you need to agree on is price.
I'm a student so ideally it would be less than 5000. But the seller did not want to budge. He initially priced the car at 6500. I have zero DIY skills when it comes to cars.. I asked him for a receipt for the new battery. And he said he's going to look it up from his old emails and show it to me. I'm hoping it's legit.
why not a corolla, or some other simpler car, until you graduate, find work, and can buy something a little more exotic?
That's my ideal car. I've been searching for it online on various websites for a while now, but can't come across something in my area for a decent price. Everything is above 10K or in horrible shape.
i suppose that's all you can do. still, there are a lot of decent cars worth looking at. fit, yaris, mazda, mitts, even old camry's.
We might bee able to elp more if we knew what US state you are in. I am sure there are many Dothan cities in the US.
What do people here think of this car? I have only owned older Camrys (1985 & 1996). 2003 Toyota Camry - Toyota dealer in Dothan AL – New and Used Toyota dealership serving Ft Rucker Enterprise Ozark Troy AL
Looks like basic transportation with a couple of dings / paint blemishes (or did the birds find the front bumper). But a solid car. If not the DIY type, it appears to come with lifetime oil changes. Hard to beat a Camry.
The prius seller got back to me about the hybrid battery: he said he got it replaced via Abdelnabi Hybrid Battery LLC in San Antonio, Tx. He says he did this because their batteries have longer life than the Toyota batteries. This seems shady to me. The seller is also getting a bit annoyed because I'm asking a lot of questions (which I think should be normal).
Even more reasons to stay away, very far away. That Camry you linked above looks like a peach in comparison. That's what I'd choose .
I got lucky on a Google search. Would it be worth much for them to get a CarFax on it? I have never done that.
