Hi I’m a new member first time posting. I’m looking at buying a 2007 Prius for a commuter car for work. I found one in great shape clean car fax only 1 owner only problem is it has 272,000 miles.. I see and hear stories of them lasting to 400k even some 500k is it worth the risk.. or is this Prius life coming to an end thanks.
Welcome to Prius Chat . If you are mechanically inclined and have a place to work on the Prius, high mileage is not an issue. If you will be depending on the dealer or others for maintenance and replacements, it can be expensive. Good luck with your decision and keep us posted .
Might be good. Most of problems and wear items on a Prius are not that related to miles driven. But it’s a used car so it can have all kinds of problems. But so could the one that’s driven half as much. In the end it comes to inspecting it properly before buying and some luck too.
Thanks for the input! Honestly if i get it and it last me at least 2 years I would consider it a win.
Too put things into perspective. I bought my 05 in Oct 2013 with 123k mi. Today it has 267k on it. I’m a dIY’r, so thus far my cost of repairs have been parts only. At 126k replaced both front hubs $110 ea for SKF hubs. At 175k replaced failed coolant control valve. $95 At 210k. Front brake pads and rotors. Factory Pads $66. Aftermarket rotors $60 for the pair. At 226k, engine water pump $29 aftermarket. Regular oil changes at valvoline instant oil change. Uses 1 qt every 5k. And tires as required. Still on the Original Pack. The car is rust free so far. At this point the car doesn’t owe me anything. If I had to replace the pack tomorrow, I would do the aftermarket kit from (2ktoaster). iPhone X ?
The problem I see with buying a car with over 200,000 miles is the math. That is because at over 200,000 the car is pretty much fully depreciated and you barely get any additional discount for buying a car with extremely high mileage.
I bought one at 250k miles, fully depreciated and broken. Spent $800 to fix it. If it lasts to 270k miles, the math would work to my benefit.
It can be a crap shot but being able to the purchase vehicle at a bargain price can assuage that risk. If the vehicle is being sold by a used car dealer the price may be inflated. The positive is that one owner vehicles are typically better maintained/serviced which is consistent with its appearance. But, the original owner may have decided to unload the vehicle due to it needing a major repair...which may not be immediately obvious. The market for such a vehicle here in Chicagoland is $2500 - $3000. Anything more would make it not worth the risk in my opinion in this market. Your market may be different. You can certainly make it to 400,000+ miles with minimal maintenance, likely and at least 1 battery replacement and some good luck. I do know of people with +400,000 miles on the same battery in fleet use.
The car is on its last legs. It'll probably need a new hv battery soon. You might want to consider something a little lower mileage for work commutes, to make sure you get there without problems. Any car can last 400k miles, it's just how many parts you replace on the way there.
Welcome to PriusChat! Find the VIN for this (or any Toyota), it should be included on that "clean car fax" and run it through https://www.toyota.com/owners which should give you (and us) an idea of the maintenance and service history, including recalls. How much is the original owner asking for this gently used vehicle? Do you have access to another mode of transit if this car has down time?
