Newbie. Need advice on buying a used prius.

Get all of the service records. Don't do anything until you get the details on the code. Good chance that the code is the reason why the owner is selling the car now. Double check if the code will affect the inspection, smog test, etc...

 

Check engine light is a bad sign on most any used car. Often the owner has discovered a problem and is passing it on to you before the car dies. You must read the code and understand what you need to fix before purchasing the car. There are a lot of possible causes of cylinder misfires if that is indeed the problem (including internal engine problems). For me this would be enough to walk away.

Also, the car using oil isn't rare on these old 2nd gens. The most common cause seems to be worn piston rings. There's no easy fix. You can increase oil weight and run engine cleaner that will extend the engine life, not cure the problem. What will often happen is that the oil use will slowly increase until the car is burning too much oil and this damages the catalytic converters. The engine on the Prius can't be easily rebuilt (easier is pulling an engine from a junkyard crashed Prius), so at that point you'd need a new engine and cat, which for the majority of Prii, sends them to the junkyard at this point.

IMO this car is a poor buy for the money.

 

Toyota US does not serve Canada. It is a different country.

 

I'm not implying that the owner is a bad person, it's just that throwing an unfixable code (or expensive to fix) is a common reason why owners put their car on the market. It's always a good idea to get the service records and is an advantage with buying from private parties.

My sister currently has a Nissan collecting dust in her garage. It has a code, which prevents her from getting the car smog tested and registered. The local Nissan dealership has been unable to fix the problem after charging thousands of dollars. She would happily sell this car on the cheap, but there's no market. And the interior is in good shape with zero rust on the body. Proceed carefully with this Prius.

 

So I've read, and the 'premium edition' should've been the give away

 

Highlighting some take aways from this thread. Do what you feel comfortable with, and if you do buy his Prius maybe he will also sell you his Tesla down the road for 3k

-- end of highlighted quotes

If the check engine light is on, and if there are DTC's (diagnostic trouble codes).. then factually he would be passing on his troubles to you, assuming you bought and were able to transfer this vehicle into your name.

Not sure if Tesla dealers accept trade ins, but would be curious what was offered since the CEO is now trying to sell this Prius on the open market.

 

I think the consensus here is to make an informed decision. Get the codes read and see what you are getting into. It's good you can get a new battery for $600 but judging by the people here rebuilt batteries are more trouble than they are worth. Take it to the dealer and have the car inspected and see what it would cost to fix it. I might be worthwhile.

 

More likely that it is a HUGE risk.
Too many miles.
Having ANY fault that a dealer "can't fix" is a huge red flag.
Never mind the rust.
Something mechanical or electrical will go bad WAY before the body falls apart.

Do some searching around and see what else you can get for that same $3000.

 

Look here, it’s like a match made in heaven.

2008 Toyota Prius - $3750 (Crownsville, MD) | PriusChat

 

You would also have to import it into your country. At least it is not an early 2016 where you could not set it to Km. They are stuck on miles.

 

Without pointing fingers at anyone...
I would just recommend passing period.
Visible signs of rust.
Check Engine Light On.
Burning Oil.

Those known factors would be enough to have me walk away.

Sure in that price range, and that mileage range, anything you find will have issues and risks. BUT..
Those 3 things...are like a race horse breaking from the gate with 3 of it's legs tied together.
I'm afraid you aren't going to get far.

Also as 2009...and it is now 2018...that Prius is heading right into the Hybrid Battery failure danger zone. At the very least, it's at a chronological and mileage point where one could expect the Hybrid Battery "might" fail....and not be too surprised.
I definitely wouldn't purchase it, unless I also was willing to make a further investment into Hybrid Battery replacement, which could come tomorrow, next week, next month, next year....or further out. But assuming the battery hasn't been replaced...it's coming.

 

I would say assuming the hybrid battery has not been replaced with a new one it’s coming.

 

I just rescanned this thread so I may have missed something.
If the car had the original battery I doubt it would last another 100K miles, to 300 K miles total. The battery has lasted longer than some others here.
You say you want the car to last 3 years. It would need a new (not refurbished) battery in addition to fixing the "unfixable" dealer problem and body work. Who knows what other issues lurk?
Some people could find this as a "fun" project car for their hobby. I would not recommend it otherwise, except as a possible spare parts car.