Planning to buy a 2016 IV this weekend

Used, right?

 

check the 12v battery

 

check it for voltage before starting the car. Should exceed 12 volts. If you don't have or don't want to buy the proper tool, any car repair/dealer will test it for you - should be free if you look around a little.

 

For DIY'r, Solar BA5 or BA7.

Check the dipstick. Pull it, wipe it, set it down atop the radiator cowl, and wait a good five minutes before reinsert to check: the oil tends to get pulled up in the guide tube, and the wait gives it a chance to drain. Also check the underside of the oil filler cap: foamy look would be a danger sign.

Check the engine filter.

While there, how does the engine bay look in general? Relatively clean? Corrosion or no? No leaves cluttering?

Pull out the hatch tray, check the spare, it's pressure, that the tools are present, and there's no water evident. Have a look at the 12 condition (same area) while you're there.

Check the tires, all the same make, condition, pressure? All valve caps present?

Look under the car, anything amiss, dangling? Under the front bumper: any serious scraping, or just minor (to be expected)?

Pop the gas filler cap: how's it look, the retainer thing still present and functional? Everything look semi-clean?

Tonneau cover present and in decent shape, in the hatch. Floor mats, condition. Look under the dash: notice any wires dangling, anything untowards?

Two working fobs?

Owner's Manual and Warranty Book?

 

I like @Mendel Leisk's list. Only thing I would change is that the 12V battery is under the hood, not in the hatch on the Gen 4.

He mentioned tires. With 40k miles, they should put on new ones for you if they aren't already new.

I hope you have a great time in your new ride!

 

The main thing, when you start finding neglect, these are things that can be remedied, but it gives you a picture of the previous owner and/or the dealership he worked with. If you're finding little things, there may be more.

 

I assume that you are getting a good discount off the original 2016 MSRP. I don't know however if you've looked at the Prius Prime and already ruled it out? In Massachusetts there is currently a $4,500 Toyota incentive on the 2017 Prime with many cars still available at dealers. There is also a federal tax credit of $4,502 assuming you will have that much have tax liability in 2018. It also should take no effort to get at least $1,000 additional discount from the dealer, a lot of people have gotten even more. A brand new 2017 Prime Premium is MSRP 28,800 less all of the discounts that I mentioned and would have many if not most of the features that you would get on a 2016 four as well as possibly more safety features. There are of course pro and con with each, too many to go into in one post especially not knowing if you have already looked at and ruled out the Prime for one reason or another. But I didn't want to assume that you knew about the massive discounts and credits currently available on a new Prime. If you have a place to plug it in you would get quite a lot of car for the money. So if you haven't looked at it already you may want to at least check it out before making your final decision on the 2016 Four.

 

You may want to check what safety features are on the car. In 2016 most of the safety features now standard were only in optional packages.
If you have the VIN you can put is on the Toyota Owners site to see dealer maintenance and what options the car originally came with.

 

Just remembered: never mind checking the spare, there isn't one.

 

True. Only Two, Three, Three Touring have spare tires.

They probably should check that the "goo kit" is complete & unused.

 

Essentially, a 40k mile PRIUS should be "like new" in most respects. Crawl over it and check that it is in good condition. Check the things as mentioned above.

I'd particularly check:

• Check it drives nicely, that there are no stray warning lamps lighting;
• check that everything works;
• it has been routinely serviced and recorded; and
• Two fobs - not sure about PRIUS, but they can cost a fortune to replace (well, up to $500).

 

The 2017 Prius added a lot of safety features as standard. The later 2017 (we call 2017.5) added some others by default. Of course the 2018 has them too.

Just further "food for thought"...

 

Yes four seats in the Prime. Seems to be a deal-breaker mainly for people with small children, as an adult wouldn't comfortably fit into the middle seat anyway.