I joined around a month ago and thought I finally settled on a 2007 with 135k miles for just $3200 out the door. The problem is the used car dealer said it had some battery trouble, and needed to have it checked out. Two weeks later, and they still haven't gotten the car checked so I'm back looking again. There is still another car I found on the table from a used dealer. It's a 2014 Base model with 169k miles for around $7k out the door. I would rather have lower mileage, but given the gen 2's like to have the battery or the brake actuator go out, driving the cost to be equal to a newer higher mileage one, is it worth the risk? I'll be driving 20k miles a year on it most likely. I wanted to get into a prius, but I just don't know. lol Some buy these and within weeks have problems.
Every generation has its problems. If you're the DIY type, both generations can be fairly reliable with a little elbow grease. If you're looking to bring the car to the dealer to service, you best stay away from a high mileage prius
The 2014 is priced competitively, assuming it's in good condition, as per kbb here. It's out of warranty, due to the miles, but the hybrid battery should still be in very good shape, being 4-5 years old. I'd have a mechanic go over the car carefully and check out the carfax for prior history. IMO, the reason why "some buy these and within weeks have problems" is because they were sold/traded in by the original owner because of these specific problems, so buyer beware. In the case of this specific '14, it could simply be because the owner has a traveling job which requires 30-40k highway miles a year, and wanted a new car.
you're more likely to have a head gasket issue than battery. unless the egr circuit was improved by '14.
Make the decision for the right reasons, not just because it's a gen 3 prius. Stay away from high mile ones w/o it's EGR circuit and manifold cleaned prior.
some gen 4 owners argue that there are already enough on the road with enough accumulated miles to know there will be no long term issues.
While they argue that, the mileage isn’t there for confirmation, but I know you agree with that. When did we start getting oil catch cans and egr circuit cleanses as part of the Gen3 maintenance? Definitely not 3 model years in. I’ll patiently wait for the gen4 braintrust to find out if their claims are substantiated by years and miles.
i'm thinking the spring 2017 danlatu thread? only 8 years in. of course, we had years of, 'why does my engine sound like it's going to blow up when i turn the car on?', and 'my low oil light came on'.
Today another option popped up. 2008 garage kept by older couple, full maintenance at toyota, new Toyota Battery, 203k miles, amazing interior for age, Will take $4700. Looking at the service history I can't find the battery, but they say they have the receipt for the new battery from May. The service history shows the evap coil was replaced at 136k miles, and the screen/computer was already replace recently. The only thing left that I know of is the abs actuator that could give a fit. Worth the plunge? 2008 Toyota prius - cars & trucks - by owner - vehicle automotive sale
I like that it's a private party sale, because you can chat with the owner and get information. At very good condition (standard hatchback), the kbb private party value is $4,727- which is probably how this couple came up with the price. Basically, you have a Prius that has a new hybrid battery, but the owner is not increasing the price to offset his cost. That's not common and a plus. This could be a good buy, but call Toyota NA customer service and verify that the car has a new OEM battery and they'll tell you about the battery's warranty (you'll need the vin#). 3 years if the dealership installed the battery. If there is no record with Toyota NA customer service, then it's probably not an OEM battery and that changes everything.
