I am considering buying a 2008 Prius with only 56K miles on it. For a 10 year old car to have such low mileage, I am assuming that the owner went for long spans of time without driving it. What long term impact would that have on a Prius engine? And, would you recommend buying it? Thanks!
welcome! no problem for the engine, but the battery is a bit more of a concern. do you have the ownership, maintenance and accident history? they may have driven it everyday, or once a week. plan on a new hybrid battery, potentially down the road. maybe a 12v, depending on how old it is. 2008 is a tank, and the rest should last a long time, assuming it is legit all the best!
Like Bisco said. The engine is not a problem The Traction battery would be the problem. Look around the site and see the amount of low mileage Prius that have traction battery problems. You should expect to have to replace the battery within a year or two, unless the owner has done battery maintenance with something like the Hybrid Systems setup. How much are they asking? Seems like the low mileage ones go for high prices then the battery fails due to low use. Base your price on needing a new battery soon and you will be ok.
A dealership is asking $7900. One owner, no accidents. I'll ask about the battery maintenance history and the driving-rate history, if they have it. Wow, that's an expensive replacement. I'll try to factor it into the price negotiations. Thanks!!
Might get a little hoarse from doing all the vroom vroom noises yourself. Seriously, not many concerns on the engine but the high voltage traction battery doesn't love sitting idle. The car will probably need a new one in the next few years, with little warning. If you're ready for that, enjoy!
Can the dealership do any kind of test to determine the traction battery's health? Or am just gambling?
+1 Besides.....you may not be dealing with a vehicle that has been idle for long periods of time. 5,600 miles a year is just about what a retired person who lives close to a senior center, Kroger's, bingo hall and church might put on their car. It might have literally been a daily driver.
Thanks, everyone. Is there an extended warranty I can buy along with the car that would cover a new traction battery??
More than likely, a contract that would cover the HV battery would cost more than a replacement battery.
Hey, it's a 10 year old Prius. Even if it had 130,000 miles on it, you'd be getting in the range of having to think about future HV battery replacement. So my feeling is...same difference...buy it, know it's a possibility,- but don't worry about it. Just know, it might be a problem next week, or it could be years. If you're prepared to deal with that reality? Then it won't be a bigger issue than that. And IMO while it's difficult to predict HV battery failure, if you're concerned about engine condition, that's much more discoverable. A good pre-purchase inspection by a competent mechanic should be able to give you an idea where the engine is at as far as condition.
Don't. Extended warranties are rip-offs EVEN when they're genuine OEM extended warranties sold with new cars. Anything you can buy for a 10-year-old used car will only be financially beneficial to the person selling the "coverage." Besides DIY, the smartest thing that you can do is to establish a long term relationship with an independent mechanic who has a three-digit IQ and a reasonable work ethic. They don't have to be a "hybrid" mechanic. There are enough YouTube videos out there to effect ANY kind of repair to a G2 Prius. I would not let a dealership do ANYTHING to this car!!! Think about it... They SELL NEW cars for a living. That provides them with a very powerful incentive to give you a grossly overstated estimation for a dire prognostication, and let you walk through their lot while you mull things over. About the BEST thing that you can hope for is to pay too much for maintenance that you might "need" for your car. Never EVER EVER take a healthy 10-year-old mechanically reliable car anywhere near a new car dealership....... Start saving for the traction (big) battery if you get this car - and it might be over priced! They're only about $2,000 - down market and while that might seem to be a big amount - driving a 10 year old car means that you might face a four digit repair bill for many other things (HVAC, Suspension, Brakes, Engine, Transaxle.....etc.....) ESPECIALLY at the dealership. Good Luck!
You know with Oil Changes or any "Normal" ICE maintenance that's the argument isn't it? I kind of disagree. My philosophy when I owned a Hybrid, was that I owned a Hybrid. That meant to me, that I wanted a mechanic/technician familiar with all aspects of the machine, including and especially the hybrid aspect. Too many threads of things gone wrong because a mechanic NOT familiar with Hybrid operation does something as simple as not realize the vehicle isn't off, when changing the oil. Or as simple as letting the battery drain. Even intelligent people, can do "stupid" things if they aren't familiar with how a Hybrid operates. For my money...find a shop with technicians trained and familiar with Hybrids. You own a special vehicle, take it to the specialist trained to repair it.
I totally agree with you on this. In Lagos, Nigeria, you see a lot of so-called electricians claiming to be hybrid professionals. At the end, when people hand their vehicles to them, they make them worse!
The answer to your question is no. All they can do is set it up on their test machine and look at it. You can do the same thing yourself and if you post the results here you have more experienced support than the average dealer. Also it’s only a gamble if you don’t expect to have to replace the battery soon. If you go in expecting to have to replace it and pay according you will be fine
$7,900. is a great price. your best bet would be to negotiate a new battery with the purchase because the dealer only pays around $1,200. for a battery.
I disagree 7900 is a terrible price. The car has a 10 year old battery it’s most likely going to fail soon. The problem with hybrids is people want to think about them like regular cars. They are not. If you don’t get a new factory battery at that price I would walk away.
I agree with ETC. A lot of other things could possibly need repair? Or very close to it? Is it burning oil? What about that ghastly MFD instrument panel replacement? I'm no mechanic. Especially when it comes to a Prius. I would be at the mercy of the mechanics, dealer, etc. For that reason, I would avoid any used vehicle more than a couple years old. But that's just me.
car only has 56k, nothing else is going to go wrong that won't go wrong on any 10 year old $7,900. car.
