Used 2011 Prius with 150K Mileage

I suggest you reread my post without "your" interpetation. My advice was given to the OP and applies specifically their end. Had you asked the same, knowing only the same basics of your BIO, it would be different. Basic cheap reliable point A to B daily driver Prii with this many miles and know issues is not an ideal first purchase for the OP's station and experience in life. He has way to many other things life will be testing him with now. Newer Civic and Corolla options with less miles at or below the Prius "premium" price would serve him better, cheaper and longer. You believe as you will and so will I, but we're here to advise specically to the OP's request, not to brag who's got the prettiest Wife or who's longer. Enjoy the Hollidays and Merry Chrustmas Sir.

 

If someone needs a dependable vehicle, and can't work on it themselves, then they need to spend more money
and get something dependable and reliable. Doesn't matter the make or model.
It wouldn't matter how easy it is to work on if they are not capable of doing the work, for whatever reason.

 

So far this thread has covered the HV battery mainly but the engine also has 150,000 miles on it and either at this mileage being a new owner to the car could spell it's death. Time will eventually spell death to all batteries and mileage to an engine and some other factors for both.

 

Every battery and engine will fail, eventually. From what I've read on here, and other places, the battery can be maintained
to last longer. Same for the motor.
It will depend on who's taking care of it. Any vehicle will need work, and have failures. I feel the Prius is no different.

 

Any battery clock begins ticking the day it is made, engines not so much.

 

Unfortunately Hybrid Battery Failure....is not a myth, or even really rare. In reality, it's inevitable. Own a Prius long enough, and eventually the Hybrid Battery will fail.

7 years old, and 150,000 miles, and the Prius you are speculating about, is at least in the zone, where failure could happen. That doesn't mean it would, only that it's not impossible.

Therefore, if you don't have the financial means or DIY skills to replace the battery? I would have to vote pass.

 

Even with the mechanical skills and a few dollars extra it will still cost more than what the car is worth Black Book with that many miles...I know first hand...and the rest of the car is still old and worn out. As I stated with my Yugo, Pinto and Vega example, why bother.

Don't buy a Prius older than a 2015 with 50K miles or less. That will still give you a good 100K miles relatively trouble free and last as long as a "new" same class "US" vehicle that cost more. My Civic/Corolla recommendation still stands though.

 

It should be $5500

 

Everyone here seems to recommend a Toyota Corolla instead of a Prius but with cheap gas this is what I would buy.

1997 Lincoln Town Car Cartier | eBay

Lincoln Town Cars, Mercury Grand Marquis and Crown Victoria are cheap to buy, dependable and parts are cheap. They have been used for Taxi's, Police cars and limousine service and are capable of 400,000 miles. Not so high tech and easy to work on, just like dad did.

 

Pass.

With two stern-shots:

1. "Not a DIY'er" is no excuse unless your time is worth more money that what you would save in learning a few new skills and buying about $100 in tools to start off, and this is an area in your life that you can use your ONE HUGE ADVANTAGE (youth) to set you on a path to be financially free when you're 50.

Or?
You can make new car payments all your life.

Your call.

EITHER WAY, you'll be pretty much paying cash for your cars when you get to be my age.
The difference will be how new/nice they are

2. You're worried about the traction battery, which would cost ME about $1500 to replace, and that's a good thing to worry about for a 150,000 mile hybrid.....but remember that Priuses also have inverters and MG windings in their transaxles....and regenerative braking.

Corollas do not have any of that....and you're going to need the $2000 in your repair fund to cover the things that a Corolla with 150,000 miles on the clock WILL need including but not limited to: HVAC, Suspension, Motor, Brakes, Tires....all of which Priuses DO have....and since you "do not DIY" you're going to rely on somebody ELSE to determine how much it's going to cost you to drive your own car.


Congratulations on your first steps in adulthood!
Priuses are not bad cars to want AT ALL!!!
You're already showing more good judgement and maturity than I did (do?) at your age......a really LOW bar!!

Philosophers in my time usta say:

....You can't always get what you want
But if you try sometime you find
You get what you need.....

Good Luck!

 

No way, I always recommend Honda Civic hybrid.

Mine would be Lexus LS500, has 16 audio discrete channels pushing 23 speakers at 2,400 nominal watts -Mark Levinson Reference technology.

 

I think if you substitute the word "car" for "vehicle", it's still valid.

 

The Prius would be a good vehicle to learn to "Do It Yourself" repairs.

 

+1

 

Take a look at the list of cars that are kept for over 250,000 miles. (Prius is on there). Find a competent, trustworthy mechanic to evaluate the car you are going to buy (ask family, friends, neighbors - don't go with random choice) Find at least three of the cars on that list in the best condition you can afford (they can all be the same make/model but give yourself choices) - it's much easier to get a good deal buying from a private seller, but you have to watch out for lemons - that's what you have the mechanic for.

Pick the one the mechanic tells you will give you the longest, most trouble-free lifespan (hint - ask the mechanic to make the recommendation as if he was going to have to pay for all the repairs himself). Then enjoy your car. Learning to fix/maintain cars is an important life skill - try to do as much as you can.

 

Always make me laugh when I read posts here about prius maintenance and repairs, you would think from reading here it's an italian exotic. These cars are dirt cheap to fix/repair. I bought my 2010 with 136k miles and replaced the shocks, brake pads, rotors, spark plugs, all the fluids, wheel bearings, filters, tires for less than a grand. Unless you have a catastrophic engine failure you can fix just about anything on the whole car for $500 or less.

This is a vehicle that's actually expensive to repair: So You Want Buy a Used Ferrari, do You? F355 Owner Spent $47,845 to Repair the Engine! | Carscoops

 

I have a friend who had one of the more exotic Jaguar and he said you can't afford to own some cars without a warranty.
I listen to him.

 

I wish I read your guy's advice earlier... I never had anyone teach me anything, I had to learn everything on my own from experience. The piece of shit that created me (don't want to call him dad, he's no father to me) never taught me anything in my whole twenty two years of age. I bought a used 2010 Toyota Prius with 119k miles on it a month ago and It appears that the previous owners took really good care of the vehicle (mechanically), so all I have to do is carry on the maintenance. I just wish I had bought a new vehicle instead after reading all of your advices, but like I said, I learn from my mistakes cause no one except me will teach myself anything.

 

I bought my 2010 with 116,000 miles on it. The guy had EVERY receipt for EVERYTHING he did.
He took good care of it. It did have some nicks on it, but that should be expected for an 7 year old vehicle.
I've done all the matainence since, changed the plugs, oil, transmission, front brakes, EGR Cooler and extras.
So unless you paid WAY too much for it, a new one costs at least 4 times as much!
You should be happy!

 

And the new ones appear 4x less attractive.