My $.02 worth. I just sold a wonderful 2008 with 145,000 miles on it. It still got over 50 mpg. Having bought the vehicle new and done all the maintenance on it myself I knew there was nothing currently wrong with it. It was a daily driver and a family car we depended on. I was getting a little uneasy driving a 12 year old vehicle with 145,000 miles on it. I could tell the car was beginning to show its age and wear and tear even though everything worked. A 14 year old car with close to half a million miles is not everyone's cup of tea. I would not buy this vehicle unless I had other dependable transportation available and at least a $2000 emergency fund for repairs. A brake actuator replacement and hybrid battery repalacement would run $1134 + $2000 if you did it yourself and used new oem parts. I wouldn't even feel confident guessing what a Toyota dealer would charge for doing it and supplying the parts. Good luck whatever you decide!
Hmm, maybe not cheap enough, eh? Perhaps I should lowball the seller. He tried to get $2800 and failed. What do you think a "cheap" price would be?
If you want a frugal car a Prius can be a good choice if you have a $5000 reserve for repairs. On average, the Prius is very reliable, but you don't buy the average, you buy one specific Prius. A new transaxle is about $5000 (if you DIY, you would buy used) The most you can do to keep it healthy is ATF WS drain and fill every 100,000 miles. A new inverter is about $4000 (if you DIY, you would buy used) The best idea is to NEVER jump start other vehicles and try not to jump start your Prius. A new HV battery is about $3000 (and you want new) Overheating is you enemy, use B mode on long steep downhills and use A/C if you feel at all hot. (There should be no long steep downhills near Omaha)
Or, I could think of it as pre-buying a parts car. When something expensive breaks, just buy another cheap Prius. Why pay for expensive parts when an entire car costs less? Even the two old batteries ought to live for a long time as one, eh? Just use the best modules out of each, balance, and restored! (or so he thinks)
No way it’s worth more than $1k and that’s a gamble. The only way a car with that sort of mileage makes sense is if you can treat it as though it is disposable. Otherwise you could find yourself doing a major repair every time you turn around. I wouldn’t be willing to do much more than an oil change on a gen 2 Prius with 450k miles.
I don't know what to tell you, but it gives me good hope for my one owner 06 with 301,000 on it that I got for 2,800. It was evaluated in very good shape so maybe another 150,000 left? I did just spend 300 on front brakes though....
Why not look for a Prius with a bad battery, low mileage (relative term) and drop a new or @2k1Toaster ’s kit in and have better odds. They are not that hard to find these days and you can get them for $800-$1000. Then you have essentially what you thought was a good deal and made a longer lasting option. Good luck and keep us posted .
hard to put a number on. i guess whatever amount you're comfortable losing. think of it as taking the cash to vegas
I guess it depends on what has been replaced, etc....Do you have any data on that? I would assume it has had at least one new battery...and possibly a new engine at some point? If not, it is certainly less of a 'deal'. However, $2400 seems like it is overpriced regardless of how you look at it.
For that mileage, no more than $1K, and that is after an inspection shows no obvious problems. Otherwise $250-$500.
That’s? It is not a good deal. If it’s 1500 go for it but that’s likely 3000 worth of future things that will break down. I don’t think your should buy it for 2400.
I purchased my 2006 one owner with 220k miles on the clock for 3k last year. I drove it a year and it needed a battery. While some will say I overpaid but the average price up here was that for a beat up low mile car, or salvage title. Car was in great shape just needed a few things for TLC and has been a solid commuter for 15k miles so far. Though at 450k how is the engine? Oil consumption is an issue, how is the transmission? The battery is probably ready to go, the driver seat is probably just metal covered with fabric unless it was small person driving. I would low ball.
