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2011 Prius Four Advice

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by caracarn, Jul 12, 2019.

  1. caracarn

    caracarn New Member

    Joined:
    Jul 12, 2019
    4
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    Location:
    Ohio
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    So I know nothing about hybrids, let's start there, which is why I am posting here.

    I've read a few posts, that have me rethinking if my reserving a 2011 Prius Four with 39K miles on it is a good idea given the comments about low miles on a hybrid not being good. My wife owned a Prius before we were married (I think it was a 2004, one of the early ones, so if I have the year wrong, like they were not made it was the first gen for sure) and she loved it but not sure she knows this either. She was quite excited then I told her what I found, but the intent is we are replacing a Honda Odyssey now that the kids are gone and we want this car to last forever if possible so not wanting to start out in the hole because of low mileage being terrible.

    Also how do I know about the battery replacement? I saw a post here about 10 years being normal, and I was hoping again the mileage would prolong that, but I guess my AAA batteries do not last longer then their expiration date (though I do wonder why a AAA has a shelf life of 20 years, but an expensive car battery is 10. Maybe it is because it is being used) I'm sure you guys can explain it to me.

    Anyway, it's $14K for this 2011 sub 40K mile 2011 Prius Four. Thoughts?
     
    #1 caracarn, Jul 12, 2019
  2. High Mileage

    High Mileage Active Member

    Joined:
    Nov 25, 2016
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    Location:
    California
    Vehicle:
    2018 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Advanced
    Caracarn, I can only offer past experience with my 2010 Gen3 pkg2. I purchased it in August 2012 for $16K with 60K miles on it. I drove it for 260K miles. I just recently sold it for $4K with 270K miles because I purchased a 2018 Prime.
    Besides normal maintenance I replaced both rear wheel bearings.
    $14K seems a little high for a 2011, but it is a Pkg4 and has low miles.
    Based on what I have been reading it seems like climate takes the most toll on the hybrid batteries, hot climates seem to decrease life. There really does not seem to be an established normal life for the Gen3 batteries yet, we are just getting to the 10 year mark for the early 2010 Gen3 models.
    If this car has had good maintenance it could last you a long time. Planning for a replacement battery would not hurt. Others will most likely chime in with ways the current battery can be tested and give you an idea of its health. A Toyota mechanic I know had told me with mine it was a good idea to cycle the battery from full charge to its minimum level of ~80% when possible. I did this regularly by driving through town with easy throttle drawing it down to 2 bars until the ICE started. Another part of my drive was an extended downhill that ended up regenerating it to full capacity.
    I really enjoyed driving my Gen3, hopefully you find something and join our family, best of luck.
     
    #2 High Mileage, Jul 12, 2019
    Raytheeagle likes this.
  3. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 1, 2016
    11,257
    15,491
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    Location:
    Bay Area, California
    Vehicle:
    2019 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Plus
    $14k is too high ;).

    Nice low miles though:).

    Good luck with the purchase or another one(y).
     
    #3 Raytheeagle, Jul 12, 2019
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    110,156
    50,059
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    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    welcome!
    there's just no way we can tell you how long the battery will last. at a little less than 5k a year, that shouldn't be too detrimental.
    there are several expensive issues on gen 3 that could be a problem, but overall, they are very reliable vehicles.
    for less risk of expensive repairs, you'd have to forgo the 50mpg and look at camry/corolla/yaris, etc
     
    #4 bisco, Jul 12, 2019
  5. caracarn

    caracarn New Member

    Joined:
    Jul 12, 2019
    4
    5
    0
    Location:
    Ohio
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    Thanks for the feedback. I'm not finding a lot of 2011's to compare it to (in my area). I'm looking at this one on Carvana, and it seems in line with the cars there. I did a Kelley Blue Book on this model and got this with 40K. With the typical 100K+ it was down to 9K, so the low mileage is adding a $4.5K premium. Could that be why it feels like $14K is too high? FYI it also have the Navigation package in it which looked like a pricey option (about $2K). You can see the window sticker in the Carvana link.

    upload_2019-7-15_13-28-48.png

    So it seems to be in line, and marked up a bit for the "Carvana convenience" . I cannot post a link as the site will not let me (have not met min. posting) but the vehicle number is 1256131. You can replace that on the Carvana site and see the car. The car will not be up for 13 days or so, but I have placed my $100 reservation for it, which I can back out of. We spent the weekend searching a bit and really are having a hard time finding anything better, but I certainly value the input as I am a hybrid newbie.
     
    #5 caracarn, Jul 15, 2019
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