Hello, I was offered a “free” Toyota Prius 2010 with 230k miles on it. The quotations represent that I need to drive cross country for it. It had one owner, my father, who says it is in great shape and just had the brakes fixed. Now on the one hand a free car is a free car. However I am very interested in the expected reliability. I need it as a low mileage daily driver and I need it for work/school so unexpected breakdowns are a big liability. How does a 230k Prius die? If it’s a slow process, I don’t mind because I can always just pick up a certified used Toyota in a day or two. However I can’t tolerate sudden breakdowns that leave me on the side of the road with no warnings. Also do you think that I can expect it to last me one year? That’s important because i just need it to get me to next summer break. Basically is a free 230k 2010 Prius a safe choice for at least a year or is it a white elephant.
welcome! dang, i thought you were giving one away unfortunately, prius, while they can go 4 or 500,000 miles in a highly serviced taxi fleet, are not suitable for people who are not capable of doing their own repairs. there are very expensive systems that go go at any time, leaving you stranded, and costing thousands of dollars to repair at a dealership. (finding a good indy hybrid mechanic is dicey) i would pass, if it were me. if it were right next door, i would take it and drive it until the first expensive repair, then sell it. but that could come at a cost of a breakdown in nowheresville all the best!
Actually, Nowheresville is quite pleasant this time of year. Less crowded than East Gish, and less expensive than East Bumf###.
Yeah I realized my post title looked like some early 2000's spam after I submitted it. And thank you bisco, I think I'll just go with getting a fresher car. Last thing I need is to be on the side of the road during my weekly exams. Not to mention that in order to actually get the car I either need to drive it from CA to Miami or have it shipped for >1k
I'd take the free car in a hearbeat. Worst case, it craps out and you're where you started. Best case, it runs a long time and doesn't give you many problems. Either way, you are a winner.
I'm with jb. Depending on the condition. If it's genuinely in great (or even decent) shape, and with brakes recently "fixed" (sensible question: what was wrong with them?), it's anything but a white elephant. Yes, there is a chance of some expensive component failing. If you have taken the amount of cash you did not spend on the car and put it in the bank against such a risk, you're covered if it happens, and if it doesn't, there's cash in the bank.
Reading between the lines, it probably is an OK car but in reality your parents want you to visit them
originally i was thinking that having it shipped across country is still less expensive than getting a new(er) car, but ILuvPriusTo makes a good point...it's worth a visit with the 'rents. Though the mileage is high and puts it in the dirty egr/possible head gasket category (and 9 years on the hybrid battery), those expensive repairs are kinda dependent on how your dad drove it. Seems like mainly city driving with occasional road trips. So you may have a bit more time with it. Bisco makes a good point though, at this mileage it wouldn't be cost effective to maintain if you don't do the work yourself (or at least have a friend that will only charge a case of beverage for their labor). If you decide to get it, just to be safe, have a plan B at the ready so you aren't making stressed rushed decisions that are costly. IE. be prepared for a tow to the closest city, and get a plane ticket home. Not saying it will break down, but being prepared sure lets you keep a cool head (maybe I'm speaking from many silly expensive rash decisions like an $800 30 mile towing bill)
If in doubt, splurge on AAA Premier service (or glom onto your parents' AAA account if they have one). Up to 200 miles towing. I have this for me, my wife and two adult children both of whom are married.
Take it, drive it, and don't worry about what might happen. Any car could break down on you....but I'm thinking you will be very surprised at how much further this one will go.
That worst case applies only a car very close by, not to one that must to moved across the continent. The later includes the costs of time and travel (including room and board) round trip, plus the added risk of potential failure half way across and possibly having to make a repair / tow / sell / scrap decision mid-continent.
I'd take the risk. Sitting at home and wasting heartbeats isn't for me. Take a risk, get a nice roadtrip out of it, some memories (good or bad), visit the parents. Throw in a tent and bag and camp along the way. Or, stay in biker motels or off the beaten path local places. Couch surf with friends.
Im with you JB. Time for an adventure! I'm sure a planned route can be found to never keep you tooo far away from a town or in Cell coverage areas. Definitely a bigger risk if this was the 80s or 90s when being stranded meant you had to pray a car would drive by.
I'll share a story of my wife's cousin's high mileage Prius. Her father bought it used at 50K miles and drove it for years until he got it to 270K. He then offered it to his daughter for free because "the battery has got to be replaced on this soon I think". She gladly accepted the gift of a car that she would normally have to pay money for and did not try to find reasons why it might break on the side of the road. She drove it for years and the family eventually needed a mini-van and she traded it in then. It has 350K miles on it and had yet to have any issues. Take the car.
Why are people not capable of having someone else do the repairs for them? I'm confused by this statement implying only taxi companies should own high mileage Prius's when this board seem to be full of folks who talk about dealership repairs as needed ad very happy owners of cars into the 300K range.
I would jump on this in a heartbeat. It’s a good deal even with the cross country trip. I would have been all over this one. Even if all I did is sell it when I got it home. Because the revenue from selling it would have paid for all the expenses of driving it back across the country. For the sake of argument we are assuming the car makes it with no issues at all.
