Hey all. Just picked up a Gen 2 from copart. Clean title, one owner, 224k miles. It was my first copart purchase. When I was a kid, my Dad bought his own Gen 2 new in 2004, and I thought it was awesome. He drove it for 120,000 miles and traded it on a 2007 Camry Hybrid XLE that we got used, and now he has a 2015 Avalon Hybrid XLE. That original 2004 Prius hooked my whole family on Toyota and hybrids. I’ve been looking for a good daily commuter for cheap, and have always wanted to see what it’s like to buy from copart. I looked at priuses and found this one. I literally drove it home from the lot 25 miles and enjoyed it. It’s rough, but the battery is holding a great charge, and the car has no lights on the dash. I’ll be cleaning it up and assessing it more tomorrow. Below I’ve attached my first gas stop after picking it up. This car is filthy! I look forward to modding the hell out of this thing
Excellent buy!!!! Make sure you keep us informed of the positive, negatives and modifications. Much luck with your new to you Prius.
Thanks for the support guys. I will update this forum regularly. Hopefully it gives light to people curious about buying an auction prius and what it’s like to own one. Had no time to mess with it today unfortunately. Here’s some more pics for you all to see it’s current condition. Needs: New brakes New tires Inspection (check that dated tag) A good cleaning (in/out) iPhone ?
Type in the Vin# to Toyota owners page and let us know it's service history... Also make brakes your lowest priority. People always think the have to do the brakes on a Prius, but the car is primarily braked by regenerative brakes, so the mechanical brakes are only for below 6mph and emergency stops. Rusty rotors can be cleaned quickly by braking a relatively long distance with the regenerative braking disengaged / car in neutral. I usually tell people to wait till brakes have first sign of noise or rough running below 6mph... If the vehicle is mostly freeway miles, then you can get 1/4 million miles on original brakes no problem. If the vehicle was used for mail delivery, then you'll actually have to get the brakes done more often than a regular vehicle because the braking system is under-sized for that type of use.
I agree that the notion of "doing the brakes", which usually seems to mean replacing a bunch of brake parts because they are there, often is overkill on a Prius, even at highish miles. The brakes can be kept in great shape just by inspecting them regularly, which may occasionally lead to repairing or replacing only what the inspection reveals as needed, if anything; often it just means confirming they're just fine and putting them back together. But that inspection is worth doing. I would have it on my to-do list for relatively soon, especially if the car was sitting on a lot for a while. Not to buy a bunch of new parts in advance and replace stuff, but only to see the current conditions, note what if anything might be needed, and put it back together moving smoothly and easily.
Hey there, appreciate the heads up. I noticed after drive probably 15 minutes and braking semi hard to clear them off helped smooth the ride quite a bit. I have a feeling this car sat for a very very long time. One tire was dead flat when they drove it out to me, and another was nearly flat. I was making a ton of noises and vibrations when I first started driving, and I could hear what sounded like a brake clipping a rotor (maybe the e brake sticking after being on for a long time). Over time it smoothened out a bit; I still need to really air the tires up to about 40psi, right now they're all barely 30psi. I want to do the brakes because it's super cheap (35$ on rockauto for a rotors/pads kit) and these ones are extremely rusty. I know the engine does most of the braking, but I would like the car to pass inspection as well. I know you mention a prius can do a quarter million miles on original brakes and this car is pretty much there at 224k. I may hold off for now though and just look for tires. Unfortunately the wheels all have lock nuts, and the key is nowhere in the car. All and any advice welcome, and I appreciate the input/insight!
Totally agree with getting it inspected depending on how long it sat (see my above reply for info on it's condition when I got it). I definitely want to make sure it is safe before I start driving it frequently or for lengthy distances. It stops very well/quickly now though, the rotors are just completely rust and have insane grooving in them at this point. For the cheap price of brakes, I'm considering just buying some myself and doing it.
Update: finally vacuumed and wiped down some of the interior. This thing is perhaps the grossest vehicle I have ever been in. Check out the cabin filter.... 1st Pic - From a fully empty shop vac, to what you see 2nd Pic - Cabin filter. Immense amounts of rat nesting/crap and acorns 3rd Pic - Trans tunnel carpeting in the rear before vacuuming...this is a hairy car Should I get her detailed? iPhone ?
Just drove about 60 miles varying from highways to town driving. Very easy to get good mpgs. My average over the last 95 miles (since I bought it) is only 33.7 since this includes the first time it ever started in probably a long time when they brought it to me. The car idled for probably 20-30 minutes while we prepped it for the road at the auction. iPhone ?
I had the same wheel locks on my car and lost the key too. I took it to used tire shop and they hammered a socket over the lock and used a air power drill and was able to back out the wheel locks without the key. I ask them to removed all the wheel locks and I replaced the with lug nuts.
Well if you're good at doing your own brakes and got a good price on pads it makes sense. Keep in mind the brake system is always on, so make sure to disconnect the 12v or you'll have a nightmare on your hands...
Thanks to you both for the information about the brakes, I will definitely disconnect the 12v. Had no idea about that! I appreciate the documentation/how-tos. I have a video I’ll be posting shortly on my youtube channel if anyone is interested in watching. iPhone ?
Not sure who mentioned that, but yeah, always good. If front caliper is off, or rear drum, there's a possibility the brakes will decide to pressurize (usually if driver's door is opened, but who knows...). Disconnecting the neg 12 volt cable before starting, and when done, before reconnecting: pump the brake pedal multiple times, to take out any excess travel in the brake pedal. If the car detects too much travel it can throw a code.
Hmm yeah thats weird someone else had commented but seems it’s gone now. I’ll be sure to pump the brakes too. There’s a few youtube tutorials and it seems fairly simple for a weekend job amongst other maint items like oil change etc. I’m fairly handy with simple car stuff which is great for a project like this car. iPhone ?
I don't usually worry about the 12v disconnect when doing brakes. If you press the brake until you hear the pump run, you know the pressure will stay high enough without subsequent brake pedal strokes and will not run again. Then lock the car with the door handle button, and take the fob away from the car. It won't run because it thinks you're away from the car. When you unlock and open the drivers door, the pump will normally run regardless of if it's needed.
