Picking up a 2014 C 4 Friday 10 k miles

Maybe check the tires for drywall cracks in the tires. Low mileage yes, but the rubber still ages. Remove the oil fill cap, check for any "milky" looking buildup. This is indicative of short trip driving where the engine does not get warmed up enough to get rid of any moisture.

Also, just a recommendation here if you purchase the vehicle. When shutting off the car, let the engine stop on it's own first. Then turn the vehicle off. Prius' will sometimes do a "herky jerk" thing when starting up after being shut off when that engine was running. Doesn't hurt the car, but boy it sounds awful. lol

 

Be aware that the hybrid battery lifespan is a little shorter in the c vs. the liftback, and the warranty on it is a bit shorter as well.

Much like tires, the battery degrades over time whether the car is driven or not.

The c model is really amazing for overall reliability, among the best on the planet. Just be aware that the hybrid battery was built to last 8-10 years and this one is already 7+ years old so make certain you've accounted for that.

Hopefully the low mileage means a pristine interior, but that little usage can also invite in pests. Read up on rodent damage, where to look and what to sniff.

Not at all scientific but I think the most common defect that gets mentioned on these pages is the power lock actuators in the doors. They seem to fail prematurely, and Toyota's genuine replacements seem to be no better than the brand x knockoffs from eBay.

 

The gas engine on a Prius will stop & start on it's own when the ignition is on. ie: when first turning the vehicle on, acceleration or operation at speeds above say 35mph or to recharge the battery. They are not like a regular vehicle where the gas engine runs continuously.

Quite a few posts here on Prius Chat actually where people new to a hybrid think something is wrong with the car because the gas motor is starting up and shutting off repeatedly. This is normal. lol

So when you pull into your drive or parking place. Just let the gas engine shut down on it's own. Because at times it may continue running to keep heat in your vehicle, or to recharge the hybrid battery. It isn't "required", that you let it shut off on it's on, so it's ok to shut the ignition off - but at times and under certain conditions (such as if the trip was short and the gas motor didn't get fully warmed up), when restarting the engine may "kick / buck".

If that happens, just shut it off and restart the vehicle.

.

 

@dubit is that something like the 'car wash start,' the hard start suffered by many cars after the engine has only been run for a brief moment? (the name comes from driving the car the typically short distance from the wash stall to an adjacent vacuum bay)

We've never experienced anything like it in our c, never did any special shutdown procedure or really thought about it before either.

 

I'd be very cautious about a 6-7 year old car having 10K miles on it.

 

Great!
Happy landings!

I'm just guessing here, but but "flying in" and "picking up from a dealer" pretty much means that you're marrying the car....so the research portion of this transaction is pretty much in the rear-view mirror.
Unless you bought a round-trip ticket...you're driving the car back, right?

To continue with the metaphor you're combining a marriage ceremony with a blind first date.
Yeah.....
You can leave the car at the altar (more on that in a bit....) but it's gonna cost you SOMETHING....even if it's only a wasted plane flight.

Good!

Yes.
Several.....
This is one of the first times I'll ever be saying this, but you should do what the dealer service adviser says.

Check the car over from stem to stern.
You're buying the car from "a dealer" which probably means a Toyota dealer. Make them give you the service records.

Yeah....
I know what you may be thinking.
At 10,000 miles there shouldn't BE very many entries....and if they tell you that...this means that they're either crooks or they don't know very much about cars, and since they SELL cars......that kinda narrows things down in my book.

Basic math says that if the vehicle is "properly maintained" then there should be at least 15 entries in the log.
After all....If TIME didn't count your vehicle would still be under warranty.....
be kinda interesting to read the log, huh?
---and there IS a log!

READ every word on every piece of paper before you sign or initial.
PRESUME that the car has been wrecked, stolen, neglected, flooded out, used in a driver's education class or to provide training for people in an anger management class on how to work on cars.
Then?
Check the car out from stem to stern and look for evidence of these things.
Look under the spare and at the jack.
Check the plastic panels under the car for ramp-strikes.
Make sure the engine bay isn't "too clean"
MAKE the dealer give you a car-fax printout that THEY ran before they rooked the previous owner on the trade-in.
I would be VERY suspicious if they didn't run SOME kind of check - because only idiots buy cars without checking for signs of odometer fraud....rebuilt titles...etc. ESPECIALLY on 8-year-old crème-puffs with only 10k miles, that a local buyer hasn't already snapped up!!

AFTER you sign?

You and the car are married....so that means you might as well forget about the life that your car led before you two got together....relax and enjoy the drive home.

Start developing a maintenance plan that does NOT include a Toyota service advisor.
Get one of these.....
https://www.toyota.com/t3Portal/document/omms-s/T-MMS-15PriusC/pdf/2015_Toyota_Prius%20c_WMG_lr.pdf

And....start thinking about playing "catch-up" on all of the maintenance items that are overdue.
(hint: 90 MONTHS)

Good Luck!

PICTURES!!!
(or it never happened!)

 

Yeah...

I have only experienced it a handful of times myself. Really thought something was wrong with the car. But after researching the issue, I realized it had been encountered by others also. Further reading I then learned it wasn’t a BIG thing.

 

That’s really low mileage for a 7 year old car. It should be a great buy if it was well-maintained.

 

Congrats and enjoy!

 

Congrats!

The key to preserving remaining hybrid battery life is cooling. Keep the battery fan clean and free of dust and obstructions- easy with any vacuum cleaner. The battery is cooled by cabin air, and they're hoping you like air conditioning because the battery does too.

Good luck!

 

Ah, you got the four with the optional 16" wheels. Yep, you get the big turning radius, harder to find tires and a somewhat higher likelihood of wheel/tire damage from potholes. That car also has a different steering rack in it to enforce the radius and protect from tire rub. I'm not aware of any other part or system changes.

It should ride a little smoother/quieter at highway speed vs. the 15" model, I've never had a chance to directly compare.

 

In fairness to the dealers, I will guess they did that because of TIME rather than mileage. You can verify the Toyota service records at Welcome to Toyota Owners
If you haven't already I'd change the oil & filter regardless of whether GMC claimed they did.

 

I put some Michelin Xi3 tires on my 2014 model in November and the car did very well on the winter roads. Not only that, but the ride was softer and smoother than the cheap but decent Hankook Optimo tires they replaced, and gas mileage surprisingly went up (when it was still warmer outside). I think the Xi3 tires have been discontinued and replaced by the X Ice Snow: Shop Michelin X Ice® Snow Tire for Extreme Weather | Michelin. Highly recommended.

I’m going to swap them out for some Continental TrueContact Tour all-season tires next month, so I should get a couple more winters out of them.

Enjoy your new car!