Sorry if this is the wrong place to ask, but I've looked all over the forum and I think this is appropriate here. I am considering a 2013 Prius v III with 165k. It's $6900. I realize it's impossible to give a definitive answer, but wanted a general consensus if that mileage is too high for the money. The car has had two owners and is very clean. It's an individual, not a dealer. Any advice is appreciated.
No history of the car, no go. Is this car has clean title? Is any maintenances service record? such as transmission fluid, Spark plus change Plus, you have to prepare for this service, EGR Cooler, ERG Pip, Manifold clean. Oil catch can add, Hybrid Battery corrosion clean.
As with any car, maintenance records are a huge factor. Also, the offering from a private seller is most certainly negotiable. Do your research and insist on a presale mechanical inspection.as a bargaining chip.
Are you willing to do some catch up DIY? With those miles it’s overdue for Exhaust Gas Recirculation and intake manifold cleaning. Toyota makes no mention of these in maintenance schedule; both are crucial. 3rd gens and v’s that don’t have these issues addressed are having head gasket failures.
@On The Road 84 I purchased a 2012 v with 128K on around 3 years ago knowing full well it needed a LOT of work ( actually needed far more work than I anticipated though ). See link to the saga in my signature. I did get a really good deal on it at the time though.
i'm amazed that hybrids are expensive in florida. that seems like a cali price. my 12 plug in with 70k is worth zippity doo dah v's are a bit more expensive i think
The two potentially expensive needs could be a new battery, or at least a few new modules, or a head gasket job. If you can test drive the car at highway speeds (and up substantial grades for a mile or two) an in-progress head gasket failure is fairly easy to detect. Nasty mayonnaise motor oil would imply coolant leak to the oil, and CAREFULLY opening the overflow tank lid can show blow-by. Most cars will have a small pfffft of pressure being released. if the head gasket is leaking, it will be a PSSSSSST, like a hard-shaken two liter bottle of soda just before it spews everywhere. This is a potentially hazardous operation as if the car is on the verge of an overheat, releasing the pressure can cause a steam flash . I would only do it with a substantial glove and a towel over the lid on an unknown car. If you can get it to a mechanic that can perform a cylinder leak-down test, that would tell a lot, conversely, one could buy a test kit available at most auto parts places that can detect exhaust traces in the coolant. If the head gasket and battery are sound, the other expensive potential failure point is the air conditioning compressor, it is powered by the high voltage battery and requires specific knowledge of the Prius system to replace and recharge. This is NOT the job to take to a small shop unless they are Prius specialist.
It might be a risk relative to oil burning, egr cooler clogging, head gasket and hv battery. The expensive brake actuator and inverter problems have customer support programs (similar to an extended warranty). They are good for ten years from delivery. The oil burning was a design flaw in the piston and ring design which a few cars had repaired under the original powertrain warranty. Evidence of that repairs would be better than no fixes in my book. Otherwise anticipate $5k of repairs under your watch.
Thanks so much everyone!! I chickened out on it. He wouldn’t go below 6250 and I felt like it kind of stuttered on take off. It didn’t make any noise are jerk, but it just didn’t feel smooth if that makes sense. I’ve accepted that I’m going to have to spend more to feel secure with what I’m buying. In the next couple of days I’m going to look at a 2013 v five with 50k and a 2015 Hybrid Sonata Limited with about 60k. My gut says I should go with the practical Toyota, but the sonata is a lot sexier!!
If you are budget conscious, don't buy a 2010-2014 Prius. All of these are subject to oil burning, egr, abs, inverter and hv battery issues. For lowest cost of ownership in this price range, consider a clean Corolla, Civic or Camry standard 4 cylinder. Gas mileage is a false economy if you are unexpectedly repairing one of these items for thousands only to repair the next for thousands.
2015 onward (either reg or v) has revised pistons/rings, not insignificant, it hopefully helps with the oil consumption, but that’s pretty much it. They’re still subject to the other issues you list. FWIW our 2010 has no appreciable oil consumption at 90k kms. Still a youngster I know.
Its important to note the 2016 and 17 v wagon retained the older gen3 engine and transaxle designs including gen3 egr, intake and related issues while the 2016 and newer standard Prii have the completely redesigned gen4 engine with new egr, intake, inverter, optimized cylinder bore wall temperatures, active grill shutters, etc along with a new transaxle (although the gen3 transaxle is good). Regardless, a budget oriented used car buyer may wish to consider a standard vehicle. Plus a gen3 head gasket failure can be easily hidden with a can of stop leak. While not 100% relevant to a buy no buy used hybrid discussion, here is a good report describing the gen4 powertrain improvements. 4th-Generation Toyota Prius Teardown (Part 1) - MarkLines Automotive Industry Portal
