About to join the family

It is going to be hard to know if you are getting a good car or not. If you buy from a dealer and pay that higher price, it should come with a comprehensive warranty. Not one you pay extra for and not a third party warranty.

The 2010-14 Prius had bad piston rings which causes oil consumption in many of them. But the side effects are costly such as egr cooler clogging and head gasket issues down the road. Other problem areas are inverters and abs systems which may be covered by extended warranty until ten years from initial delivery.

My usual advice for buyers who ask is to only buy low mile or new Prius vehicles and plan on selling around 150k-175k. Most budget minded buyers would be better off with a standard Corrolla, Civic, Camry, CRV or Rav4 at the top of their price range.

 

I would not listen to most people from Texas as well. Except those who have lived the dream but the dream was a bit of a nightmare.

I would hope Toyota is changing your IPM/Inverter under their customer support program, good for ten years unlimited miles (unlimited expires this Dec when it becomes 150k miles). Mine went out years ago.

As far as the head gasket, a LOT depends on the condition of the engine which also means the year and miles. Plus your location relative to independent repair options.

There are other concerns as well that can be mitigated by data, planning and strategy. Texas does have some advantages, cheap labor being one. Its the real reason we have a lot of immigrants. Business wants the labor and some of the skilled guys work on Prii.