Leeway in negotiating 2007 Prius base, 96 miles, $7.9k?

it sounds like you don't know much about cars. an old prius is time bomb waiting to explode.

i would start by locating a good hybrid shop and having it inspected. and if you buy it, you will at least know where to take it for (hopefully) less expense than a dealer.

as for price, you can only compare it to what else is for sale and kelly blue book.

is it one owner? do they have all the service records? have you pulled a car fax?

any accidents? is it a toyota dealer?

13v means very little on a prius 12v battery., but not a big concern. the hybrid battery is the big bucks expense.
new tranny at 96k doesn't bode well either, although they do fail rarely.

all the best!

 

sounds good, but remember, you're talking about the 12v battery, not the hybrid battery.

 

96000 miles and a new battery and tranny? That strikes me as suspicious for a 2 Gen Prius? I would definitely get it to a hybrid shop, for a second opinion and it does strike me as a bit on the pricy side?

 

A leased car is a bit different, that might explain the Tranny replacement? Although I have no idea how a sane person could damage it? A obd bluetooth adaptor and the Dr. Prius app would let you see the condition of the battery HV. And you could run the VIN number to make sure. Pretty sure it would have been dealer installed?

The 12 volt battery ... is small fish not a deal breaker, but a road test would reveal, it's true state of charge. Prii, that sit for an extended length of time eat those for lunch. Still seems kinda pricy but that one maybe worth it.

 

the hybrid battery is the high voltage battery. you'll want proof of new oem install and warranty coverage.
if it is new, there's no need for testing

 

Just don't be in a hurry. A Gen 2 with 96000, these days is fairly rare? The tranny replacement while suspicious, as a rental car, that's not really a surprise. you can check the battery with the App. If it checks out OK, you can figure that is 1600 to 2000 dollar's you won't have to spend down the road.

And a Gen 2 with 96000 miles on it no surprise that the rear shoes are worn. Some go longer some not so much? I think that depends on the driver? But backing down from the tranny freak out (for me anyway). You should be able to input the Vin number into the Toyota site and see all services performed.

So starting again, it is a 2 Gen and they are really built like a tank. And I just heard today that price on used car's has risen by 30%? So while I think the price is kind of high, it might not be that out of line for a Gen 2, in what seems to be good shape?

If it were a newer Gen 3 with the same mileage? I would say it's being dumped because it has an issue or soon will? Head Gasket or lack of maintenance of the EGR system. Funny issues starting to crop can start to crop up on those with miles on them? But nothing for sure? The owner that has some clue, get's nervous and dump's it before it implodes.

Your not really looking at that with a Gen 2. They are actually (I feel) honest car's? They don't try and hide issues. So really it comes down to, it's a very complex car, that is 14 years old. And it "could have issue's crop up?"

But for the most part, that's not the norm? And for the most part the car is kind of DIY friendly for the most part, when issues do crop up. It's kind of a judgement call on your part. With more detail it does look like a pretty deal to me but it's not money.

 

Sounds like a lot of money for 2007. 2009 seemed to be the best year for Gen2.
Of course used car prices are high right now. I'd be tempted to bump the model year up to 2011 2012 range.
I am little rusty on Ca. HOV rules, but if you could find a 2012 Plug-in out-of-state (eg; from Bisco) you would have a good car and still get the HOV sticker, and it's a PiP plug-in with a small battery (eg; gobs of cargo space),

 

It is a lot of money for a Gen 2 granted, But how many Gen 2's are out there with "only," 96,000 miles? Not that many I would think?


But hey a Gen 2 vs the Gen 3 for darn near idiot prove reliability? I'd take that bet, take both with the same mileage and only lift the hood to change oil or check fluid levels. And see which one breaks first?

If money is no object for the OP, then sure a better choice would be a Gen 4, after Toyota, "fixed" what they got wrong with the Gen 3. Our Gen 2 has 215,000, miles on it and the only hiccup we have had was a bad 02 sensor.

We got it with a new battery and a new cat and 02 sensor at 150000 miles? But I suspect the battery died early 115000 miles because of a dirty HV fan? The 02 did fail again months later and the dealer fixed it. ? Way over priced I feel. But I think the original HV battery failure and the 02 failure later were because of a dirty HV battery fan?

Which I just cleaned year's later, my bad. Aside from that "blip," it's been years and it has 215,000 miles on it now. If your not a Car guy ... I'd skip the Gen 3. Although I do want to get one myself, as I like the new tranny and I got plan's.