Would you buy a used 2nd gen Prius today?

Buy a used Toyota Corolla.

 

Buying a used car is never without risk. Ironically, many of the experts here try to instill fear in the hearts of the prospective gen2 buyers saying no one in their right mind would buy a fifteen or more year old car and at the same time they all own one. Go figure.
Bought mine with well over 100k on it and now approaching 200k. I looked for six months. I have not had one problem and still have the original HV battery that performs well.
The key is that one needs to do their due diligence on any purchase by obtaining or looking up service records on Toyota site and ascertaining whether the seller seems to have maintained the vehicle and not driven it into the ground. I saw a bunch of gen2s that were trashed. Look for a seller that does not really want to sell but because of circumstances has to, like his kids don’t want the car ‘because it’s not cool like a Jeep.’ That’s how I got mine.
When I was buying mine I stayed away from 2011 and 2012 gen3 because of the oil consumption issues.
I also made sure that I changed all fluids and the serpentine belt as soon as I got the car. Spent a few hundred dollars to do that but that’s chicken feed if you want to have a baseline and peace of mind.
The current market makes Prius’s expensive and so your quest may be more challenging than mine was.

 

I'd buy it if I were you. And should the battery need to be replaced in the next year or two I'd say do it. You'll have that car well over 300k and be glad you did.

 

if you are a competent diy'er, yes. if not, no.

 

I recently bought an 07 with 125k. Cosmetically bad, but mechanically seems solid. Doesn't even burn oil yet.

Some factors that went into my decision:

• I was looking for a bit of a project, so I plan to DIY as much as I can. These cars are pretty DIY-friendly.
• I've always liked hybrids, so I wasn't interested in a conventional ICE even if it made more financial sense.
• I basically budgeted for a battery replacement in my purchase price (which was below market value here because the seller priced it based on another car he saw for sale that had a salvage title).
• I live in Minnesota, where the climate is relatively easy on batteries. Hoping to get a few more years out of this one but if I don't, see the above point.
• It's a second car for me, so if something goes wrong (and it has), I have another option to get me places.
• A Prius is enough cheaper to drive than my truck that it will at least cover costs like insurance and registration, plus I can feel better about using less gas when I'm doing non-truck stuff. Maintenance is also much cheaper than my truck, so deferring things like expensive oil changes and tires for that is kind of a hidden savings.
  
• The previous owner had just put a bunch of money into it: New tires, brakes, wheel bearings, 12v battery.

I've been very happy with it, but it hasn't been perfectly smooth sailing. I've had two warning light incidents, one of which was my fault, the other not.

Shortly after I bought it I had a bunch of brake lights come on and figured for sure I was in for a new brake booster. Turned out that Torque scanning protocols triggered the lights and there was nothing actually wrong with the brakes. I fixed the Torque configuration and the lights went away.

Then a couple of weeks ago my heat quit working. Eventually threw a P1121 because the coolant valve had gone bad. Looks to me like it had happened before and a previous owner put in a cheap aftermarket one. I replaced it with a factory Toyota valve. Not a huge deal to DIY (~$140 in parts and a couple hours of time, most of which was waiting for the coolant system to bleed), but since it happened mid-winter it was too cold to drive the car any significant distance without heat. I tried it once and resolved never to do that again.

As you can see, there were a lot of factors that went into my purchase. If you're just looking to save money, an old Prius (or any older car where major components are starting to wear out) is probably not the best choice. Likewise if you can't absorb some downtime when something inevitably does go wrong. However, if you're aware of the risks and your reasons for wanting one offset them (like they did for me) then I say go for it. Just be aware that it may take time (especially in this market) to find the "right" car. I looked for over a year off and on before I found mine.

 

All of my Priuses got motors battery packs shocks struts and radios. They'll be good till 400,000 mi now.

 

If you have basic car repair skills this website will ensure your Gen2 purchase is the best & easy to repair car you ever owned. But if you're helpless and don't do maintenance and repair yourself, or don't have a friend or family member who does, an old Gen2 will be too expensive to keep it going for what it costs when you buy it.

 

I have a Gen 2 Prius and I have been very happy with it. Has 127K miles and I am still running on the original hybrid battery. This thing has had very little issues. Though about 3 years ago I had to replace the AC evaporator which is labor intensive because they got to take apart the dashboard to get to it.. The car is a super reliable commuter car. I would definitely recommend it. I always say that dollar for dollar Toyotas are possibly the best value of any make out there. I work in an autoparts franchise delivering parts and well, we rarely have people ordering Toyota parts except maybe your typical replacement things like battery, struts, etc. But I always say if everyone drove a Toyota all the autoparts places would have to charge 4 or 5 times as much to make a profit or they would just go out of business.

 

keep in mind, you're on a diy forum. people have good experiences and bad. most visitors come here with problems, few just to say how few problems they've had.
there are lots of owners who don't come here. we don't know what problems they've had if any.
overall, prius is highly rated as reliable. but you're not buying and average of overall, you're buying an individual prius, and you will never know what problems it might develop until you own it.

i'm not trying to discourage you, just make you aware of potential issues. all cars have issues eventually, but non hybrids don't have a $2,000. battery, $2,500. brake actuator or $2,500. electric a/c compressor.
most non diy'ers who come here with problems run into one major issue: finding a sharp, reasonably priced hybrid mechanic outside of the expensive dealership.

that's where a non hybrid shines, most anyone can fix them, and they have much less expensive systems overall.
i always advise people to find a mechanic first, then a car. if you lived in the tampa area, there's a great guy that fixes and sells prius. a perfect situation.
but there aren't many like him around the country, or even the world.

 

Avoid buying any used Prius that has an aftermarket/rebuilt high voltage battery pack. Even a worn out OEM Toyota battery is worth around $1,300 as a core when buying a new replacement Toyota pack. It's been my experience aftermarket/rebuilt batteries are only as good as their warranty, one or two years.

 

New cells from China installed in several cars and no problems so far. To hell w reconditioned cells.

 

How does your voltage difference between blocks look?

 

Very close

 

I have two 2008, 113K and 118K, both paid for. Love them both. I would buy another in a heartbeat. I would try and find a 08 or 09 with all the bells a whistles. I've upgraded ours to have vinyl seats, leather arm rests, seat heaters, Apple Car play, KillMat sound deading throughout and new suspension and hitch. NPB for Hybrid battery is next. I do a LOT of DIY and these cars are a pleasure to work on. Compared to our 2002 P38 Range Rover its a piece of cake on maintenance. I had 2 corollas before. Great cars but needed a bit more room for kids/dogs and love the hatchback.

 

How did you do the Apple Car play?

 

I would buy a fully operational 2002 or Older Prius at the right price because I can put permanent collector plates on it, avoiding all future hybrid fines

 

We owned a Prius 2008, from 2008 to 2020.

I think they are economical, reliable and wonderful cars in their time.

Would I buy a used one - only if I was capable of all my own maintenance.

Why ? I do all my own maintenance. I had to replace the Brake Actuator assembly $1,350 plus 8 hours of my labor, two wheel bearings $360 + $150 shop fees + 8 hours of my labor, replace 3 way coolant valve $120 + 4 hour labor, replace struts and shocks $300 + 4 hours of my labor, all regular and routine maintenance was done by myself.


While our unit still averaged around 50 mpg after 12 years and 150,000 miles on it, I had questions about how much longer the Hybrid battery would last.

The second generation Prius is a remarkable car, but compared to modern cars it is a bare bones vehicle with no advanced safety systems. As long as you know what you are getting and have your expectations in line you will be satisfied. For your own good I would have around $3000 available above the car price for future immediate repairs.