Hello! New to the forum and to Prius in general. I’m hoping to buy a Prius v, but have a limited budget of about 12k. I have one option for a 2013 v with 130k miles, $11k. CarFax shows good basic maintenance but doesn’t go into a lot of detail. Single owner clean title. I’m wondering if this seems like a worthwhile deal. Are the risks of potential head gasket issues big enough to scare me off of the 2012-2013 v’s? Is it a bigger risk than I might encounter buying a similar mileage Honda Fit? I’m not experienced with cars and I appreciate everyone’s thoughts! What are the maintenance items I should look for that indicate a healthy head gasket? Or anything that I should watch out for that might indicate problems?
It depends on where the car lived its life. In the salt belt of Minnesota, I'd stay away. !0 years and 100k miles is when the repair and maintenance costs add up for Prius cars. My 2012 Prius v with 28k miles lived in the South with a rust free and rust proofing treated life with generally 3k or less oil changes done every 6 months religiously. I would buy one like mine but not anty that's 10 years old with 130 k miles, I'd find a Corolla or a Camry that has lived its entire life in the South with less than 100k miles on it. Unfortunately, those are snapped up quick and sold at a premium at dealers after they are traded in. That's the current market.
Depends. How would $3.5k-$7k for a engine feel in the next one or two years? How about $2.5k for a battery or $2k for a brake booster, assuming the booster fails after ten years of service or 150,000 miles? Or your feelings about being suddenly stranded away from home with an inverter fail, even though Toyota might fix it free? A conventional Camry or Honda is more reliable at high miles and does not require dealer prices to fix it.
Thanks. I understand your concerns and repairs are a big factor. My last vehicle was a Civic and I am ready to move past a sedan. I prefer a station wagon, but am open to smaller sportier hatchbacks. If you have anything like that that fits the bill for reliability & affordability, let me know. I am not interested in the Camry or Corolla. Perhaps a Honda Fit, but they’re a little smaller than I’d like.
I might consider the earlier Venza through 2015 or a Rav4. The Honda CRVs are solid. I would stay with a 4 cylinder on any of them.
My 2012 Prius v had both the brake booster fail and the inverter fail. Toyota replaced both under warranty, the brake booster with the previous owner and the inverter during my ownership. Knowing the problems the early 3rd gens have I wouldn't have purchased the car if it wasn't for the crazy good deal I got. Later, Stephen
Hi y’all I’m new to the Prius world. My fiancé and I are considering buying a Prius. Intrigued by the V with its additional room. Found a similar deal to the OP’s but it’s a 2015. Is a slightly newer model less risky at all, or do the same warnings apply??? Thanks for any insight.
you get the updated pistons and rings, which is great, but all the other issues still apply unfortunately. and if you're not a top notch diy'er, make sure you find a reputable hybrid mech before purchasing any hybrid, unless you don't mind being at the mercy of the stealerships
NO>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>NO.......NO.....NO No No....... unless you like mental and financial pain......... big pain..... get a ICE.......skip the junk gen 3................ And that is WAY to much for the car.................... get a toyota or honda without Hybrid..........
