I got my first Prius, a 2008 with over 200,000 miles on the clock, in 2022 and have since added a 2012 to my fold. Had to replace almost the entire coolant system in the Gen 2, and the speedometer went out, so I got to see most of the common Gen2 issues almost immediately upon acquisition. The Gen 3 car I didn't really want, but my Gen 2 car was getting too old for use for rideshare. My Gen 3 also has over 200,000 miles on it. Overall, my impression of the two cars is that the Gen 2 is a better car than the Gen 3. Drives better, tends to average slightly better fuel efficiency (although I get close to 45 mpg on both cars, I just dip down to like 38 when driving the Gen 3 harder), and the problems with the Gen 3 seem far more catastrophic when reading about how it blows pistons if you don't do the regular EGR maintenance. I'm preparing to get a good EGR routine down and trying to absorb as much as I can here about that before getting started. I love the Gen 2, and maybe the Gen 3 will grow on me if I can make it last 100K and it doesn't blow a piston before I even get around to doing the EGR maintenance.
you'll likely get a head gasket warning before the bottom blows. pay attention to coolant level and rattling sounds.
