Just saying hi

Welcome to the forum. There's a ton of info here. Reading and browsing topics will give you a lot of great information.

PS, Amen . . .

 

Welcome!
Here's my opinion on the Gen1. If you are really looking into it here are things you need to know:
1. Previous owners mpg... so you can better predict the electronic life. If it's less then 45mpg than they drive really fast, so therefore really broken in and used hard and that's a no go.

2. Accident history... If there is anything over a minor fender bender don't chance it. This can mess up wiring connections later on and really give you a headache.

3. Has the battery been replaced?... If the car has more than 100k mi on it and it hasn't been replaced it means it will need to happen soon. Not a problem just plan on spending about $2500.

4. Fair Price... I wouldn't pay over $10,000 unless its mint condition and all maintenance is upto par. If between 70k-100kmi I would say about $8000, between 40k-70k I would say $9000.

I am sure that most of the people around here will be more than happy to over up opinions on any vehicles you look at. Just post them up and we will respond. Thanks for joining.

Smartalec89

 

I'm not exactly sure of what you want to know, but I paid $8,000 for my 2001 last year. That's with carpool stickers. I could have gotten it for less if it didn't have the stickers, but I was specifically looking for stickers. It had only had one fender bender, and was in pristine condition. The hybrid battery did give out on me at 95,000 miles, but it was under warranty until 100,000 so that was free (I got lucky with that one).

 

welcome to Priuschat, I too wasn't aware of the Insight war. I don't know how much you plan on spending but take a look at the Gen 2. There are lots of owners of Gen 2's selling right now because they have bought or are buying the Gen 3 and you may just find yourself in a situation where you can take it off someones hands as they unload it desperately because they don't want multiple car payments.

 

Well initially it wasn't until Jay Leno called it a soon to be Classic. Now its hard to find them. As to why there is no Gen1 section... IDK... Danny could best answer that. Yeah the Lifetime AVG is resettable. A dealer should be able to run diagnostics on the car and check everything out. It will cost a little bit though. I would ask around if you have that option.

FOUND GEN1 forum sorry about that... http://priuschat.com/forums/generation-1-prius-discussion/

 

Hello and :welcome:!
In your place, I would consider buying a gen II Prius instead of gen I, as there should be lots of them around now and it is a much better car in many respects. If you possibly settle for gen II, I would personally avoid 2004 and 2005 versions, as those are known to have occasional MFD failure (see the link below)

Prius MFD

If you settle for a gen I, I would let the dealer check the tranny and the battery. As when buying any used car, I would want to know the accident/service history of the car, how the car was driven and how many miles does it have. I would personally avoid buying a used car with more than approx. 70 000 miles.

I would check the filters, have the car lifted up and check the bottom. Look for any possible leaks, anywhere. Check the state of the brake discs/pads and the tires.

The car has no clutch, so that is one less thing to worry about .

If you wanna be on the safe side, you may change the engine and tranny oil as a precaution, especially if you are unsure when it was done for the last time.

Read thru the forum, there are many useful information around. I did before buying my Prius and it was very helpful. Also, you may like to check Hobbit's website Hobbit's techie-rants , as there is a lot of interesting and usefull stuff about Prius.

Have a fun with your new car and wish you all the best !

BTW, I envy you your current car... I *love* the original, first generation Insight and I wish I could have one :wub:!

 

Welcome to the community

Ashu
Yoga Retreat

 

Well, I wasn't going to buy it anyway . Even if I could get one, I couldn't afford buying a second car right now, as much as I would love to have an good ol' Insight... It was one of the very first hybrids available on the market and it just looks so cool and gets such splendid MPG! Especially on the highway, where the Prius (at least the gen II) suffers.

Anyway, it will form a nice couple with a Prius, so again congrats to you and your girlfriend .

 

Hi Ashu and :welcome:, good to see an Indian member ! I have some friends and relatives in India, in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu...