Buying a used Prius - need your advice

Prius, like most Toyotas should last over 200,000 miles.

I would avoid early 2004 Priuses - traction control problems. All years since then pretty much the same.

You want side air bags (in any car). And back up camera, since rear visibility is limited. All other options are up to your preference. Fog lights not worth it. NAV is OK, but not as good a value as an add-on like a Garmin. Upgraded factory stereo is not a great value. HID lights are nice, but expensive to replace.

Get a CarFax report, and get a Prius-savvy mechanic to check out the car and you should do just fine.

 

If your budget is $8K then you are probably looking at an older Prius whose warranty coverage is expired.

Be aware that if/when your car has a problem, you'll pay big $$$$ at the Toyota dealer for hybrid system or powertrain repairs. Most cities don't have independent mechanics who are competent to work on Prius. If the independent option is available to you then you could potentially have salvage parts installed where it makes sense.

I've seen a few stories from posters who thought they got a great price on a used Prius, then a few months later they are facing a large four-digit repair bill... It is well worth paying for one or two hours of labor time to obtain an inspection by a Prius tech at your local Toyota dealer.

Note that some issues, like traction battery failure, can happen literally overnight with little or no warning. Having a Prius pass inspection does not constitute a guarantee that you won't have a problem, but if it doesn't pass inspection then you should keep shopping... Good luck.

 

I have a 04 that i bought for under 10K its still has a warranty on the main Batt till 10/11 or another 40K miles, that helped me decide.

 

nice thread !

 

Yeah, 8k is not much of a budget. I wouldn't expect to get much for that.