Best year to buy used?

This may be urban myth. Our 2010 had build-date August 2009, sat gathering dust till we bought in November 2010 (with a dead-as-a-doornail) 12 volt battery. Other'n that it's been champion. At 65K kms (not a lot, admittedly), still zero oil consumption between changes. The hybrid battery appears to be behaving absolutely normally, charges/discharges progressively, no issues. Our model has the LED lights, not sure about the other types.

 

I have had a 2011 which I gave to my daughter @ 65Kms and I'm currently driving a 2012 that turned 305K km today. Both of these cars have preformed flawlessly. I have just done routine maintenance. I don't know if the 2010 model is subject to more oil consumption but I never had a problem with any Prius I have owned. I have owned 5 Prius; 3 Gen 2's and the above two Gen 3's. The current 2012 uses no oil and I follow a 16K km schedule with no problems.The Gen 3 cars I think are bullet prove and if I don't buy the Prius Prime when it is released in Canada this spring I'm going to try and put 1,000,000 km's on the 2012.I currently drive around 90K per year so it won't take that long to reach.

 

welcome! i gotta go with 2012, rock solid.

 

I think I'd try to go with one made as near to the end of the last model year - it has always worked for me in the past, my current Prius is a 2009 Gen II, but, as they say YMMV!

 

We have a 2010 Prius II with 146 k miles on the clock. Noticed some oil consumption around the 120 k miles mark (a quart every 4500 miles). If I did oil changes at 5 k miles I would not notice oil consumption (a lot around these parts do oil changes every 5 k miles), but I do them every 10 k miles.

I cannot speak to dash lights, as the only one I have experienced was due to a dirty MAF sensor (cleaning it resolved it). But if you have a code scanner, you can figure this out rather easily.

Even with a little oil consumption I consider the 2010 Prius to be an excellent car. I have owned many different brands and I wish only had scheduled maintenance and a couple of minor issues. Most auto manufacturers are not so lucky and you can continue to research them on the car complaints websites.

You seem to be on an oil consumption thread hunt since becoming a member today. Any reason from your past for this interest ?

You say you have researched this on other sites for consumer complaints and have found this. But I am sure if you look at other makes and models (including the Toyota family lineup), you will find some oil consumption issues. I know at the local dealership in my neck of the woods they were getting in corollas, camrys and scions for oil consumption tests, so this is not unique.

If you check out the Gen 2 forums you will see what other older Prius model oil consumption is.

I am experimenting with reducing my oil consumption and have put inquiries out to a couple of companies who make additives or engine treatments. Feedback I have gotten from them suggests they are seeing this in most modern engines ( low oil viscosity, close tolerances, etc).

One of them is BG Products and they make products that have reduced my oil consumption to a quart every 6500 miles. So a step in the right direction .

Best advice is to look at the dipstick and be able to read what the car is telling you when a dash light comes up. This works for any make or model.

All the best

 

FWIW, pretty much every prior car we've had over the last 35 years except for this Prius, has had some oil consumption. Never got catastrophic, typically need to add about a pint between changes.

 

I've heard recommendations from car enthusiasts that the first year of a redesign is usually a poor model year to buy a car. If you look at Car Complaints, you'll see that the 2010 model has far more complaints than the 2011-2015 models. However, True Delta and Consumer Reports both rate all the Gen 3 Prius models as equally reliable.

When I was looking into buying a Prius a month ago, my choice came down to a 2009 with 105,000 miles for $8000 vs. a 2011 trim 4 with 120,000 miles for $9500. The 2011 sold while I was on my way to test drive it, and the 2009 checked out, so I bought that one. My guess is you'll probably be happy with any Gen 3 (or 2008-2009 Gen 2) Prius you get, but if you want to really lower the risk down to the model years everyone liked (as I did), then you can skip 2008 & 2010 models and instead focus on 2009 and 2011-current models.

 

We have a 98 4Runner with 258 k miles going strong. Does not consume a drop of oil. We have owned it since 2001 and 35 k miles, so it has and continues to serve us well.

I do notice higher oil consumption when going at higher rates of speed, so I go at the limit and 5 mph above and consumption levels stay low.

Your corolla sounds like a bit of a drinker. Have you done anything to try and slow the consumption? Engine treatments? What does the oil look like, especially if you suspect a head gasket leak?

A Prius is extremely reliable if monitored and preventative maintenance performed. I would get another one if we needdd to, but that is many years off at this point.

Good luck and keep us posted.

 

Quite simply buy the latest model year you can afford.

 

I guess a case can be made that the first year of any new generation may have more problems -- but it does not seem to be the case with the 2010 Prius ... I don't know of any changes that would affect the oil consumption throughout the engine range on the G3. Our 2011 uses 1Q in 10k -- 160k+ ... I top it up ... so about every 3k I add a bit. I 'm still getting 50mpg + with it.

Obviously the early year is going to be in service longer -- so reasonable to assume first to have issues. Finding a low mile 10 IMO is better vs a later with higher miles -- That's what I look for in a used car. Older .. but not old .. and well cared for ... best bang for the buck.

 

Depreciation issues level out almost flat after the third year. So, the cost per year (over the life of the car) is about the same during the 3rd through 8th year, and I think beyond, actually. (maybe be a bit bigger in year three, but not substantially). (i think the flattened cost if ownership curve stays flat through year 10 on most cats, but should be year 13 on the Prius , I would think.)

Considering I read about hardly any maintenance on Priuses until the 180-200k brake job, if you can swing it, consider the 2013 or similar, and don't even worry about considering anything you have jitters about, like the 2010. It'll cost you the same amount per year to own as any other car in the range of dates under consideration. One nice thing about a newer car: less time for the previous owner to have messed something up, like oil change/battery aggressive activities.

Needless to say , a one or two year old car costs a lot more for the new car smell! I avoid those!!

Prius' have a great repair history, but as long as you're buying, maybe go young.

I'm happy with the 2013, for whichthe floor mat recall was already fixed, and a few other little things.

 

The US maintenance guide does call for a complete brake service every 3 years or 30K miles.

 

I'm confused!
I thought everyone around here was changing those at 200;000 Miles ?

By brake service, do you mean replacing the brakes ?

 

That's the thing: there's more to brake service than pad replacement. The US Warranty and Maintenance Guide has two brake service descriptions. The first is basically a visual look-over, every 5000 miles or 6 months, when the wheels are being rotated:



The second, more serious service, is every 30,000 miles or 36 months:




Toyota seems to fall down in their "Repair Manual". All the steps of a brake service are in there, but not broken out in a separate section, just part of a complete caliper tear-down, which rarely if ever is done, and never done by dealership mechanics.

Honda Shop Manuals are better written, have a titled section which corresponds with the maintenance schedule, say "brake service entails this and this and this. Here are the steps to do it.

My take, every 30K miles or 36 months, the following should be done:

1. Caliper pulled off, pads/shims removed, cleaned, thickness checked, reassembled and reinistalled with fresh lube (thin coat of molybdenum anti-seize compound) on all faying surfaces (points of contact between pad backs and shims and calipers).
2. Caliper pins removed, cleaned and relubed (Sil-Glyde or similar) and re-installed.

Optional steps, for higher mileage cars and/or if there's pulsing sensation in brakes:

3. Check rotor thickness (with micrometer).
4. Check rotor runout (with dial indicator on magnetic mount.

I've attached the brake section from Toyota Repair Manual. Note, if you DIY it's safest to disconnect the negative battery cable at the outset, and when wrapped up: pump the brake pedal multiple times before reconnecting the cable. This is to safeguard against the brakes inadvertantly "pressurizing" while the caliper is off the rotor, which could be disastrous: pop out a piston.

Also, pay special attention to the rear caliper piston orientation: it's imperative to rotate the piston so that the pin on back of inner pad falls between the piston spokes, and stays there, is well seated. It's best to delay application of parking brake (which will try to rotate the piston) until after a short test drive.

Further, be very careful when pushing back the front caliper pistons: they're plastic. Use full bearing, don't just push on a point.

 

My experience so far almost perfectly mirrors Mendel's, except that I haven't had the car long enough yet to know whether it's consuming a very minor amount of oil or none at all.

I made my decision by estimated cost of ownership. I entered the various Prius model years from 2010 on (I wasn't interested in the less sophisticated Gen II), and compared the five-year cost of ownership, which weighs not only purchase price but predicted repairs. The 2010 was an easy winner, so I bought it. Absent any specific problems at the outset, these cars last a long time.

 

My 2010 does consume oil, but I bought it used in 2014 so I'm not sure when it started or whether it was due to the previous owners negligence. Extended oil change interval does highlight the problem. If you like changing your oil early, It might not be a problem for you.

 

I have a 2010 with 235k, it uses a little bit of oil. About a quart every 5k... Maybe less. I check it every 1000-1500 miles and add just a little as needed to keep it full. I change my oil every 5-7.5k 0w20 mobil1