Buying used prius... Anything to look out for?

there are a number of expensive systems in the prius, but you can only tell if they are working or not when you inspect it. the next day? who knows. are you a diy'er, or will you be having work done elsewhere?

 

We should create a thread that is a "sticky" because this question get's raised repeatedly.
There is so much advice in relationship to that seemingly innocent question.

In general...I would evaluate a used Prius purchase like I would nearly any used vehicle purchase. That is...the more you can know..the less risk and better.
So I baseline...with get a Carfax. Try to track down maintenance records. Do an independent inspection if possible.

Empirical observations...such as condition inside and out- Tire wear...and wear pattern.

I'd even say...Gut Instinct. Especially on Craigslist...if something doesn't feel right about the deal? It probably isn't right.

You also want to know about the title...salvaged or wrecked...a LOT of salvaged or rebuilt titles end up on Craigslist.

How much risk you want to accept in any deal you make is up to you. It may be tied to personal factors, such as how much personal repair and maintenance YOU feel you would be capable and willing to take on. Or how much post purchase investment you might be willing to make into the same.

In the 10-11 old range...I would definitely ask any seller for as much information as possible about the history of the Hybrid Battery. Original? New? Refurbished?....any codes thrown?

In that price range...and age and mileage range...you have entered the Used Prius badlands of the Hybrid Battery Possibly being an issue.

My personal opinion is predicting if and when a Hybrid Battery may fail...if it isn't already failing...is nearly impossible. That is? You might go years more..and many, many miles more....or you could buy it...drive 2 blocks...and discover it's a problem. Therefore my personal advice is if buying a Prius in that age range and mileage....be able and willing...and knowledgeable about what replacement of The Hybrid Battery would mean either Brand New, Salvaged or Refurbished. If replacement or dealing with replacement is something that cannot be absorbed? Then that should be factored into any decision about buying a Prius.

Brand New OEM replacement at a dealership is the most expensive...but potentially the most worry free avenue. Everything else is cheaper but also comes with separate risk. Cost also can be mitigated by ones desire to take on the labor of any action themselves.

I have no idea what your experience or willingness might be in this regard. Hybrid Batteries are high voltage...therefore knowledge is important if you plan to tackle anything in that arena. Safety First.

What you hope for of course...is purchase and a decent X number of miles/years before it becomes an issue. However IMO after 8-10 years? That cannot be easily predicted..nor guaranteed.

Words You May Not Want To Hear:
Auction, Salvaged, Wrecked, Stolen, Rebuilt....

Good Luck....Use The Force...and Gut Instinct.

 

I am biased and not a mechanic and don't really know the ins/outs of Prius.

But, the problem with the Prius is it is so reliable there rarely is maintenance...Ask an owner from 0-100K miles what he's done: "nothing except oil changes and 1 set of tires"....Then ask an owner from 101-200K what he did: "oil changes and 1 set of tires"!

I would say it is extremely rare for the battery to go out before 275K miles...

So just drive it...make sure everything works...that it is clean...oil level is full...and no warning codes on dash. That's really all there is to it.

Got mine at 140K and has 170K now and so far haven't done anything to it.

 

And I would say you're wrong.

 

I am basing my opinion from the 200K and 299K plus threads pinned at top of forum...Pretty much every person in there (many with well over 300K) are on original battery.

 

Miles is THE single biggest factor in NADA price (and yes, that is THE Gold Standard of vehicle pricing). Your zip code and obviously condition are also factors to consider.

From our experience, look at a drive a NUMBER of them before you make the purchase. After the third car, it was OBVIOUS which ones were poorly cared for rattle-traps within the first block, regardless of what CarFax indicated.

 

Well that's like basing your opinion of women by watching a couple of beauty contests!

The biggest factor is time and the gen 1 and now gen 2's have aged beyond that tipping point. There's a large cottage industry fueled by battery failures.

 

If you consider the HUGE number of Gen 2 Prii that are still on the road, the number that have needed HV batteries is a tiny percentage.

 

Will owner allow you to run Techstream on car..assuming it runs at all?

 

I have bought a 2007 new for $21K it is in my yard with 135K miles on it. I don't drive it enough to warrant owning a hybrid. I have taken out the passenger seat and the 60% out the rear put a crib mattress and plan on going on an extended trip showering at PLFT planet fitness along the way. I also put a trailer hitch on the car and tow a small camper called a RUNAWAY I only have that for emergencies like the flood where I had a place to stay becasue I plan ahead.

Prius is the ultimate home away from home the car is a rolling generator. If you have an inverter $20 for a 300 watt. You can power a lot of stuff you need. Computer tv DVD recharge smaller batteries. Another device I carry is a clothes spinner. I can hand wash my clothes plug it into the inverter spin the clothes near dry hang them for an hour or so and they are perfect. It will spin the clothes dry enough to wear them in the summer it is refreshing to put on damp clothes. But never fails when there is a disaster people are found 7 days out wearing same clothes they left home with because they could not find a shower or they lost all their clothes and what they had on was all they had. I can wear a trash bag long enough to wash my clothes if I got in that spot. This year 2016 we flooded in Baton Rouge area I had 2 hours notice that we were going to flood I had to hook up the trailer and fill it up with valuables and get safe in that time frame it was difficult to leave my home with my car and a trailer loaded thinking it was going to be all that survived. This flood hit so fast I encountered people without shoes becasue they did not have time to get them on when we encountered these people we bought them a new pair perfect strangers but you can't leave a man to suffer cuts to his feet in this enviroment.

I did buy a 2nd Prius a 2005 for $6.5K from a dealer with 175K miles on it we dropped $2K into the front suspension and had no issue doing this since we planned on keeping the car. But sold the car to another dealer at 225K miles for 1.5K just because we did not want to deal with selling to the public. Who ever got that car got a car that we paid $800 for all the speakers to be changed out they also got some upgrades in that we could use the RCA jack we installed to play mp3. The car drove perfect when we traded it in. Only problem was a sensor that left a light on when it was warm so we inspected the car when it was near freezing. Problem solved did that for years? The cruise control went out we gave up trying to fix it and used the car as a city car.

The car we traded it for was a 2012 Prius V and we absolutely love that car because of the rear sliding and reclining seats and all the extra space if you have 3 adults in the prius you want it to be a V. We did not have to get rid of the 2005 gen 2 but did so because our daughter started driving and I am not riding in the back seat of a gen 2 prius sorry not going to happen not after my back surgery. The V is a larger car you can tell by the weight of the car but it drives like a prius but own the road. You have to drive the V a little different and remember that it is a larger car you don't you will break traction and skid off the road. If you like city cars the prius C is the car small nimble and great economy for the price. You can get used copies with less than 25K miles for $10K.

Any car you intend to buy take it to autozone plug it up see if it kicks a code. If you see ANY electrical issues forget about it. My current gen2 is giving me issue with the headlamp the dim driver side is not working the brights work but not the dim. A lot of cops love to give you that ticket for having a bulb out but it is the wife going to it that burned off in the socket I need to have that looked at by a mechanic and get it fixed. My battery went out about a year ago the hybrid that was my fault and it is part of the reason we kept this car, I bought gen 3 batteries for $2.6K Greentech auto came to my home took the old one and installed the new one. See if you own a Prius you need to drive the prius you can't leave it parked 2 weeks like I do. If that is your driving pattern then you might as well get a scooter for your needs because you don't need a car I sure don't if I got a scooter and got rid of my car I would go from $1200 insurance down to $75 a year insurance a car cost me 16x more for insurance.

Best bet is to get a one owner low mileage car you get that and you can expect greater ROI.

 

The instrument cluster is probably more of a worry than the HV battery. They go blank due to bad capacitors and/or bad solder connections. First thing I'd do with a new-to-me Gen2 is to change the transmission fluid. Toyota says never, but experience says change at 30,000 and every 90,000 thereafter. HID headlights were a problem early on, but the latest bulbs from Philips seem to be OK. Take a look at Luscious Garage | Hybrid Specialists , particularly the "Learn" section. Lots of data on what happens to high mileage Prius.

 

My daughter needs a car. Would you buy a 2007 Prius with 70,000 miles? The Carfax report looks good, but the concern is the battery.

 

Can you do repairs yourself? If the answer is no I would suggest something like a Corrola

 

Would this be her primary car? How much would it affect her if it broke down? How much would it affect you if it broke down?

My 2005 with 114k is running strong, but it has had some major issues in the past year. I DIY repaired both the battery and the ABS actuator for >$500 total, but the car was out of service for a couple of months. "Fast, Cheap, Quality - pick any two"

Something bad happens every time my wife drives it. When it breaks down on her, it affects me and our two children. When it breaks down on me, it only affects me, so it is my daily driver with my 1997 two-seater car as my backup. My wife gets the newer SUV that still has a factory warranty.