Gen 4: Shopping for a used Prius: General Questions

16's and 17's have the potential heat exchanger leak.

2020 prime sounds perfect for you, but keep in mind that estimated range is just that. YMMV.
you shouldn't lose more than 10-20% over ten years.

 

hard to say how common:

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i don't think it is covered, but i think there is a tsb

 

Curious, have you made a purchase?
PDFs of the yearly brochures are available to research the model/equipment standards, changes some each year.

 

It's a fairly common problem on 2016 and early 2017 model years and should be covered under Ca. smog laws in conjunction with the TSB.
If you want Apple car play, yes 2020 or newer - but I find them to be buggy. I don't even hookup my android auto anymore.
RE: Prime, I haven't noticed any traction battery deterioration and my guess-o-meter stated I've got 28 miles on my last full charge. It does dip down to 18 miles sometimes in the winter. It's actually 25 miles each way, if you can charge at work, ~4.5 hours on 110 @ 12A draw around empty. Traction battery down to HV mode like.3
I believe there's a $4K federal rebate for buying a used EV, PHEV, or HV. Please double check federal laws around this and dealer needs to file paperwork.
IMHO; I'd be looking for a Prime, just because of the larger battery pack. You can lose more cells before being forced to replace the traction pack. 2020 and newer models have a 10 year, 150K mile traction pack warranty, but historically they've been lasting at least 10 to 15 years without issues - as long as the car is driven on a weekly basis.

As for your current Prius, You can sell it out of state or as a "parts only" car - no warranty, in writing. As a Ca. resident, Ca. DMV laws state that your responsible for brakes and smog, unless you sell it as stated above. Buyer can't argue with a bill of sale, as stated above.

Hope this helps....

 

I have a 2020 Prime. The extra feature I like most is the sonar all around for parking. Comes in the Limited trim. In a regular Prius even the LE has the sonar and parking assistance, which I never have had the nerve to use. Prime Advanced or it’s called Limited from 2020. My battery guess meter range hangs in at about 34 miles most of the time on a full charge. I can do virtually all my local driving on ev. I turn the engine on just to run it from time to time.
The improved heat exchanger came in sometime during the 2019 model year. The old type may do ok where you are. Not exactly in below zero weather and salted roads in Santa Cruz.