Not yet a Prius owner; please help steer my decision on pre-owned

Toyota Screwed up on Gen3 (2010-2015) with bad piston rings and easily blown headgasket before 200K miles. Some suggest it's because the Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) system is easily clogged. However, you could buy a Gen3 with failed engine and put in a used Gen4 (2016-present) and that would be good for 10 years.

Alternatively you could find a low mileage 2009, probably the best year Prius ever. They're like tanks, need hardly any maintenance and hardly ever break down!

 

Hi Veronika,

As someone who has owned many vehicles over many years, with all respect and kindness, I advise avoiding a Prius.
Especially a used one. They are some of the most complex and complicated vehicles made, the dealership mechanics appear to have no in depth training or interest (a generalization), and while independents both knowledgeable and highly experienced do exist they are by no means numerous. In my opinion the only way to drive a Prius is when brand new under full Toyota warranty, or on a lease written by your own attorney - ie the car can be driven into any dealership and exchanged for another whenever problems need to be addressed. Any Prius with over 100k miles will soon develop expensive problems. Keeping any used Prius for 10 years, especially starting as a college student, I believe would be inconceivable.

I respectfully suggest a far more expensive "normal" car - like a new VW, preferably one made in Germany. This is a tough, ridiculously inflated time to be buying a car. If you can handle a lease, this might be the time.

Good luck.

 

Regardless of the previous two posts, for the most part the Prius is rated as one of the most reliable vehicles available on the US market. There were issues with piston rings (that were accentuated by irresponsible owner maintenance with oil change intervals and levels) in the first couple of years on Gen 3 that Toyota corrected in latter years in an attempt to circumvent ownership issues.
So, theoretically any used Prius “should” be reliable.
HOWEVER, when we were considering buying a Prius, and considering a used one, several VERY RELIABLE, sources told us that Prius owners WHO TAKE CARE OF THEIR PRIUSES seldom sell them on the open market. Instead they pass them on to family members or sell them to friends and neighbors at higher prices. For example, the Sales Manager at the dealership where we bought our new one, has owned a Generation 2, 3 AND 4, and they are all still in his family, (the Gen 2 has over 400K miles on it!).
We were also advised that there is no such thing as a good deal on a “used Prius because if they were taken care of owners don’t part with them without you paying through the nose for them”.
Regardless of what you read on Prius Chat, Priuses are phenomenal vehicles when cared for as Toyota recommends, and used as they were designed and intended to be used. JMHO and FWIW I would not buy a used one unless I really knew the previous owner (and trusted them A LOT).
Additionally, they are not that complicated, they are just different, so you have to learn how they actually work (which too many Prius Chat owners don’t bother to do).
Now, after all of that, the technology has been GREATLY IMPROVED in the Generation 4 Prius, and it is well worth the investment to TRY and find a 2020 to 2022 Generation 4 (from someone you trust A LOT!). Better gas mileage, better overall economy, better handling, etc, etc. MANY (who REALLY KNOW WHAT THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT) have said that the 4TH Generation is going to be very hard to beat.
HOWEVER, it HAS TO BE taken care of the correct way (if an oil change with the recommended oil is not something you care to do every 6 months, then…..).
Hope this helps, even though I will receive considerable grief for my comments.

 

Unless you can afford surprise repairs in the thousands of dollars, avoid Prius.
If you must, 2016 with under 100k might serve you well .
All the best!

 

If you want to keep a Prius 10+ years, start with a brand new one. The first 10 years with any Prius are awesome.

The second 10 years can get expensive, though some individual cars are better than others. Old Prius + student budget = bad combo.

Good luck!

 

I paid $300 for my Prius (2006 with +200K miles), and it needs an engine block (up to $2,000 just for the block, or just keep buring oil with this one), a catalytic converter (up to $2,000 for that), and a hybrid battery (up to $2,000 for that). So you can look at that as either a money pit or a $7,300 car with a new engine, battery and catalytic converter. But that's assuming I'd do all the work myself as I'm pricing just the parts.

My personal preference when buying a reliable vehicle (not a project car like mine) is to look for 50K miles or less, 5 years or less, and get it for at least half the price of a new one. Right now is still a bad time to buy used cars. There are a few with those kinds of credentials within your budget (maybe not half of the original though), but you'd want to get a CarFax report and have an independent mechanic do a pre-purchase inspection before buying one (both for piece of mind as well as reasons to ask for a lower price). You'd also have to go to Texas, Florida or somewhere else that's far away, in order to get one at those prices.

Toyota Prius (All) after 2018 - AutoTempest.com

Also, don't forget about the other Toyota hybrids. The hybrid Camry is a good choice. I got a used hybrid Avalon and it has lots of leg room both front and back.

P.S. USB, Bluetooth and backup camera can easily be added later. I'd avoid the 2013 Avalon hybrid (mine) if you want built in USB and Bluetooth support as that year has a terrible problem with the infotainment center. I just plug in an AUX cable now instead in my Avalon as those things no longer work. But I think this is the only year and model with those problems.

 

If your budget is $20k you should consider newer model years. Heck, if you can stretch your budget a little bit you could drive off with a brand new corolla with 0 miles and almost guaranteed 10+ year lifespan if you take care of it. A 2023 Corolla Hybrid starts at 23k.

 

FWIW in the area I live in there are a lot of 10+ year old Priuses that are running great with absolutely no major problems. However, they are owned by folks (and their families) who understand how to read the Owner’s Manual and are perfectly willing to follow the Toyota maintenance instructions (4 to 5 quarts of oil (of the proper weight and type and an inexpensive Toyota filter at the real recommended time and mileage intervals, plus the knowledge that the coolants and brake fluids don’t last for ever buy you a lot of worry and trouble free miles and years).
Problem is, they won’t part with them. In today’s automotive world, when you have a great vehicle (AND take care of it) you will hold onto it. The Prius and the Corolla are the only ones that have consistently met that mark over the years.

 

I agree. With prices right now, used doesn't make that much sense.

Looking at used Corolla hybrids, you can have one that's a few years old for $20,000. But as @MalachyNG said, a new one is only $3,000 more. The catch is that you may have to be put on a waiting list to get the new one.

Used Corolla hybrids:
Toyota Corolla (All) after 2018 - AutoTempest.com

 

With a $20k budget, I’d get a 4th gen Prius (2016-2022) or as a previous poster suggested, save up a little more and get a brand new hybrid Corolla.

 

I'll add my recent experience buying a used 2015 Prius.
I bought one new in 2008 and have taken it in for the recommended maintenance regularly, but it has become more and more expensive to fix. I had this car at the dealer shop to get a new 12V battery and while I was waiting I looked at the dealer's used car website. There was a Prius Prime with low miles so I asked if I could see it. It was not what I wanted, but the salesman had my contact info and kept asking me if I was interested...so a 2015 Prius plug-in with 32K miles became available and instead of ignoring the salesman I replied and said I wanted to test drive it.
I drove it and really liked it. The salesman asked if I wanted to buy it now and I said no, I need to ask my insurance guy what it would cost to add this car to the policy. This was Sunday. Then by Tuesday I decided I wanted to buy it outright(I had enough $$ in savings). The good thing about the dealership is they have a no haggling policy which was a relief. They printed out the Carfax report and this car had all its maintenance done at the recommended intervals, at this dealership. No problems listed. They did do the hard sell for the electronics repair package, and the maintenance package, however. They kept saying this will give you peace of mind. But I did not buy. So overall, I did like using the dealer. They took care of all the DMV registration electronically. I also drove there alone and told them I could not drive 2 cars at once home, so the 2 salesman drove it to my house on a rainy evening so that was really nice.
I know it's hard on a student budget to pay for regular maintenance, but from what others have said here, this is crucial if you want to keep the car going for a long time.

 

This sound like awesome advice.

 

Welp, that's a bunch of nervous Nelly accounts. I've owned nine Priuses, all of them used, gen2-4, a prime, and a v wagon. Every last one of them did very well and was free of major mechanical issues. A couple needed some limited reconditioning which I was aware of prior to purchase (a 12v battery and tires, for example).

We have test driven about two that we wouldn't have touched, but they were obvious outliers - if you know how a car is supposed to sound, you wouldn't have bought them, either.

Point being, a used Prius can be a fine purchase, and it really doesn't take an advanced degree to get a good one.

 

I haven't been able to drive mine for 2 years because I haven't been able to fix it. Of course mine has over 200,000K miles, but I didn't expect it to have all the problems it had. I thought, "it's just the 12 battery and maybe a module or two in the HV battery". But no, it's a lot more than that. So yes, it is possible to buy a bad Prius. A 15-year-old Prius with over 200,000 miles on it might be a bad idea IMO. At least it was for me.

 

Yeah, and we have our limits as well. I'm not buying any car with 200K on the dial, Prius or otherwise - cars have come a long way from when I was a kid, but 200K is still a lot of clicks, even if 100K isn't the milestone it used to be.

I always take along a Bluetooth odb reader to test the hybrid battery, it's just part of my due diligence. It's also possible I'm more thorough than many before purchase - like I said, had a couple I wouldn't touch. Yours might have been a third if it were in front of me, but that doesn't make the experience any better for you, and I'm sorry it's sucked.

 

@par_struggle having had nine of them it sounds like you also know when it is time to get out of one.

...a useful skill!

 

That is likely an accurate statement. Have a gen3 I'm about to sell if you're interested.

 

Regardless of a few fanboys' positive recommendations, you must avoid all 2010 through late 2014 Prius and in reality, all gen3s which include the Prius v.

Yes, the Prius v is a pretty nice miniature SUV which is the reason I bought one new in 2012. However multiple design flaws can cost $5000-$10,000 suddenly and often without warning.

If that wasn't bad enough, reality says that these cars are rather complicated and the vast majority of mechanics won't work on them. Which in many cases means you're going back to the Toyota dealer for repairs. Yes, if you are advanced DIY you can do anything a Toyota master mechanic can do. The college student who wants to keep it 10 years is unlikey to be in that position.

Items that will cost you $2500 or more each include an aging Hybrid Battery, a very complex brake by wire system, blown head gaskets ($2500-$7500 dependant on severity) and inverter systems. Inverters cost when your mechanic doesn't realize Toyota would've covered that one for free. Which happens.

The more expensive $7500 head gasket repair is actually a rebuilt engine caused by the head gasket. Some of these head gasket cases actually blow holes in the side of the block. Which will strand her every time.

Is it worth getting a later generation? Absolutely. The 2016 and up standard Prius (not v) has a whole new design when it comes to these expensive issues.

What vehicle would I buy for a student that might last ten years? A newer car with active safety features such as automatic braking and blindspot monitoring. With a conventional engine that any mechanic can repair. A Corolla, Civic or Camry are all good choices.

A new Corolla hybrid would be great but as you know, new cars are still difficult to buy.

 

Prius V used is one of the best cars that you can buy today.

Some things to know, you have to replace the battery. ($1,000 to $2,000). The head gasket will need to be replaced. ($1,500 to $2,500 dollar job) and the EGR and hybrid fan need to be cleaned maybe at 100,000 miles each. These two items you can readily manage DIY.

That said, a used Prius that will cost the same to refuel or better than a new model 3/Y is expected to have some maintenance items.

The head gasket is a maintenance item. They go bad because of constant hot and cold cycles. That's all. You can spot the issue early by listening for rattles on cold mornings that then go away after the car is warmed up.

Hybrid battery will tell you when it needs replacement.

Overall great car for a young adult. The fuel savings and reliability do balance out those other maintenance items. Other vehicles have their own issues and new cars cost much more than those repair items listed above.

Model 3 and Prius V get very similar fuel costs when the calculation is done correctly.