Should I buy a prius with 137k miles?

Speaking about accidents , I personally prefer to buy a car with a back rather than front accident . There are a lot at stake in front damaged cars .

 

Unless you are expert in evaluating the quality of auto repairs <in which case you probably would not have posted on this subject>, you should not buy a car that has been in a severe accident. The car could have many problems associated with a rear collision. The traction battery is just one of many concerns.

Was the rear suspension damaged? Are the rear wheels properly aligned or not - if not the rear tires will show rapid wear and the car may be unsafe when driving at high speeds.

Was the body properly repaired to withstand corrosion from driving on winter roads with salt?

As a result of the accident damage, are there any failed body seams that will leak water into the hatch area, causing long-term damage to the traction battery and the hatch wiring harness, as well as water accumulating below the 12V battery? (Some Prius that have not even been in an accident have this problem due to a crack opening up in a body seam near the upper corners of the hatch opening. This is visible when the black plastic trim on the roof is removed.)

Were any triggered airbags properly replaced?

Remove the folding hatch floor and the black plastic tray over the spare tire to view the condition of the hatch floor. That will help to show how extensive the accident damage was and the quality of the repairs to the hatch floor - if you know what to look for and can compare to what an undamaged Prius looks like.

How much money do you have saved for a vehicle repair fund? Do not expect to pay only $5K for a used Prius with accident damage, and have a trouble-free ownership experience unless you are exceedingly lucky.

 

Can You Help. I have a 2007 Toyota Prius. I had the Need Service come on. I took it to an Auto Zone store here in town. They put there code scanner on. It showed up two problems

1. Code 1241. Low Battery-Positive Voltage Abnormally High.

2. Code C 1377. Capacitor Malfunction -ABS-

I checked ABS Main fuses #! #2 #3 All were good
How do I find the resolution to the problem

 

This means that the skid control ECU sees low voltage on the 12V bus.

1. Inspect the wiring harness to the brake power supply, which is the large black rectangular box next to the 12V battery.
2. Inspect ABS 1 and ABS 2 relays.
3. Make sure the 12V battery is in good condition.

Although your message is not directly responsive to the OP's question about buying a Prius that suffered accident damage, this actually is a good example of a Prius electrical problem that can easily surface. If the car was in a rear accident, the brake power supply could have been damaged either during the initial accident or could have been damaged from exposure to rain etc. while the car was waiting to be repaired.

 

I have to say, I agree with Patrick Wong on this.
It's not the first time a younger person has enthusiastically saved up for a "used" Prius, and when looking at the overall picture it just seems like a too risky proposition or one that could rapidly become a financial problem. While going to school, I just have to assume income is limited. Therefore, getting from point A to B with reliability and with as much potential to keep possible repairs under control should be the priority. IMO the complexity of a Hybrid makes buying a older at risk one a gamble you shouldn't take unless you have the time and knowledge to deal with repairs, as well as the desire to do so, OR the financial resources to invest into any possible needed repairs that might arise.

A common formula for disaster?

Well when I was young, I bought more than one used vehicle because it was a vehicle I wanted or thought I wanted based on emotional desire for that vehicle. This often lead to me overlooking important things such as "It's cheaper than it should be" or...it has a "At risk" history, my experience became that I learned you often get what you pay for, and as much "fun" that you think owning a particular vehicle might be? If you buy it and it breaks down or you discover a world of problems, it then isn't so much fun.

When your income is limited, for whatever reason, I think you have to approach buying a used vehicle primarily as an investment into transportation. I think the truth is for a limited income a used hybrid comes with more potential inherent maintenance risks and costs. Especially one you are considering that immediately comes delivered with a "Moderate to Severe" accident in it's history.

So I'm NOT saying a used Prius isn't a good purchase, BUT sometimes within the big picture of the situation one is in, it might not be the best choice. Therefore maintaining flexibility in the breadth of choices possible becomes an advantage. Saying Prius or Nothing....is limiting ones self unnecessarily.

Unfortunately I have to say, young, priority education, investment into personal transportation's first priority should be "best vehicle possible". Or maybe even...continuing saving to expand options.

 

On what data do you make this overreaching statement of doom and gloom? There are some, but very few reports of batteries being replaced at 10 years. Most cars haven't made it to 200,000 miles, yet still have their original batteries that are working perfectly. Some taxis have reported 400,000 miles. Truth is we don't know how long the high voltage batteries last, but the current data says most batteries last as long as the car ~ 15-20 years.

 

I would buy a good used Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic and pass on this one.

 

I am sorry to project any doom and gloom. Consumers Reports survey a couple years ago showed on the order of 3% of 2006's with batts replaced. I suspect it could be higher now possible over 5%. Our surveys here tend to show much higher % failures, but that could easily be bias that the readers here have more percent failed. We do not have Toyota records so we are guessing. Some % seems to have trouble and some percent seems good.

I promised to re-do the Gen2 survey this Fall so I will probably do so when I get around to it. Toyota used to say <1% of batts failed which I verified but I am not sure Toyota can still make the claim anymore as it was a bit of a numbers game with new cars diluting down the older cars, which was easy while sales were increasing. Nonetheless it is remarkable reliability.

 

I agree that it's a risk you are better off not taking... I understand the time pressure, but there are other used cars (even Prius's!) out there, so don't get swept away with this particular one. Good used cars are an excellent value IMO, but they regularly have *something* that needs to be repaired. You don't want any surprises on top of that due to unknowns (from the accident). I might make an exception if the accident was a long time ago and it's been running well for years. Ask lots of questions, ask for records, and get it inspected by an independent mechanic.

 

o/p, you do realize the potential problems and expensive repairs that a hybrid represents to a person with little or no resources? as long as you go in to the purchase with your eyes wide open...

 

well, now you know. besides reading your own thread, you should spend some time reading the horror stories here. reliable doesn't mean 'no problems'. most have had good success unto 150,000+ miles, but a few have had to pour thousands of dollars into difficult repairs with very expensive parts.

 

Could you be more specific? I bought my Prius used recently (no accidents in its history), so I'm quite interested. I know what the hybrid battery costs, but what are the other concerns? (Is it *THAT* weird of a car?)

 

As you have discovered, the high traction battery costs about $2k new, $1k rebuilt (very risky). The other pricey items:

Inverter - I've heard $4k
Some brake component - $3k
Motor + transaxle - $500-$750

One of the main reasons is because the parts that go into a Prius has to come out of other Prius', they are not interchangeable with other Toyota models, hybrid or otherwise. So your options are very limited.

 

A new traction battery will run you way more than $2000

 

there's a huge difference between the parts cost, and the labor. if you can diy, you can save a lot, sometimes way more than 50%, and you can you salvage and aftermarket parts quite often.

 

sorry, nothing to lose sleep over. but if you hit the lottery, (in a bad way) there are some expensive repairs.

to learn more, click on 'newest posts', and go down the lining, looking for people with repair questions. you get a feel for age and mileage trouble.

one thing you don't typically get, is car history, when someone picks up a pre owned. it's great if you can get the service history, but what about how the car was driven, and in what conditions.

my daughter has my old '08 with over 100,000 miles. although anything can still happen, we at least know how it was treated the whole time. and that's true for all mechanical devices, not just cars.

 

No worries, I won't lose sleep, just want to know what I'm dealing with. Like you said, expensive things can happen. I just like to know what they are.

 

How many miles is on your Prius?

 

If you are working part time while in school, can you afford a $100/month car payment. I'd borrow $5000 and buy a $12,000 Prius, or something along those lines.