Would you buy a 218K mile 2005 w/ new battery?

Some people seem to take the "Oh Japanese cars needs nothing, just needs oil every 6 months and that's it" word of advice to heart.

 

If the car is nearby, drive it and bring it to a mechanic you trust.

 

HV battery replacement would be my primary concern for major bucks. know the major services that ought to have been performed.

120k - spark plugs
90k - water pump, drive belt

if those were not performed, i'd be hesitant to purchase. i wouldn't rule it out but be wary of other "shortcuts" in PREVENTIVE maintenance.

i always replace the thermostat, PCV valve, ATF, ICE and Inverter coolants, brake fluid, front and rear wipers. clean TB plate, MAF sensor

 

There's also a good chance he did some of the maintenance himself and has kept the records. If you think about it, he ordered the top of the line Prius in 04. Those people usually take exceptional care of their cars. I'm betting he did as well.

 

I bought that (similar) car in 2011 at 192K for $7000 and thought I did OK on the deal. Car now has 260K, original battery, and no issues. Well until it started missing and I realized that I had personally put 68K on the plugs and who knows how much before me?

 

Wow! What kinda mpg do you get?

 

I guess you already got your money's worth going problem free for 70,000 miles.

 

Two comments:

1) Prius makes an excellent family hauler in our experience. We finally upgraded to the bigger "v" after our third came along. Takes a little getting used to, but I much prefer the Prius to our previous SUV (Land Rover Disco) now. The gen 2 liftback had enough room that we could take a weekend trip with all the kids gear no problem. For the occasional camping trip we used a Yakima roof box. Now with the v we don't even need that. If you can trade in the highlander and go with a new or CPO Prius or Prius v I would definitely do that.

2) Otherwise, at this price point I would seriously consider a rebuild from Steve at autobeyours. I'd take one of his rebuilds over a high mileage with lots of potential unknowns any day. I bought a low mileage '05 from him in 2007, drove it all the way back from IN to AZ, and its still going strong. He seems to maintain a great reputation in the Prius community for the quality of his work.

Rebuildable Prius and Electric Vehicles

Best of luck,
Rob

 

In the summer I average 54 to 55. Winter in the high 40's. Lifetime average (since 192K) is 53.4. But please understand that I live in Atlanta, Georgia where 40 degrees is considered "brutal". Also, I rarely ever break 65 MPH and do a lot of 55, using moderate hypermiling techniques where possible. For instance, first thing in the morning, I'll cut off the HVAC if I'm sitting at a traffic light so that the engine will cut off.