Would you buy a Prius with 100,000+ miles?

I bought my Prius with 101k on the odo and paid $6500 for it.

 

A roof rack would destroy your MPG. The extra weight would make it more difficult to access any areas that have poorly maintained roads. There is little enough clearance already and the suspension is soft enough that you will lose another couple inches in the rear with a heavy load. Having driven a Tacoma, I think you would curse your Prius for being incapable of reaching some of your favorite backcountry spots. If possible, hang on to your Tacoma and buy the cheapest Prius out there.

The main maintenance issue is the transaxle. The fluid is listed as lifetime fill, even though it turns black and dirty with the first thousand miles. I personally would not buy a high mileage Prius unless I knew that this fluid had been changed at least once. You can write down the VIN of a prospective car and go to toyota.com/owners to the maintenance history as performed at dealerships.

 

I would buy a good used Prius! I use a Yakima and 11cubic ft. space booster by Yakima.I use a sport rack for the Kayak. Buy the rack that uses square tubes. Add on things don't turn in the clamps as easy. Also a air deflector on the front one. It will effect your FE, but it is still great fuel economy. Hal

 

Too be totally honest, I bought it from a used car dealer that makes their profit from flipping cars, buying and selling for low profit. They offered a 30 day warantee so we took a chance. Before buying it from them they put on new front brakes and they had to replace a the wiper blade motor which wasen't working.

 

I would have no problem buying a used Prius w/ 100k+ miles, as long as no significant accidents, maintenance was done, and the transaxle fluid was changed. Definetly pay to have whatever Prius you're interested in looked over at a dealership that hopefully has a Prius knowledgable tech on staff. There was a sad horror story posting here, of a lady who unfortunately bought a salvaged Prius that had been in a significant accident, contrary to her CarFax report. Fortunately it turned out well for her: $1.5k in additional repairs to get it running propery. Don't know if she was able to get any money back from CarFax for a flawed report.

My transaxle began to go bad at 99,100 miles; original owner. A new replacement (parts,labor,tax) would cost $4200 at a dealership. A used replacement $1400 on up (the used transmission was the variable) at independent shops. Somehow the dealership that gave me the initial diagnosis, was able to get the transaxle warranteed under the longer California emissions warranty (10yrs/150k miles).

 

Toyota ATF WS costs ~$9 per US quart and 4 quarts are needed for the Prius transaxle. This is a very easy drain and replace process and there are several posts regarding how to do this.

The Prius is far from being straightforward with regards to its highly complex electronics. The electronics content is far greater than non-hybrid vehicles in the mid-$20K price range.

Normally the electronics are reliable, but if you happen to get a car with an electronics problem, it may be very difficult to pin down. If you have to rely upon Toyota dealer service then plan to spend four-digits to resolve any such issue.

For example, suppose the transaxle fails. You are probably looking at a $6K bill at your local dealer to have a new transaxle installed, which is probably the single most expensive repair that would potentially be required. An alternative approach would be to find an independent that can install a salvage part. That might cost you $2K.

You asked whether I would buy a used Prius with 100K+ miles. I assume that an individual considering such a purchase (of a vehicle costing $7-8K or so) has to watch discretionary spending closely. I further assume that this individual must rely upon Toyota dealer service as credible aftermarket repair for Toyota hybrids is not available locally.

If both assumptions are correct, then I would say no, find another vehicle of conventional design in that price range. Good luck with your decision.

 

Toyota Type WS ATF (Automatic Transmission Fluid) refresh costs $100 for a Prius at my dealer (some dealer overcharge for this and other jobs) and it is a reasonable DIY job (Directions are available, do a search).

It should be done every 60k miles (30k miles in the 2001-2003 models) and a first ATF refresh at 30k miles is a good idea.

JeffD

 

OP asked if I would buy a 100k Prius.
My Prius has 125k miles, and I have no thought whatsoever in getting rid of it; in fact, I think there is an excellent chance of it running for 10 - 15 more years. I say that based on Prius fleet, and my personal experience with my individual car. If I could convince myself that a used Prius had a nice history, passed a comprehensive pre-sale mechanic check and good maintenance I'd go for it.

Addendum: Consumer Reports

 

I just did - I bought a used 2004 with 107K about a month ago. It had a clean CarFax: it had never been in an accident and I could see that the previous owners had been religious about doing every service. It had a few scratches on the bumpers, but the dealer sanded them out and repainted them for me. I thought it was a sweet deal at $7,300, and was perfect for my needs for a practical, reliable second car that I can actually carry things in (which complements my Miata perfectly). It even has a trailor hitch. It's hard to find a Prius in the Atlanta area for less than $10K unless you get the first generation, so I think I did great.

One of my co-workers was asking me about it the other day and he was shocked when I told him it wasn't a new car. I believe I can get another 100,000 miles out of it easily. And, now I'm ready for the $5 per gallon gas that I hear is right around the corner.

So far, I'm getting mileage in the mid 40's, but I'm noticing that it is steadily improving as I change my "sports car" driving habits.

 

I would refuse, at all costs, to buy any Prius with 100,000+ miles.

That's why I did the smart thing and bought the last one at 99,573 miles. I totally beat the system! (bad joke)

 

Good for a morning chuckle thou!!! Hal

 

Would also recommend to find one that had a transaxle fluid change as early as possible, possibly had the recall for the inverter pump done, had the 12 V battery changed as of late (~$145 at my dealer, ~$240 on most and as high as $320 at one Toyota stealership). Brake fluid change at high mileage is also an indication of an aware owner.

I would rather buy from an individual than a dealer and have a dealer you trust check it. To find a dealer to trust is difficult, in my case a good indication was that they were the cheapest and that their service reps were aware of Prius-specific maintenance items.

You could also try and find out if the car was driven daily or if it was left parked for long times, something that some people have postulated might even affect the HV battery lifetime.

Under these conditions I would buy a used Prius and accept the risk of a premature hybrid battery failure, transaxle, or an ABS actuator failure.

 

Out of curiosity, and sorry to hijack the thread, I did a quick search and couldnt find the answer - but how often should th transaxle fluid be changed?

 

New Toyota Type WS ATF every 60k miles. A first refresh at 30k miles is probably a good idea. Then at 90k, 150k, 210k, ... (yes a Prius lasts that long if well maintained).

JeffD

 

I just bought one with 53,000. It was a rental. I'm thinking of doing the fluid change now, sound like a good idea?

 

Yes, the prevailing thought in this forum is to do it as early as possible. I did mine at a dealer outside of Baltimore MD for 42k for ~ $140. Shop around.

 

Is this not something that is easy to DIY?