Hello, I am debating on buying a 2011 prius for 7000$ cad. The car has 190k kilometers on the odo, and I would like something to last me the next 4 or 5 years. I'm a young man, so 7000$ is a lot to me right now. Would this be a good investment? How long do you think the vehicle would last? Thank you, Brandon Pelley
No, it's not a good investment if your tight on cash. You've got a very high mileage car, combined with a High Voltage battery that's most likely going to need to be replaced within the next 2 or 3 years. That's a $2500 replacement right there. In fact, stay away from any used Prius which has a combination of years and mileage on it . Don't believe me? Just take a couple hours and search this forum. Soooo many people have come here having just bought a used Prius and then weeks, months (sometimes days) later need to drop more cash for a new High Voltage Battery.
If you don't mind having $3,000 reserved for unexpected fixes, egr + manifold cleaning & the inverter dying in your prius on 75 mph highway, buy one. Just being honest.
190K kms is around 120K miles, really not that much. But, it's a 3rd gen Prius, more'n likely having coking-up EGR and intake manifold, and waiting in the wings: possible piston ring problems, head gasket failure. Oh and the inverter, hybrid battery, brake booster...
So is the second gen a lot better idea, like an 08 or 09? I've seen a lot of comments saying to avoid the 2010 year. Or are they all iffy? lol For being a site of Prius owners, people seem to be pretty negative towards them here it seems.
Yeah I was thinking that myself, lol: "No, you don't want one of these cars, we hate ours...". I think it's just: a 2011 with those kms, you may be in for some troubles. Frustrating. Still, there's a LOT of 3rd gen cabs on the road. Thing is: EGR clogging is pretty much inevitable. And, a properly functioning EGR system is apparently instrumental in keeping engine temps down. If it seriously clogs it can start a destructive cascade. Watch the @NutzAboutBolts videos, pinned here: Nutz About Bolts Prius Maintenance Videos | PriusChat In particular Intake Manifold Cleaning, Oil Catch Can install, and the EGR cleaning. The latter is a bit of a bear. Toyota and dealerships are sort of acknowledging the EGR issue, ditto for the Brake Booster. There are warranty enhancement programs for both. But the EGR in particular, I think you need to have a warning light, or persistent symptoms. I didn't even bother talking to the dealership, just cleaned it myself. But it's a big hassle. Maybe a Honda Fit?
I bought my 2012 prius with 330k, but with new battery, just cleaned egr system, and new water pump, cleaned radiator, 2 new wheels, brake puds and etc, it's close to $3000 investment, if u drive less then 2k - 2,5k per month I advice to buy just small car with 1litter engine.
I found this site very honest. The comments will be more negative in this thread because you don't have a repair fund. I joined this board for the same reasons you did, and after educating myself, I scraped up more money to buy a newer model because I didn't have the repair fund or diy skills to deal with an older model. Some of the stuff mentioned is not in the maintenance schedule, like the EGR cleaning. However, the older models mentioned will be closing in on 10 years old, which some here feel is expected life expectancy for the hybrid battery. You'll likely need some repairs in the next 4-5 years. IMO, some owners sell/trade in their Prius at the first sign of an expensive repair looming, which is why there are many posts about new owners being surprised with an expensive repair shortly after purchasing.
