Hi folks, A friend of mine in Montreal has a 2017 Prius Prime in great shape with only 30,000 miles (48,000 km) on it. She doesn’t like it — I do. Based on my research, the trade-in value is around $13K CAD on the low end, and a private sale might go as high as $20K. She offered it to me for $17K as a friend (about $12K USD), which seems fair. I’m tempted. I like the car, I have a plug in my driveway, and I mostly drive short distances. One concern, though: after test-driving it, I noticed the front end scraped over dips going into driveways, and the door brushed the sidewalk. That might be normal — I’ve read they sit low. But here’s my question: Is this going to be a problem on bad rural roads with big potholes? I live in the country, and some of the roads here are pretty rough. I’ve read you can get a suspension lift kit installed, and Perplexity.com estimates that would cost about $930–$1500 CAD (parts and labour and wheel alignment). I’m not sure if that’s a good idea or just a patch. So I’m wondering: Does this seem like a good deal? (It would have to be, since it’s out of province and a hassle for me to go get it.) Will the low clearance be an issue long-term if I’m often on bad roads? Any other thoughts or advice? Thanks!
That's a good deal. You should probably get the 1.5 inch suspension lift and go with taller tires. Anything more would require a lot more work and money. It'll impact your mpg a bit; but that'll be offset by the decrease petro consumption. I believe the battery should get you 25 EV miles, so if your commute is shorter than that, your not burning any petro. Do the math; even with the lift and tires - it still looks like a good deal. If we're talking about groomed gravel roads, it'll be fine. Your 2012 Prius had about the same ground clearance. If we're talking about public access logging trails, where hillbillies are ripping through in 34+ inch off-road tires and carving big holes in the trail - That car isn't going to make it - even with a suspension lift and taller tires. A lot more work would need to be done to it and that'll probably make it less reliable. You'll need either a Land Cruiser or 4Runner for that. Beware; the 2017 exhaust gas heat exchanger is prone to leaks; so keep an eye on your engine coolant level. Double check with Canadian law; it part of the emissions control system and may be under extended warranty coverage terms. Hope this helps.....
if she has owned it since new, i would be all over it. can't comment on the rural roads though, what do you find works well with them?
Contrary advice inbound.... How close a friend are we talking about? I have a policy of never selling a car to a friend or buying one from them. Friends are important. Also...if the roads are bad enough to get a suspension lift, then you're standing into some fairly dangerous waters. Suspension lift kits may ensure you have ground clearance but they do not dampen the bouncing and jouncing about on rough roads. There's also a significant chance that you will endanger your warranty (Canadian laws may or not be better than our own) and you can bet your binky that if YOUR Toyota dealerships are 1/100th as sleazy as they are in the USA then they WILL try you out for a repair denial. ALL THIS is PRESUMING that the suspension lift is properly engineered AND competently installed. Me? I Buy once. Cry once. GeRav-4 Prime if you must, or get an adult sized vehicle with a longer EV range.... The Ravs are well regarded, by the auto nerds. Good Luck!!
