Hi everyone, My spouse and I are considering purchasing a 2009 Prius with ~48k miles on it. Unfortunately, since it is not being sold by a Toyota dealership it can't qualify as a certified vehicle. So no warranties. We were hoping that the fine participants on this board could give some insight as to the average operating costs of the Gen II Priuses (Prii?) and reliability. What general guidelines would you provide in terms of setting expectations? Would you recommend getting a newer Prius w/ a warranty? Do you think the 2009 Gen II has a low enough ongoing maintenance costs as to forgo a warranty? Thanks!
Even if the car is not certified, the balance of the manufacturer's warranty should be transferrable to you as long as the car has a clean (not salvage) title. That includes 5 years/60K miles powertrain warranty, the Federal or California emissions warranty (depending upon your location) and the hybrid system warranty of 8 years/100K miles minimum (more in California and other states adopting CA regs.) Reliability is high compared to other vehicles, look at the annual Consumer Reports vehicle ratings. Operating costs are low since fuel savings are high and scheduled maintenance is minor, see the toyota.com website for maintenance schedule information or search on PriusChat. Good luck with your purchase decision.
What's the owner's asking price, Joe? Around $15K? If so, consider a Gen 3 instead. If you're patient, you'll find a 2010 or even a 2011 for about the same price and miles. Not that a Gen 2 is a bad choice. It's a good car. The Gen 3 is better in many ways, though. The 09 you're considering still has part of the factory warranty remaining for major components. You can purchase an extended warranty directly from Toyota if you buy the car. It's not cheap but at least you will have peace of mind that if something major fails, you'll be covered. Operating costs for the Gen 2 are very low. If you DIY maintenance, they're lower still. Depending on your driving style, you won't need brakes for a very long time. Except for spark plugs every 100K miles, coolant changes, and regular maintenance, there's not much you need to do with a Prius - except having recall work done. Good luck with your search.
