Hi All, I'm considering buying a used Gen III Prius with ~80000km on the clock. The car has been at the dealership for about two years and in that time has only been test driven a couple of times. The dealership say the car was simply too highly priced (hence why it hadn't been sold) and have reduced their asking price in the last few months. If indeed this is correct (and there isn't some other hidden defect) I'm wondering if there are any issues that might arise from the car being stationary for so long. Would that have any consequences for the hybrid battery or 12v battery for instance? Thanks!
Tires, brake rotor rust & 12volt battery come to mind as items that can take a hit from improper long term storage. A test drive should suffice for testing the tires and brakes but it would be a good idea to to get the 12v battery tested since its considered a wear item and not often warrantied. What is the hybrid warranty on the hybrid battery in the Netherlands?
Thanks for you reply! The test drive revealed nothing out of the ordinary, but I'll certainly insist on a check of the 12v battery. The warranty is 5years but you can extend it for another 3 years for $420
Check the obvious - brake discs front and rear, does the hand/parking brake stick, any rust on the insides of the exhaust or rot anywhere. The 12v is £95 fully fitted by Toyota here in the UK so even if they won't install one as part of the sale, you can get peace of mind later for not much cash. If the HV battery is fine, then it should be ok assuming it hasn't been stored totally flat and only recently coaxed back to life. Make sure all the recalls have been done though. Not sure how it works in Holland but the UK Toyota website has an option where you can check from your reg number. I'd be a little concerned about a vehicle sitting for 2 years. Even if it were over priced, why did they wait 2 years before lowering? Hmmm. You sure it hasn't been flood damaged or damaged in some other way and has eventually been repaired? Or is it a stolen car stored for it to 'cool' down? I guess it depends on what the garage you're buying it from are like. Tread carefully with your eyes wide open.
Thanks! I called up Toyota and they mentioned that the vehicle had been recalled three times (ECU reprogramming & brakes) and that there were no outstanding recalls. The dealership is a reputable Toyota garage so I'm not too concerned there... although I do agree that it's a bit strange that they didn't think to lower the price earlier...
is it a 2009 gen III? reset the meter and take it for a good long drive to see what kind of average mpg's she's getting. could be a peach, but i'm not sure of the effect on longevity of the hybrid battery sitting around unused for that long.
Thanks for the tip! Presumably the best test of the average mpg would be to drive it around town (when you'd expect the most involvement of the hybrid engine)? And, yes it's a 2009 gen III (they started selling them here in 2009).
