Hello! I've been in the market for a used Toyota Prius, and after looking around, I came across one from 2005 with about 204,000 miles on it. I've seen other used Prius's with these sorts of miles, and I just didn't know if it would still be decent enough to drive around or not. Any insight? Please feel free to offer any suggestions!
if it runs fine, it will be fine to drive about. plan on making a lot of repairs in the coming years though, as with any car with that kine of mileage.
…do you have access to all the maintenance records? …look for any major component changed or worked on… …has it been dealer maintained? …or guy on the corner? …take a look at the tyre wear… …has it been in any accidents (look closely at the way the body panels fit (…are there any strange gaps around the doors or hood? …miss-matched paint?) - FWIW…
I haven't looked at it yet, although I've seen photos of the vehicle and have just recently gotten in contact with the dealer. I've also found another 2005 Prius with about 190,000 miles on it (same thing; have only seen photos and have contacted dealer). Should I take the same steps with the latter as well?
I think I would! Get other opinions, and look for the things I mentioned! Good luck, and welcome to PriusChat! There's so much useful information here, and so many helpful Prius owners, but of course, always remember the information might be worth just about exactly what you pay for it!
service repair and accident history are important, and a thorough check up at a toyota dealer. pull a car fax.
Also know the scheduled maintenance and ask if the 200k service was done. If you decide to purchase, and it wasn't done, make sure it is done. At a Toyota dealership. Also know how long certain parts are expected to last--even stuff not included on a service schedule. Back story: Our 2005 Prius (recently traded for a 2013 Prius) we bought at 99k miles and we got a big financial blow shortly after 100k miles that the wheel bearings had to be replaced to the tune of $800. We had never bought such a high mileage vehicle before so we did not realize wheel bearings typically last about 100k miles. If you want to go to an independent shop, make sure you have an independent shop close to you that will work on a Prius. I love in Chicago and many mechanics will not work on them.
Welcome! Got my 2005 with 140kmiles on the clock but still run smoothly and a deal I can't let go. Sure you'll find a nice deal soon, keep looking.
