Found this on Craigslist, going to look at it now. Any ideas what's wrong? I'm leaving shortly to go look at it, should be there in about 3 hours. He (she?) texted me again and said 'I cleared an abs code for the acc sensor and all the lights turned off yesterday' in regard to the warning lights.
i expected the next line to be "oh, and then there's the stubborn stench of death..." don't take the poster's word on the HV battery. if you have a code scanner, bring it. "codes cleared" seems fishy. take it for a test-drive, and push the car hard. install uber on your phone, incase you need a ride back to your car.
How would I know the HV battery is going bad? If it's going bad I'm not against replacing it, only $1400. Id have $2400 in the car at that point.
Sounds like the brake/abs/skid control might be out. That might be solved with a $40 used ECU or it could be the brake accumulator is going out ($$$$) which is not a DIY repair for most folks. Car is throwing codes, so codes need to be read to get a better understanding. Read this FAQ: Texas Prius Battery Replacement
What do you want it for? Looks like the seller is promoting it as nearly a parts vehicle. The way the seller is promoting it? I certainly wouldn't be investing into it as a vehicle I had much hope of driving very long without significant investment. The red flags are "Has definitely seen better days" and referring to it as a Hog... And the endorsement of the HV battery isn't promoted as being anything but it's still working. So for $1000 you get an HV battery that hasn't yet failed? I wouldn't look at this any more seriously than as a potential parts vehicle, and even then, my interest would be nearly non-existent.
a code reader can tell you. and pushing the car hard may throw codes faster than standard prius driving. a failing battery will get low mileage. a good battery will have plenty of oomph. if battery was the only thing wrong, it might be worth it, but it sounds like other issues would make this a no-go for me. i would take the advice of others that have replied.
Also if the Ohio market is similar to my local one, it's probably all ready been snatched up by a prius/hybrid rebuilder.