Is buying a thirteen year old 2007 Prius with 75k miles a good idea? Would you all expect it to be reliable, or at that age, do things often start breaking down? Car's had no accidents. Always been in the Houston area. New tires. Two owners. Seller is asking $4,500. I'll potentially be buying the car later today, but curious what you all think.
Q1. Have you obtained the carfax for this car and analyzed it? Q2. Have you examined the service history of the car at the Toyota website (you will need the Gen2's VIN)? Q3. Does the car have an check-engine-light ("CEL") issues (you can usually do this with Torque Pro)? Q4. Have you done the 3-mile-60-mph-flat-ground test for battery life? Q5. Have you hooked up Torque Pro with Prius PIDs so that you can see battery voltages by individual cell (you will need OB2 dongle, Torque Pro and PIDs for Prius installed)? Do all/most of the above before buying this car. If you are unable to do the above work then make an appointment with the local Toyota dealer to do a used car inspection on this 2ndGen car. You really need to know how that HV battery is working as a replacement will likely be costly (if a replacement battery is needed you will request the purchase price be substantially lowered or just nix the deal). Dealer should also be able to provide you with the service history of the car (also look for odometer discrepancies here and especially when compared with the carfax). Each dealer sets their own prices for used car inspection but my local dealer charges $99 (last time I checked). PS I am using the vgate OBD2 dongle referenced in this Priuschat posting: OBD2 Dongle Reviews | PriusChat
welcome! most likely will need a new hybrid battery in the near future, $2,000. - $2,500. weak points are brake actuator $2,500. and combo meter $1,000. maybe a/c compressor $2,500. great car though, and very reliable overall. if you can serious diy, no problem. dealers or hybrid mechanics can get expensive.
Definitely past its prime. I wouldn't expect a large number of problems, but the specific failures you are most likely to face are expensive ones. This is the biggest difference between a used Prius and a used Civic/Corolla/Cruze etc. The Prius is likely to have fewer, more expensive problems, the others might need repair more often but the bills are smaller. Right now gas prices are so low that you're not likely to save enough on gas to break even against any one major Prius repair let alone multiple. An old Prius can still be a good deal and provide years of good service, but it's a bad bet if you're talking about spending your last dollars and it'll be your only car.
I have a similar car: 2006, 72k miles, exc. condition. Purchased from the original owner. There are two kinds of Generation 2 (04-09) owners: those that have replaced the HV (high voltage) battery and those that are about to. I replaced mine with a new Toyota battery approx. 2.5 years ago. See link in signature for details. Current pricing is $1600(aftermarket) to $4000 (greedy dealers) and anywhere in between. Refurbished batteries (not recommended if reliability is a big concern) can be had for much less. Use the VIN to check previous owner history: Vehicle Specification | Toyota Owners GOOD LUCK!
Also, can its location be verified during the month of August, 2017? How to Buy a Used Car After Harvey GOOD LUCK!
Thanks everyone. I'm going to pass on the Prius and may just drive our Corolla until it dies. '07 with 250k miles.
As you can see its all about the hybrid battery which given the miles will definitely need one real soon. Most G2 original owners sell there G2 because it needs a new hybrid battery. But you wont here that out of there lips. But once you get that battery straightened out its a very reliable little car. With any prospective Toyota sale check its service history: Go to toyota.com/owners site and join the forum. It will ask you the cars vin. Install the vin then it will show you the entire service history of the car at any authorized toyota dealer in the lower 48. Many times you will the see hybrid battery condemned at the dealer and the car was traded in on the spot....when they gave the owner a $5500 estimate for a new battery.
