What should be tested and looked at when buying used ?

Why do you want to buy a Gen 3 Prius when you know that there are three major problems that are very expensive to repair.

1. Head gasket going bad at 150k+ miles.
2. Hybrid battery replacement after 12+ years.
3. The brake actuator developing an internal leak and needing to be replaced.

Each of these problems will cost you $2,000 to $3,500 to fix by an independent mechanic and higher cost at a Toyota dealership.

Do you plan on doing all repairs on the car yourself, or do you plan on taking it to a mechanic for repairs?

 

take it for a leak down test to see if the head gasket is blown

 

yes, gen 3 is the worst vehicle toyota ever made. bad design, bad engineering, no testing. let the buyers do the testing for them.

 

A Gen 3 Prius has the three problems that I listed, which have a fairly high probability of occurring when the car has more than 150 miles. If you bought one of these cars new, you should not have any problems with it until you get above 150k miles. If you buy a Gen 3 Prius used, you can expect to have problems with one or maybe all three of the items I listed when you get above 150k miles. Don't buy a Gen 3 Prius, thinking that it will be reliable and problem free above 150k miles.

If you do all the repairs yourself, and you get a very good deal on the car, then go for it.

If you do not plan on doing the repairs yourself, then do not buy a used Gen 3 Prius. Buy a different car. The cost to repair an old hybrid car is very expensive if you do not fix it yourself. The Prius is one of the most complex cars made.

Why do you want to buy a hybrid car? How many miles do you drive each year? How many years do you plan on keeping the car?

By the way, I did not list the fourth big problem, which is the inverter. Toyota will fix that problem with a 20-year extended warranty. So,Toyota will fix it for free. If the inverter goes bad, it could leave you stranded along the road. Just have it towed to a Toyota dealership, and about a week later, you should get the car back free of charge.

 

a dealer can run a health check on the battery with toyota tech stream diagnostic software, and give you some idea of remaining life.
most any shp can do a leak down test to make sure the head gasket isn't blown.
idk if there's a way to test the brake actuator. most of us just listen to how often it runs to keep the pressure up. you can hear the pump run when you open the drivers door, and at times when using the brakes.
tech stream might have a way of measuring it, i'm not sure.

one thing to keep in mind, late 2014 and 2015's got upgraded pistons and rings after toyota finally recognized that they were of poor design.
there's also a tsb on the water pump software that wasn't running the pump fast enough, possibly leading to hot spots and premature head gasket failure.

 

It is without doubt the worse hybrid Toyota ever made. 2010-2014 are an almost don't buy if you want reliability and low cost of ownership.

Yes. Plus a $2500 brake booster with no aftermarket options.

Many pros believe a hg job alone is risky on these engines and recommend a replacement engine to fix excessive oil burning and blown head gaskets.

Flippers often use temporary head gasket sealers which can not be detected by a leak down test.

Depending where you are in Texas, you may have lower cost independent shop options to perform future repair labor. Used batteries are often bought to save money but require mix and match serviceable modules to make functional for a year or two.

 

Because they were really quite good when they were new and young. They just haven't aged well at all.

The earlier 2nd generation version aged more gracefully, and there are some signs that the 4th generation cars are back on track but it is still too early to tell.

So when shopping for one, the first thing to look at is the calendar. Try to avoid owning one after it has hit its 15th birthday.

EDITED to add:

You're seeing people attempting to sell off their problems before they get any worse. If you are seeing these on dealer lots, you're seeing the result of people trading in their liabilities.

The best economic use case for these cars is to buy new, heap the miles on them as fast as possible, and then get another after about 12 years. Hybrid technology helps you save gas. The more you drive, the more you save.

If that doesn't line up with your intended usage then a hybrid may not be the best choice. To put it explicitly: if you want to pick a car to own over a long period of years while adding only a few miles per year? I'd strongly recommend sticking to a simpler non-hybrid car.

But to answer your other questions with some detail: the best way to spot a failed head gasket in these cars is to pull the spark plugs, pressurize the cooling system with a test kit and insert a borescope into the plug holes and look for coolant seeping into the combustion chambers.

The best way to check for headgasket-in-a-bottle is to remove the radiator, saw it in half and look for the gluey deposits. (Sorry, I just don't know of a less-destructive method)

I don't have specific advice for the brake actuator. If the seller can show you receipts for brake fluid replacement, that would help, but even that isn't truly positive.

Most mechanics can spot aftermarket catalytic converters, that's probably the easiest one.

 

If I was shopping and had to have a Prius. I would buy a 2019 L Eco... If that is out of your price range..... I would buy a Corolla.
A gen 2 is good buy it depends on your needs. Speaking from personal experience....a Gen 2 2002 Range Rover is a Horrible choice as a daily driver...but it was a 3rd car and a toy....until it wasn't....and I sold it.
IMHO If you use a car for transportation only it is a TOOL not a TOY...sometimes you can blend the 2. If you need more space maybe a Camry Hybrid....want more luxury?.....Avalon Hybrid....other wise if a golf cart or a motorcycle and good rain gear will work for you...then buy that.

 

driving that little is not good for hybrids. is it just the looks, or is there something about a hybrid system that you like?
my engine blew at 11 years old and 87k, so idk about low mileage being a safe option.
and idk if the brake actuator is affected by miles or years or both

 

Do not buy any hybrid car if you only drive 700 miles per year.

 

Those are good reasons. Better still would be that the 2nd generation cars are all pretty tired at this point.

With a fresh strong hybrid battery and zero air conditioning use, maybe. Many people new to the Prius overestimate the utility of this feature.

You wouldn't be the first to fall into that trap with an old Prius.

Almost certainly less than 20 years, especially in Texas heat. The batteries age out whether you put miles on them or not. I've likened it to buying an ice cream cone while walking through a park on a hot day. You don't have to eat the ice cream, but there's no saving it for later.

At 700 miles per year you'll hardly save any money at all on fuel, but meanwhile you are exposing yourself to all the failure risk of a very high-tech car known not to age gracefully.

That's a fundamental difference between a hybrid and a non-hybrid car.

You've already identified the ideal car for your use case- A Honda Civic. Why not just get a somewhat newer one?

 

Get a 2nd gen Chevy Volt plugin for a low cost ev fix.

 

2nd gen prius was a tank. it all went wrong third gen, fourth gen better but first couple years, leaky exhaust gas coolant recirc blew more than a few head gaskets and not covered by toyota.
fifth gen looks good. so far.

 

If someone challenged me to daily drive a gen4 for three years to collect a pot of gold at the end, I would bypass the exhaust recirc without getting under the car (no parts required), drive it 100k and count my winnings.

I was not kidding about the 2nd gen Volt. At least three times the car compared to a gen3 Prius with an equal improvement in reliability.