I just recently test drove a Prius and really enjoyed it. I found a guy with a few Prius' for sale. He has a 2008 touring package 6 with 158,000 miles for 10,000. Is that a fair price to pay? If so what types of things should I look for to make sure the car will be reliable? Any response, would be great.
A car with 158,000 miles for $10000 seems awfully expensive. Just so you'll know, Toyota put the designed end of service life on this car at 180,000 miles. So it's only 20,000 miles away from what Toyota calls the designed end of life for this car where any component can fail (some even fail before that time). If this is going to be your first hybrid Prius, I would highly suggest you buy something with much lower mileage.
What is usually the first things to go wrong with these cars, on the average? Is it the battery and how expensive are the parts to replace other items?
If you bring your car to the dealer, the repairs costs are quite high for a hybrid. If you can do some of the repairs yourself, then it's not quite so bad. These cars however are quite reliable but when they break, it's not cheap. examples of what you would pay when they break (at a dealer) 12v Battery - $300 Shocks/Struts - $1000+ HV Battery - $3000-$4000 (Ebay $1000) Transaxle - $4000+ (Ebay $500) Engine - $4000+ (Ebay $500) Inverter - $4000+ (Ebay $300) So if those numbers don't scare you, then you don't have anything to worry about when you buy a high mileage Prius at $10000. Most people that buy a Prius with that mileage will pay few thousand less than you have mentioned, just to have money left over in case a major component would fail.
welcome to priuschat! seems a bit pricey to me, but if you've looked around, the best you can do is the best you can do. as far as mileage goes, some of these cars go 250-300,000 without any major repairs. but it depends on maintenance and luck. at 160k any of the things jc91006 mentioned could go, and it's good to have a few thousand for repairs unless you're a proficient diy'er. all the best!
I have some other choices besides that one. I have the option of a 2006 with less miles 103000 or a 2007 with 121000. Does the year really matter, since they all are 2nd generation? These both are package 6. I like the idea of the rear camera, especially the way the hatch is set up. It could be difficult to see when backing up. I also would like to get bluetooth. I can get into one of these for around 10,000, but that is the lowest I have seen them so far.
are these asking prices? private party, or dealer. you don't have to pay asking. what are the blue book values?
It is basically a dealer. He will only go down maybe a couple of hundred per car. Is it safe to buy a car this old with that kind of mileage for that amount of money?
safe is a relative term. are you in a carb state? if yes, warranty on hybrid components is 10 years/150,000 miles. if no, it's 8/100,000. there are some expensive components that can fail at any time, however unlikely. this could cost you several thousands of dollars.
Those mileage numbers are crazy. I looked at 5 different prius here before buying mine. They were all 70k or less. Don't get hung up on packages. Leather can be added for about 500.00 and Bluetooth can be added for 150. I've done both. Bottom line- I would never buy a car, especially a hybrid with high mileage unless it was very cheaply priced.
This thread's a bit stale, but I thought I'd chime in with my experience. I bought my 2007 Touring (package 3 or 4 I think) with 112K back in the fall for $10K and there were a lot of them in Ohio at that time with similar mileage for similar money. $10K for 158 miles is too much.
I have a 2011 Prius Two in mint condition. A few months ago when the car had 42,000 miles on it a Toyota dealer offered me $13,000 trade in on a $38,000 Toyota Avalon. Hope that gives you some insight. Needless to say, I did not trade.
