Hi everyone, I'm so excited to have found this forum, it seems like a great community! I am in the process of purchasing a 2005 Prius from a private seller. The Prius has 87,000 miles and it seems to be in good condition. I was wondering, from your experience, what should I look out for when I go look at the car and test drive it? I've driven a Prius before (and loved it!), so I think I'll be ok when I test drive to get a feel for how the car runs. What I'm concerned about is what I should look for under the hood, or what types of questions to ask the seller... Any thoughts/suggestions? Thanks!
2005: Does it have smart key? This is where you can keep the key in your pocket and unlock the doors or start the car. Has it had the inverter cooling pump fixed under the free recall? This is not a deal breaker at all, it just means that you should get it fixed asap at a dealer, again for free, if it has not been done. Check the engine water pump for leaks. Look for pink residue on top of the A/C compressor as an indication. If it has HID headlights, turn them on and make sure they stay on for at least 10 minutes without going out. Make sure the A/C works. Good luck!
Make sure to drive around for a while and cycle the engine on and off at least twice to see if you can trigger a CEL if there is one that has been reset. Check that the AC blows cold. Check maintenance records if the owner kept them, if he had it serviced at the dealership, you can view the records @ Toyota Owners - Official Toyota Owners Website using the VIN#. Another choice is find a dealer that is willing to go over the car with you.
reset the odometer after warm up and see what it averages for mpg's over 20 or 30 miles of typical driving.
In my opinion, there is no substitute for taking it to the dealer for a pre-purchase inspection. It's worth the $90.00 or so if you are serious about the car. They can hook it up to the scanner and check it out. They also know the few problems the cars can have and are good at spotting them. I did the pre-purchase inspection on my 2005 when I bought it at 63K miles and it gave me great peace of mind. And they were right. The car has been and still is great.
THANKS so much to everyone who has replied. Your suggestions are really helpful. I am going to contact my friend's mechanic who does Prius servicing to see if he could come with me to look at the car and will also call the Toyota dealer near my home to ask about a pre-purchase evaluation, and go with one of the two. Unfortunately, the Prius I had originally intended to buy (2005 with 87K miles for $11500) is no longer available so I am back to looking at postings. I've found a 2007 with 80K miles for $13999, which looks good but is definitely overpriced, according to both Kelly Blue Book value and Edmunds true market value. I hope I can negotiate a lower price. Thanks again!
