Hi all, I'm considering purchasing a used 07 prius with a hefty amount of miles on it, ~235k. It already has had its hybrid battery replaced recently, and seems to be in good condition. My impression from reading tons of forum posts has been that the typical problem is the death of the hybrid battery which occasionally to usually happens after 10ys/200k. That doesn't appear to be a problem for this particular one, but I'm curious about what expectations to have for mechanical problems. My impression has been that since the bulk of the work is done by the h.b., that the rest of the engine really doesn't get much wear and tear. However, many of your posts also seem to indicate you swap your prius's out at <200k. Curious to hear your experiences. -C D
welcome! let's start with the battery. can the seller provide a receipt from a toyota dealer for the battery and installation? after that, it is not true that the bulk of the work is done by the battery. in fact, it is just the opposite in most situations. generally speaking, you're gonna have an oil burner on your hands. the only question is how much. don't forget the brake actuator, a/c compressor and combo meter
I would not exactly say the bulk of the work is done by the hybrid battery, after all it’s mostly charged by the gas engine. What the hybrid battery does do is pick up for the lower power of the engine under certain conditions. Like when accelerating and recovers some of the energy when decelerating. This allows the engine an easier life than a traditional engine. You say the car has a new traction battery. Is it factory new, 2k1toaster new, or refurbished? Anything other than Toyota factory or 2k1toaster is really not going to last very long.
thanks for the reply! I guess I should abandon the notion that the hybrid battery does the bulk of the work. I figured that was the reason why Priuses had a reputation for living so long. Assuming it's a good hybrid battery, how big of a problem is oil burning? I had a previous car that burnt some oil, but I just drove through it (ik ik) but it didn't really become an issue. I'll be sure to check the brake actuator, a/c compressor and combo meter, too. With this particular car I'm considering I'll have ~2k left in a budget for repairs.
Huh, I wasn't familiar with that many non-factory hybrid batteries don't have a long life. I don't know what the seller has in there. Thanks, I'll be sure to find out.
I think I see that one on Detroit Craigslist cause I have a "prius under 5k" link bookmarked. $2950 obo? It's priced ok and looks clean. I have 2 for sale probably 10 minutes from the location of the 235k mile prius. You'll see them on a search. I'd probably go with the 235k prius if the battery was replaced and it is really clean. Mine are priced a few hundred higher but have less miles but I'd say they are in average condition with various cosmetic flaws. Overall I have had great experiences with super high mileage pruises. My current prius (not up for sale) has over 207k miles and drives perfect.
Nevemind both sold way quicker than I expected. 1 was a 1-day sale $3200 sold yesterday. The other was a 2-day sale sold today also $3200. One had 160k and the other 180k.
Needed to move quick so listed at $3500 obo. 1st one was cleaner and had leather and got $3200 so I dropped the other one to $3195 and still got $3200. I bought both in last 5 months and both were purchased "rolled back". 1st one had 118k on clock and I estimated/advertised it at 160k based on where I bought it at and prior owner telling me approx miles. 2nd one had 50k on clock (lol) and I advertised it as 170-180k based on carfax. Surprisingly nobody really cared and I did have carfax on both. I've sold quite a few and they are pretty easy to get 3k-ish but tough to get 4k. And I wanted to discount based on clusters both having been replaced. I basically broke even on the 170-180k prius. It was bought out of Texas and shipped/plated...Drove for a while just wanted to get out of it. The one with 160k was pretty nice. I got it privately for $1500 with a "bad hybrid battery". I reset light and it was fine for months and I probably drove it close to 10k miles and it was perfectly fine lol. Then light came back and prius mechanic put a used battery with approximately 120k on it. Mechanic has quite a few batteries and prices them based on how they test out and the miles. He only charged me $600 to swap it out parts/labor.
