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Higher mileage vs older MY

Discussion in 'Newbie Forum' started by Fatch Racall, Jun 26, 2015.

  1. Fatch Racall

    Fatch Racall New Member

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    Hi everyone First post party!

    I'm looking to buy a used prius. I've been looking for some weeks now and have test driven a few. I've had a dealership try to sell me on a newer insight, but I'd feel like I'm getting the short end with a smaller, less powerful, less fuel efficient car. My friend has a 2010 that I drive somewhat regularly and I do like it quite a bit.

    Ignoring all the cars that are listed with rebuilt titles (since I'm not convinced they're particularly good risks to take), it seems as though I can get a 3rd gen car with 150-200k miles for about the same price as a 2nd gen with around 60-120k. I need cargo room so the 1st gen is out of the question.
    I'm looking for some advice and personal experiences. I've read over a lot of the FAQ's, new owner threads, etc, on this website. I'll be honest, I'd prefer the 3rd gen due to the dashboard layout (Every test drive I took, I hated having to touch-screen my way through the climate controls on a screen that reflected sunlight better than chrome) and, obviously, the higher fuel efficiency, etc.

    Any car I'm ready to purchase, I'll have inspected by a trusted mechanic/dealership, but what should I check out before going that far?
    And, has anyone done a poll of when these hybrid batteries fail (age/miles/other metric)? I know the rate of failure is pretty low (what, average of about 1% overall?), but at this kind of vehicle mileage/age, it's something that needs to be considered.

    -Fatch
     
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    welcome! you're absolutely right, if you're going to buy something above 150k, you need to have a bank reserve for repairs or excellent diy skills and tools.

    unfortunately, no one knows when something might break down. there are averages, but most of us aren't. all the best!(y)
     
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  3. Fatch Racall

    Fatch Racall New Member

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    Ha, I love it :)

    Is there any easy way (say, on an hour or two test drive) to find out if the battery is failing? I heard something about some OBD2-type device...?
     
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  4. Priusguy78213

    Priusguy78213 Junior Member

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    Just got my 2013 Gen. III recently. Good car and I opted for a newer year with above average miles; around 55,000. Former fleet vehicle. So I think it's a wash; either a newer model with more of the features that you want with higher miles with less warranty remaining. Or an older model like a Gen II with lower miles but most likely no warranty at all. I just figured the Gen III has what I wanted and went that route. Whichever way you go, have it checked out BEFORE you buy. Like Bisco said, nobody has a crystal ball and can tell when or if something will go out but if you're looking in the 155+ range, definitely have at least a few grant set aside for repairs. Just my opinion.
     
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  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    not really. you can hook up a scan gauge, or better yet, toyota tech stream, to read the voltages under load. you would have to be pretty expert to be able to deduce much from them. but i'm not qualified to answer, just what i've perused around here. have you done a worksheet comparison of gas savings vs non hybrid? sometimes, it doesn't pay.
     
  6. Fatch Racall

    Fatch Racall New Member

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    Yeah, my problem is that I'm looking in the $8-10k range of pricing... anything 2010+, with any warranty at all left, is $12+ around here. It's just a tad frustrating as my old car is dying (ball joints, wheel bearings, brakes, rotors, AC is gone, coolant leak, transmission shifts 'hard'...) and I don't really want to wait til 2016 models come out to capitalize on the trade-ups.

    I have, and it should pay off over the course of about 2.5-3 years considering driving habits. Thank you for the suggestion, however, I can imagine a lot of people don't think to do that.
     
    #6 Fatch Racall, Jun 26, 2015
    Last edited by a moderator: Jun 29, 2015
  7. Priusguy78213

    Priusguy78213 Junior Member

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    Yeah, when you get repairs like that cropping up, it's probably time to sell. Sounds like it's just turning into a money pit. All cars are just an expense; well unless maybe something like a Ferrari ;) And for that price range, don't be afraid to look at fleet vehicles. Sure, it sort of scared me a bit too; never really considered it until a friend bought a former rental. She never had any more troubles than average.

    So I checked out the local Hertz and Enterprise lots. All of them maintain the vehicles pretty well; bad business to have someone stranded on the road with one of their cars. So I took it to Toyota, had it put on the scanner and checked out from front to back. Just a few overlooked maintenance issues. Other than that, a clean little car. Check out your local Hertz or Enterprise. I got my rice rocket for $1,800 out the door including TTL. Got a little short changed on the trade in, "vintage" 2015 Honda Civic EX. But still overall a good deal.
     
  8. Fatch Racall

    Fatch Racall New Member

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    Thankfully, they all cropped up at once, so I've not needed to throw all that money at it yet.

    Ya know, I never really thought to look at that. Most of my shopping has been online. Hmm... Think I figured out what I might do this afternoon.
     
  9. Munpot42

    Munpot42 Senior Member

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    Buy the lowest mileage you can afford, the Gen III is out of your price range, miles do count and cars wear out, all cars wear out as you are finding out, so buy mileage.
     
  10. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Just puzzled by the title: do you mean vs "my current car", something like that? Or is "MY" an acronym?
     
  11. CR94

    CR94 Senior Member

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    My guess: MY = Model Year?
     
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  12. primuspaul

    primuspaul Member

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    I'd do some some math before spending 10-12k on a used car with little or no warranty. You can buy a new car with comparable MPG with a gas engine for that kind of money. With a gas car you don't have to worry about an HV battery failing all of a sudden, but then again you do have to worry about the alternator and starter failing. I've done the math and unless you do some serious big city driving and idling, a hybrid for that kind of $ just isn't worth it. Consider getting a used Versa barring a REALLY good used hybrid deal.
     
  13. primuspaul

    primuspaul Member

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    True, but old cars will almost always be more likely to have rust damage. Rust underneath the car can be almost undetectable, but can break the car completely if it goes far enough. Older cars will generally have more rust regardless of mileage. Be careful of old cars with low mileage. What if the seller wound down the mileage? Or maybe the mileage is true, but the car stood for a year or two without being used. Not a very big deal for a normal car, but who knows what that would do to an HV battery. I've noticed that many mechanics will not touch hybrids, so you'll be stuck going to the stealership for repairs.
     
  14. Munpot42

    Munpot42 Senior Member

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    I never thought of the rust issue, living in Southern California, rust is never an issue, I have no idea how Prii stand up to rust, however I'll still stick with my advice.
     
  15. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i haven't heard of one breaking because of rust yet, but they only go back 16 years. wait until they're antiques!
     
  16. Fatch Racall

    Fatch Racall New Member

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    Thank's for all the input! I may have found the car for me, it's a 2010 with about 50k miles within my price range. I'm having a Toyota dealership (whose service department my family has had good experiences with) inspect it tomorrow(is $90 an average price for that?), but based on the test drive it feels nearly perfect. It's a II model, and the stereo sounds a bit 'tinny' but I assume that's normal...
     
  17. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    90 bucks is right. affirmative on the stereo. all the best!(y)
     
  18. Fatch Racall

    Fatch Racall New Member

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    Well, it figures. Finally decided to spend the money on a 60 day Carfax... It was listed as total loss before this place got a hold of it (airbag deployed, etc). Now I just need to decide how much that matters to me.
     
  19. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    how good are your diy skills?
     
  20. Fatch Racall

    Fatch Racall New Member

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    I can DIY pretty well, but for the next year or two I won't have an indoor space to actually do that kind of work. Tools are sitting in storage until I can relocate again. Although, I DO have a neighborhood(read: close enough to push a car to) mechanic who's really well experienced with the prius, and tends to be very competitively priced.