2007 Prius w/ 200K, Should I Buy?

I have a 2007 with 220k, starting to use oil (1 qt every month, about 3k miles), still have original battery. I would buy it, because is it 1 owner car and hopefully no accidents.

 

reset the mpg gauge and take it for a good long test drive under all conditions. if you're happy with the mpg's, take a new one for a spin just to get a feel for the difference. it's not a bad deal, but keep in mind, anything can go wrong at anytime. you're out of warranty and there are quite a few multi thousand dollar systems in the car unless you're a proficient diy'er. all the best!

 

no. look at some of my replies to other posts.

doesn't sound like it was well cared/maintained for. pull up the service history. definitely need to get the price down if you go for it though despite the repairs needed. probably due for new pumps, coolant, transmission fluid, brake fluid. check oil consumption.

 

1. The iridium spark plug change interval is 120K miles. The correct NGK or Denso spark plugs cost around $10 each and are easy to replace if you have the correct metric tools.
2. New rear brake shoes have a thickness of 4 mm and they need to be replaced at 1 mm. 4 mm = 0.157 inches. 1 mm = .039 inches
If the thickness is currently 2/32", that is equivalent to 0.0625 inches. So the rear brake shoes are ~80% worn and should be replaced in the next 50K miles.
3. The other issues are minor.
4. The price is on the high side considering the odometer reading.
5. As previously suggested, you need to have a four-digit repair budget available in the event the car has a major system failure - or be prepared to DIY using used parts. The electronics content is quite high and you will not get advance notice of a failure - inverter, transaxle, multi-function display, etc. One day the car is great and the next the instrument panel looks like a Christmas tree with multiple warning lights on.

 

All of what Pat posted above and
I'm guessing that depends on how long and if the shimmy disappears after balance - rotate and or alignment.

 

The Touring is a much better choice. It has HID headlights, I presume? They're excellent. The Base seemed expensive at $6K.

Any sign of maintenance work is a plus. New plugs and brake components are actually a little early. Any sign that transmission fluid and coolant have been changed?

 

go to toyota dealers for used prii ONLY!!! i just found a beat ugly new york city 04 with 130 on it for 3k at price in delaware. runs like a champ. they had an 05 next to it with 260k looked like new. also sold for 3k. people keep these cars a loooong time, IF that particular car treated them well enough. if it did, they go to toyota and trade it on a new version of the same car. if it has low mileage and is at a subaru dealer, you don't know what kind of issues may have caused them to go to another brand. if it's at a generic used car lot, same thing.