I found a great 2004 Prius with Package #9 that I'm about to pull the trigger on, but am having slight hesitation issues in pulling the trigger due to some posts detailing potential issues with the MFD. The car has 57k miles, but is clean, no accidents, a one owner car. It's the Gray/Green color on tan, with leather (added aftermarket, of course). Carfax is clean, etc. I want package #9 and I want HOV stickers -- this car has both -- and the price is right (that is, not inflated due to having stickers). Would appreciate some opinions on buying a high mileage (out of bumper to bumper warranty) Prius and if there are any other issues I should be aware of. The car was built 8/26/04, so I don't know if that's an early/mid/late build - - I'd appreciate some info on that too! Also, anyone know of a good (or if I can even get) aftermarket extended warranty company that would cover what was covered on the bumper-to-bumper warranty (i.e., the nav, the radio, the climate controls, etc.)? Am located in Southern California. Thanks in advance to all that reply.
Per John's Stuff - Toyota Prius History, that sounds like a pretty late build date. In fact, that sounds like something built at the very end of the 04 model year.
August would be just on the cusp of being an '05. My '04 #9 (build 9/2003) is serving me well. No MFD problems, and I've got plenty more miles on mine than your candidate. You've still got a few thousand miles left on the powertrain warranty and plenty of time on the hybrid warranty.
Make sure you read Hobbits details about MFD failures. Prius MFD With this info, even if you do have an MFD failure, you now know what you are dealing with.
Most of them have not yet failed. Perhaps most of them never will. It's annoying, but I would not let this issue scotch the deal. Maybe use it as a bargaining point to reduce the price a few hundred dollars?
Never said how low the seller'd go, or whether it has an extended warranty, so not enough info. If you know where the original seller did maintenance, you can fint out if the dealer already changed the MFD out. That said, we LOVE our '04 w/ leather that we bought used in '04.
This post is for everyone who responded, I just quoted the above to be comprehensive: THANK YOU! I pulled the trigger: 2004, Package #9, newish leather, new tires, HOV stickers - $17,500, plus tax/title. 57k miles, no accidents, no dings, no paint issues, nothing... CLEAN TITLE -- Carfax verified. I think I got a steal -- it was at a Ford dealer in Sunnyvale, CA and they sold it below Kelly Bluebook.... which was a relief given that it has the HOV stickers (validated by me) and could've (probably would've) commanded a premium. Called a local Toyota dealer to confirm service history, etc and all they could pull was the recall work (something about a steering shaft? and reprogramming of the ecu?). Nothing about a replaced MFD. Getting an extended warranty from warrantydirect.com, through Great American Insurance which is the underwriting company for Toyota's Certified Extended Warranty program, for piece of mind. Can anyone confirm length of Toyota's Powertrain Warranty? Is it 60k miles or 100k miles? And I know the Hybrid Warranty is at least 100k miles, yes? Can't wait to start driving it!
Welcome to the Hybrid World! A couple of suggestions... Stop into a dealership and ask them to check the VIN for any open SSCs. The 50P was common on that year. It involved reprogramming two ECUs and on some cars, adding dielectric grease to a connector on the trans. The purpose was to prevent the "stalling" concern where the system would simply shut down and need to sit a while before it could be restarted. If you do have issues with the MFD, (crossing fingers that you don't) you might want to start off by contacting your dealer and asking for Toyota participation. In a lot of cases, polite persistance pays off. If you can't get anywhere with that option, the next best choice is to look into a reman unit. They are slowly becoming available from Toyota at a much reduced price. Junkyard recycled would be my last choice since they usually don't have any sort of warranty. Good luck and enjoy you Prius! BTW factory drivetrain warranty is 5 year 60k miles. Hybrid warranty is 8 year 100k miles. But always double check that with your dealer! Some states have different requirements.
