Help me buy a 01-03 prius!

My daily commute is about to go from 34miles round trip to 100miles+ round trip. I am selling my truck that gets 16mpg and was looking at some used cars for $5-6k. I was looking at traditional compact cars that get ~35mpg, but then I found several 01-03 Prius' for the same price range with between 60-80k miles.

What type of things should I look for when considering these cars?
What questions should I be asking? I have read about some issues with the batteries in these as well as the transaxle. Is there anyway to make sure these are in good condition. I would like to be able to put another 50k miles on the car without having to deal with repairs, although I am very mechanically inclined, so I do not mind going through the car for some preventative maintenance.

Any help is appreciated!
Thanks!

Welcome new poster. You will certainly receive advice to buy the newer model instead, but as to your questions:

A good Toyota shop can test the HV battery on charge/discharge cycles. If the first one you contact does not know how, keep looking.

The transaxle fluid should be drained. Then remove the pan and inspect for metal (and other) bits. Less is better, but hard to define an acceptable amount. Relace with new fluid.

These two tests together will probably cost about $200, so you will probably want to have a very short list of candidates for it.

Also, a complete history of service done to the vehicle would be helpful. The T shop can tell you based on the VIN. We could discuss that history here.

Thanks for the advice.
Unfortunately my budget is $5-6k, which means a 2nd gen isn't really an option, so it pretty much comes down to a 01-03 prius, or a civic/corolla or something.
Are they really that prone to failures?

We don't have hard numbers on the failure rates but the problem is repair costs can be pretty stiff. A used car works best if you have backup transportation (say the truck.) This gives you time to work out the repairs without having to make a hard and expensive choice. It is also important to have a work area, not the street.

Bob Wilson

Unfortunately I will not have a back-up vehicle. Although I do have a driveway to work in.
I have one prius I am particularly interested in, but it spent its whole life in NY, I know extreme temps can cause some failures, but they were mainly in warm climates, not cold, correct?
I am going to get in touch with the owner and see if I can get some more details.

i would personally buy a civic or corolla for that price range. gas mileage is good, cars are dependable, and wouldn't have battery/transaxle issues that can almost make your car worthless if they break. no backup transportation doesn't help.

i bought one because of the carpool sticker benefit in CA. love the car, though.

same as jdms, only reason for the gen 1 prius was carpool stickers in CA. But that being said, i live where it gets 110 in the summers for 3-4 months at a time, drive hills constantly (13.4% grade coming down from my house and 6+% grade for over 30 miles on my commute) daily and i have 177K miles on my 2001 with no failures except a new brake switch ($23) oil changes, tires, brakes and a new 12v battery. These cars can last a long time but the costs of the battery can be rough if it needs it. If you can get one sub 80K miles i would say you got lots of life on it. Just weight how long you are going to keep the car (100 miles a day = 500 miles a week or about 25,000 a year which sounds like you plan on getting 2 years from the prius). If during those 2 years you need a major service a civic or corolla would be cheaper but if you can get 4 years from the prius you are in good shape.

It is a personal decision so none of us can tell you the answer but I have had my 2001 since 2005 (bought it with 50K miles on it) and have nothing but good things to say about it (except the seats suck but that is my fault for being tall and hefty).

Heat is the enemy.

Warranty details:

• 3/36000 mi - already expired
• 5/60000 mi - already expired
• 8/100000 mi - hybrid parts (clock ticking)

GOOD LUCK!
Bob Wilson