Is this worth buying?

With 245K miles on it, the health of the traction battery IS an issue. They commonly make it to 400K or 500K miles in taxi's and so on, but 245K in maybe harsh climates or driving styles, it is just an unknown.

Take it to a actual Toyota Dealership. They will be able to hook up the Toyota TechStream machine and software and give you the health of the battery with each module's voltage and the min/max swing between them.

Other than that, there are things to check for to see if replaced like the serpentine belt that drives the water pump. You should also have replaced the spark plugs by then. Brake pads may very well be original and OK. But if you can see what their health is like, that will show either they are original and lightly used meaning a light city driver or inconclusive. You should also check the date code on the small auxilliary 12v battery and potentially have that replaced as well. Have the CV joints inspected too.

A car with that many miles will always be more work. But with the Prius, very few things go wrong. With that mileage, the traction battery is the main worry.

 

I would definitely get it inspected after reading this:

The seller has absolutely no knowledge of the Prius' workings and therefore cannot make any claims on how good of a shape it is in. If the auto dealer is expecting "shifts" in a car that has no shifting at all, I wouldn't believe anything they say regarding the mechanical or electrical integrity of the car. Ask to take it to a local Toyota Dealership for an independent inspection before purchase. Usually you will have to pay $100 to $200 for this inspection. But if you do not, be prepared for a potentially very expensive repair bill...

 

Just my opinion that car is an accident waiting to happen. Don't walk away Run. Best in invest that 6K in something with much lower mileage.

 

is this a used car dealer? you'd get a better deal from a private party i would think. i sold my 04 w/95,000 for 6K. i think i would rather have the lower mileage than the newer year. i don't think time does nearly as much damage as mileage.

 

Just a FYI. If a dealer does a multi point inspection and gives the car a clean bill you're still playing a very risky game. At that mileage you can expect some costly repairs in the near future. I would set aside about $10,000 in a savings account to cover those repairs. Some examples include Inverter, Traction Battery, Master Cylinder and countless others that I'm sure others can chime in with.

Were you considering paying cash? There are plenty of 3 year old used cars with 30,000 -45,000 miles that are worth half the price when they were new and have plenty of worry free driving. You may be able to get a extended warranty as well. It may cost you less to make car payments than costy repairs.