Thoughts on purchasing an 06 with 312K miles...

I would not buy any car with that many miles, let alone my first Prius. The Hybrid battery, tires and brakes is nothing. That car is wore out. Run.

 

To say the car is worn out is presumptuous. These cars can last a long time. For $4900, if it runs good, you almost can't go wrong IMO. Does the engine burn oil?

 

Well it certainly wouldn't be unheard of that a car with 312k miles burns oil. It would def be expected.

 

If you're comfortable doing any maintenance yourself, it might be a good deal. Still try to haggle, that seems a little high for the miles even with the new battery. If you would be running to the dealer for every issue, it could easily become a money pit.

 

yup.

 

If you still want to consider buying it, take it to a Toyota dealer or a reputable mechanic who knows hybrids and have them check it out.

 

When he says new hybrid battery, that can cost minimum $3000 at dealership, and one could possibly understand the asking price if this was done recently. If he did a cheaper replacement option, or that was while back, then one might wonder if it is worth it. A 2006 is worth about $8000 at 100k miles. Be sure to run the mileage calc on Edmunds or equiv to make sure it makes sense at 300k miles. New engine for Prius is fairly cheap, not that I would have a clue what to do with it. Transaxle problem can be costly though.

 

I promise you this car is worn out. If you are lucky, and I mean real lucky, you might get 3-6 months before the money starts flowing. +300,000 mile Prius, bought at auction, seller owns a garage... I have turned a wrench for a living coming up on 40 years and I'm telling you not to buy this car. What you do though is your business, so best wishes.

 

You will get many "my favorite Year/Model" opinions here. What you first must determine and communicate with us is your budget and vehicle usage.

 

The 06 thru 09 Gen II's are virtually the same, the standard wisdom is the newer the better. I believe the 09 was a short model year (the 10's came out early), so you can probably find an 08 easier.

 

Your not making this easy are you? There is a lot of demand for the Prius so your best bet might be to stay with a single owner, low mileage Gen II private purchase. That will take some patience with that price point though.

 

Not sure where you are located, but I would check out autobeyours.com in Indiana. Steve is pretty well known on this site for his work on rebuilding wrecked Gen 2 Priuses. Given the quality of his work, I'd rather have a rebuild from him than a high mileage one of unknown heritage any day. I bought his #52 back in ~2007 (flew out and drove it back to AZ), and its still going strong 6 yrs and ~80,000 miles later

Rebuildable Prius and Electric Vehicles