Should I buy a Prius?

I am going to phase this 'backwards," kinda like Jeopardy.

The Prius hates sitting around. When the car is off, nothing is tending the batteries. Some folks have 12 volt issues within a week, HV issues within 3 months. If your car sits, don't get a Prius

The Prius prefers long trips. All cars get worse mileage at start-up, the Prius gets its best mileage after the first 10 miles (more if it is cold) . The 12v battery recharges from the HV battery, they need time to get everything recharged. If you mostly drive on one mile trips, the Prius will not be happy.

I get 40 to 50 MPG in my '09, but I average 42. I have driven for years and have plenty of 'bad habits' to unlearn.

I need to drive as if I had no brakes. I fail to coast and plan ahead enough.
I pass cars traveling within 2 MPH of the speed I prefer, I should be drafting these vehicles.
I use the Cruise Control more than purists do. (My terrain is dead flat, and most of the improvement is on hills)
I try to not cruise over 74 MPH, 66 may be the upper limit of the balance between engine efficiency and aerodynamics.

You may find that the difference between 40 MPG and 50 MPG is you.

 

If it has 100K miles in two years, it must have done a lot of highway driving, which should be easy on the car. You can find owners here who have gotten over 200K miles in one. Has the car been involved in a major crash? Also, I would be very interested in the maintenance history of the car. The experts here have found that the transmission fluid really should be changed around 60K miles. If the one you found hasn't had that done, it would be a strike against it, in my opinion. At 100K miles it is due for more maintenance, which could be an expense if you can't do it yourself. I don't know what the price of a 2008 should be, but I would definitely research some other Prius before I bought that one.

Another way to look at it is the Olds is using much more gasoline than the Prius does, so you would have to factor in how many miles you drive per year. If you got 225K miles out of a 15mpg car, you've used up 15,000 gallons of gasoline and paid about $37K to $40K to cover the distance. In eight years, will the price of gasoline be more or less than it is now?

 

I think you're overstating this by quite a bit. Very rarely a person might have a problem within a week, this is probably a malfunction, or their trips when the Pius is being used are very short and it doesn't have time to recharge. Normal situations, you can leave the car off for a month without a problem (might need to disable SKS if your car has it).

True, some people see the EPA MPG sticker values and expect exactly that (particularly before the revamped tests in 2008, and a used 2007 can be advertised with the unrealistic MPG rating of 2007). In Florida, the A/C will reduce your MPG. In general, short trips (I'd say less than 6 miles in Florida to warm it up and get full efficiency), high speeds, low tire pressure, hot-rodding it or trying to over-use the electric battery at starts will all reduce your mileage. All that said, you'll still get much better mileage with the Prius than with the '96 Olds.

I get 49 MPG lifetime with my '06, driving about the same as I always had (which was rather conservative), and my current commute is 2.8 miles, not ideal at all for good MPG especially during Chicago winters, but my weekend trips and such make up for that. I fill up the tank once a month, whether I need to or not (Just kidding, I go to 2 bars left, which means I need about 8 gallons or so, but in most cases it does last me a month).


My recommendation: YES
Unless: You're a die-hard supporter of domestic vehicles, you don't have a Toyota dealership anywhere around, or you're in the construction business or something and need to haul a lot of stuff around. (The Prius does fit full size bicycles and 8' lumber, but it's not a truck).

 

Before you buy it have it checked by the Hybrid Technician at a Toyota dealer, if a Toyota dealer is selling it take it to another one to have it checked. If the present owner won't let you do that forget it. Get VIN check on it to make sure it hasn't been in a major crash.

A used Prius can be a very good car and they tend to be very reliable, but they can also be expensive to fix.

Go to KBR and check the price and make sure you are not going to pay to much, there should be plenty of them out there.

 

you may go another hundred thousand virtually trouble free, or you may have to drop ten grand in repairs, or you could buy a used camry/corolla.

 

It is more likely that I mis-stated my advice. If you routinely drive every day you can easily leave your Prius for a week, if you do not routinely drive your Prius even once a week, I predict trouble.

I have the theory that the Prius taxis do so well because they are never turned off, the computers are ALWAYS able to pamper the batteries. My Prius never goes 16 hours with being driven, I am not expecting battery trouble. Routinely leaving the car off for sustained periods of time means the computers are not maintaining the batteries. (I am hoping plug in hybrids address this and keep the CPUs active all night)

Is that clearer?

 

It is a $2000 difference, but for three or four years of lifespan I would say pay more for the 2008. Now a 2005 with 35K miles vs. a 2008 with 100K miles is more of a question. As I said before, to me a major factor is the routine maintenance on the car. Beyond the transmission fluid, the coolant should be changed too for a car at 100K miles. Then there are the spark plugs needing to be changed too, which is another expense.

Also, I don't know for sure if it was fixed for the 2008s, but in 2004 and 2005 the inverter coolant pump is questionable, and if you can't repair it yourself it will cost about $300 or so just for that.

 

I always have trouble with these "what should I buy" queries because of the mileage/price/risk break points. I got a very low mileage (13K) 2007 in spring of 2009 and felt comfortable with the risk because of that, but of course it was barely under $19K.

It comes down to your own comfort level in the end, but you certainly should get it thoroughly checked over by a qualified mechanic AND of course get the CarFax report. Shop around a LOT to get a sense of perspective on this one you've found.

Should you buy a Prius at all? The previous owners of mine shouldn't have with only 13K miles in 2 years, but it looks like you're already doing the math on your own. Financial considerations are one thing, but personal satisfaction with what you drive can come from a lot of other factors.

- D

 

Don't do it for the environment but do it for yourself -- safety, "luxury", relaxing driving, quietness, etc..

 

personally, i would not buy a car with 100K miles on it, hybrid or otherwise. I know it's a Toyota and everything, but it's just the way I am.

 

Regardless of the price

With the prius, you will be saving a lot of money on gas. So switching to a prius, you will notice cheaper fill ups and very less often than when driving your old car.

So you have to decide. Is it worth it? The Prius will still get you another 100k miles while your old car will probably not make it past 250k before something major needs fixing.

Now you have to decide is the used car worth it? If you're paranoid, go buy new. You can get a well equipped Prius for about $250/month using the Toyota financing deals. i paid in cash, but not everyone has that luxury. Priuses are also one of the least stolen vehicles, so expect a lower insurance premium.

And when everyone says get the car checked by a qualified mechanic, they mean take it to Toyota. Not many private mechanics have much knowledge or experience with hybrids. They all earned their ASE certifications before hybrids were even invented.

 

A prius is definitely a very worthy investment, however priuscritter is right. Although it is a Japanese motor, there are problems that can arise in a hybrid that does not occur in non-hybrid vehicles. Namely, the most expensive possibly, is replacing the battery on the prius after an x amount of miles. Because the vehicle has so many miles on it, and it being a hybrid, it is safe to say that it was a daily grind commuter. That being said, the owner might not have taken extreme care to the vehicle, but I am probably wrong. And if you are planning on dropping $8500 on a used, 100k prius, you might as well finance a new one now. Especially since rates should be pretty good and bargains can be made currently.

 

Wow, that's a lot of miles on a vehicle that is only two model years old. What's it history?

PS.

I was recently in a similar situation with an aging Honda Accord. Long story, but I ended up NOT getting a Prius. BUT...I think a Prius is a great choice on many, many levels. Reliable, unparalleled gas mileage, and a utilitarian tool. If you can do the best you can to make sure your getting a Prius without a "negative" history...a good Prius is a GREAT automobile.