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Opportunity - 2007 (base?) 66kmiles 11k

Discussion in 'Newbie Forum' started by akm3, May 7, 2012.

  1. akm3

    akm3 First time Lebowski'er

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    2007 Prius
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    I literally have an opportunity to buy my neighbors Prius, which would be my first hybrid, for 11k. It's a 2007 and they are literally your stereotypical retired couple. It is kept in a garage, I know they maintain it well, and that it has never been even close to abused. It has 66k miles and no trouble reported.

    The dealer lowballed them 9k for it and to save hassle they would be happy to sell to me. I am in the market for a newer car to replace my 1998 Subaru Outback, and since I drive a reasonable amount I've been looking for something fuel efficient, considering a new Honda Insight, Prius C or Fit/Versa etc. I'm not stuck on a hybrid.

    This seems to be a great deal. Is there any advice anyone could give me on this? Things to check for etc? Anything to watch out for from this year? I'm frantically trying to learn everything I can about Priuses and reading all the threads I can but I'd like to jump on this deal fast if it's worth it. I win, Neighbor wins, everyone wins.

    Thanks for any advice! And oh, my names Allen and I'm new to the forum!

    -Allen
     
  2. michael.ormsby

    michael.ormsby Junior Member

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    Sounds like a great deal to me. For comparison I bought a 2008 w/ 55K miles about six months ago for $16000.

    Mike
     
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  3. akm3

    akm3 First time Lebowski'er

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    Thanks, I will try to jump on it ASAP!
     
  4. akm3

    akm3 First time Lebowski'er

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    Bought it. Love it.

    Getting it detailed and tinted next week. Looking into options to upgrade the audio system.

    Did my normal commute with it yesterday and the computer said my average was 61mpg (I was doing my best to hypermile which still needs work).

    Very pleased!
     
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  5. DianneWhitmire

    DianneWhitmire High PRIUStess

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Laguna Niguel, CA
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
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    Prime Premium
    One service you won't find in the manual BUT you need to do every 30K (trust ME on this one) is the drain/replace of the transmission fluid.
    I'm serious.
    Even if they tell you "oh it's a sealed transmission, or it's synthetic fluid, no need to replace".. whatever they say, your answer is:

    "Nevertheless, please DRAIN and REPLACE my transmission fluid"

    Do this at 60K and 90K and 120K and every 30K miles.
    I pay $126 here for this service but you may end up paying more... and that's OK. Just DO it. This first time you're a little late with 66K but it won't hurt.

    BTW: if you can't quite afford it, DO IT ANYWAY and do the tinting and the audio at a later date! And, don't roll your eyes. ;)
    I know, that's the MOM in me talking...

    Dianne
     
  6. akm3

    akm3 First time Lebowski'er

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    Why is this service necessary if it's not indicated by Toyota to do so? Is it a 'better safe than sorry' type of scenario?
     
  7. DianneWhitmire

    DianneWhitmire High PRIUStess

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    Because I put 167K on my own 2007 Prius and I learned a few things... and some the hard way.

    What the "printed in 2006" manual says versus the reality of this car's needs TODAY... things change.

     
  8. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Follow Mom's I mean Dianne's advice.
     
  9. justlurkin

    justlurkin Señor Member

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    Even though Toyota says the transaxle fluid in the Prius does not need to be changed "for the lifetime of the car", what we Priuschatters have found is that during the course of normal mechanical wear of the transaxle, lots of metal filings comes off the gears, and other undesirable metals goes into solution in the fluid, all of which may affect the longevity of the transaxle.

    The best practice I think would be to drain and refill the transaxle fluid at 30,000 miles to get out all the stuff from the normal breaking-in of the transaxle, then every 60,000 miles afterwards.

    I think 60,000-mile intervals between transaxle drain-and-refills are good enough because the transaxle fluid in the Prius normally does not heat up to very high temperatures. Regular cars with fluid-coupling torque converters in their transmissions do heat up (over 200F in my old Jeep Cherokee is its normal operating temperature), so they need to be changed much more frequently to prevent fluid breakdown. The Prius transmission is far simpler and has no torque converter so it normally doesn't get that hot.
     
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  10. 6lark5

    6lark5 Junior Member

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    If you do it yourself, its only $35 in parts. ATF WS is the fluid.

    Synthetic oil for the ICE (WalMart has the 5qt. btls. for $25-30).

    I use Mobil 1 AFE 0w30 with a Toyota filter ($5).
     
  11. DianneWhitmire

    DianneWhitmire High PRIUStess

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    If you get this done at a dealership, over the years, and you then have tranny problems later, Toyota should step in and handle things for you.

    Everything this serious should be done at a dealership while the car's in warranty.