2001 Kia to 2010 Prius 2 with similar mileage, quick!

Hey all! I'm new here, have been reading around for a while but IMO you can only really know what you're dealing with in a Prius once you have it in your possession for a while... I'm somewhat new to car-buying, moved to Portland, OR from the UP, MI this summer and just realized that my Kia is really on it's last leg. Maybe not, but I can't handle the stress of fixing a car as much anymore (95K miles, 2001) so decided to work on selling it.

My husband and I recently went to a dealership up in Vancouver to compare the Ford Fiesta, Ford Focus, and Prius, and were really sold on the Prius--so much that before we knew it, we had agreed to buy the car. We could only afford low monthly payments, I have a thing against *new* new cars (but I like SOME miles), but I also really wanted a Prius. I want a car that can go the distance, can stand up to my road trips (I love to see new places ALL the time), as well as my city driving (stop, go, stop, go... Nike anyone?).

So we picked up this 2010 Prius 2 for $14,988, with $91K miles on it. We know very little about it cause we didn't have the right questions with us (we're young and stupid), but got one heck of a test drive (Longview, WA to Vancouver in a rain/wind storm) and it's from a big dealership in the Costco program. We're having a separate inspection by the eLemonators tomorrow morning. (The car is in contingency)

Questions... We're so clueless that just tonight, on our way back, we noticed a battery on the screen that went down with the defrost on. We thought that, perhaps, that was the really expensive battery pack going bad as soon as we got the car (cars do that, right?) and couldn't even verbalize what we were talking about to get the right answer out of Google search about it. What is the battery thing (traction battery?) and why does it go down with the cabin stuff on? I'm sure the answer is somewhere else, but please fill me in!

Is a switch from a 2001 Kia Optima with 95K on it (big issues being fixed, but more to come I'm sure) to a 2010 Prius 2 with 91K on it from Washington/Oregon (no rust, clean and shiny) an upgrade? Was it a good idea?

Is there some obvious way to tell if the big battery pack is going to quit on us any time soon? How do I make the reverse beeping stop? Will rear visibility (seeing behind me, --no Nav or camera-- around me) get better over time, or, do people get used to it?

Moving from an older car in which I could see straight through, all around the car with few blind spots (no forward car tilt, no fancy skinny windows) to this new thing is scary. Driving at night (tonight) in the rain was terrible. Water droplets on every surface including the side windows and side mirror made it impossible to even see... anything!

My husband had a question about transmission fluid, but I'm not sure what it was... Sorry for the rambling!

 

Thanks for the response! I know, we were a bit blindsided and went with it.

A big part of it was getting the car in our possession in order to get it inspected down in Hillsboro, drive it to work to make sure it felt right, all that. I think we're doing it now, we looked at every little thing and it's pretty crispy. I was also told that, with the year and the miles, I could expect that it was primarily a road vehicle. Driving from Vancouver to Longview or other places everyday racks up the miles, 30k/yr. And I was also told that high road miles is okay, and a good indication that it didn't rack up those miles on the battery but on the engine, which is really clean as well. Does that sound right?

I got an inspection this morning, day 1 of my contingency period, and all was clear, clean. No wrecks, and is very clean and very sharp. How do I find out if the transmission fluid has been changed? Would it be on a car report like Car Fax? We have the carfax, with regular maintenance at the dealership. Including the maintenance at 89,900 miles (before the 90k). Would they check the transmission fluid then?

The car has only been driven in Washington state, which I believe is a CARB.

I don't hate the backwards beep, it actually comes in handy, not knowing what position I'm in since I'm not holding a shifter all the time. Also, for visibility, it was fine and clear today (daylight). It might just be a Portland rain and night thing (the not being able to see thing!).

Thank you so much for explaining the traction battery! There's a lot of booklets and even a DVD for the car--I'd best get reading!

 

Oh! Also, in December I'm going to be out of town for a week. Will the car be fine to sit without being started everyday? Does it need to be in a warm place? Will the battery die?

 

Okay, I made an account! Everything's on there -- all of the regular maintenance! Would it say "Changed/Replaced Transmission fluid"? It says "INSPECT AUTOMSTIC TRANSMISSI ON OIL." This is great stuff though, thank you!

Here's the full write up at 89K miles, the major service as per factory maintenance:
PERFORM MAJOR SERVICE AS PER FAC TORY RECOMENDATIONS ~|~REPLACE ENGINE OIL AND OEM FI LTER. INSPECT AND ADJUST WASHER ~|~INSPECT EXHAUST PIPES,MUFFLER S,& HANGARS FOR CRACKS,DETERIORA TION,DAMAGE, & LEAKAGE. CHECK SU SPENSION & STEERING LINKAGEBALL JOINTS FOR LOOSENING & DAMAGE. I NSPECT ALL DUST COVERSFOR DETERI ORATION & DAMAGE. CHECK DRIVE SH AFT BOOTS & CLAMPSFOR CRACKS, DE TERIORATION, & DAMAGE. IF REQUIR ED, INSPECT DRIVE SHAFT BOLT FOR PROPER TORQUE. CHECK STEERING W HEEL FOREXCESSIVE FREEPLAY. INSP ECT LINKAGE FOR BINDING & DAMAGE .INSPECT RACK & PINION FOR LEAKA GE. INSPECT AUTOMSTIC TRANSMISSI ON OIL. CHECK COMPONENTS FOR LEA KAGE. RE-TIGHTEN SEAT MOUNTING B OLTS & FRONT & REAR SUSPENSION M EMBER RETAINING BOLTSTO SPECIFIE D TORQUE. REPLACE AIR FILTER WIT H TOYOTA OEM FILTER. REPLACE DIF FERENTIAL OIL. REPLACE ENGINE CO OLANT.INSPECTFUEL LINES, CONNECT IONS, FUEL TANK BAND, VAPOR VENT SYSTEMHOSES FOE CORRISION, DAMA GE, CRACKS, & LOOSE OR LEAKING C ONNECTIONS. INSPECT FUEL TANK CA P GASKET FOR CRACKS, DETERIORATI ON & AND DAMAGE. PERFORM AUDIBLE INSPECTION OF VALVECLEARANCE(AT 60,000 - 120,000 MILES)COMPLETE