2008 Prius

The car sounds really great but, I would forgo the warranty. The Prius is so reliable, the chances you will use that warranty is extremely small.

 

Don'd get a warranty and don't pay $18,900 ---> you could buy two 2008 Prius with 100K on the odometer for that price if you bought from a private seller or bough at auction. If you could get it for $16k that'd be reasonable

But with 28k miles on a 6 year old car that might be a problem for the hybrid battery if it has sat for many months at a time without being used. But if it was used every week so a little old lady could go to the grocery store than it'd be great!

 

if it's everything they claim it is, i would jump on it for the best price i could get it for. personally, if i had to pay 19k for an loaded 08, i would buy a stripped 2013. but that's just me. and don't trust carfax! all the best.

 

The battery issue that Prius buyers (and buyers of other hybrids) have to consider is not small. The Prius has two batteries: a little 12V battery to run various accessories, and the big high-voltage battery that helps power the car. When an HV battery dies, it's a very big issue indeed, with replacement running in the thousands of dollars.

The good news for Prius buyers is that the Prius HV battery has proven extremely reliable. But some Prius people say that underused HV batteries have a higher failure rate; if that's true, a 5-year-old car with only 28K miles on it might have a higher chance of an expensive HV battery failure.

Andy

 

Buy the car at the best price you can get it at.

Do not buy the guarantee but put the money away.

If some thing goes wrong "doubtful" you have the money to fix it.

The battery is still under guaranty for 3years 100,000 miles unless you live in a CARB state then it's 10years 150,000miles.

If nothing goes wrong very likely you still have the money.

John (Britprius)

 

The HV (traction) battery the expensive one yes. The small 12volt battery no.

Which state do you live in and was the car first registered there. When this information is known someone from the US will tell you how long your guarantee is, but as I understand it the minimum for the HV battery is 8years 100,000miles, as in the UK.

John (Britprius)

 

Do not let them sell you an extended guaranty without checking back here first as I believe the Toyota Guaranty is being sold on PC at a discount.

John (Britprius)

 

exactly what i would have done. now you've got something to worry about! all the best, i think you'll love it!

 

Late coming in on this string. First of all welcome to Prius Chat. Second, I agree you are making a sound decision with the later model. One thing to point out, IIRC the package 2 is shy the backup camera. FWIW, those things come in real handy in a lot of situations. They can be added, but IIRC the package 3 and above have them from the factory.

I also agree to save your money on the extended warranty. Put that in your bank account for a down payment on the next Prius or hang on to it in case you do have a problem after the factory warranty runs out. It's all in the owner's manual.

Good luck with your choice whatever it is, and yeah STICK it to the oil companies.

 

First of all check this link: Did you buy a Prius with 100K+ miles? Share your story here! | PriusChat

Certified pre-owned might be great if you're buying a crappy american car or an expensive exotic car but with Prius, in the end, it's likely no different than buying from a private seller. Point being you're smart for not buying brand new, and I myself was hesitant to buy a Prius used from a private owner a year ago, but you can save thousands of dollars. In hindsight I wish i did that. In the link above there's a post from a used car dealer in Florida who has sold 50 used Prius and only has one with a costly repair (HV battery) Toyota reliability in trucks has been successfully applied to hybrids. Stories of 300K miles without any major much repair costs are being reported more and more often on PriusChat.

Point is spend $8 to $10K on a used Prius and keep the other $8k in the bank for once you're so impressed with the reliability and quality that you want to upgrade to a newer used one. As in the reason there are so many used Prius with 100k miles on the market is people were raised to believe that a car with 100k miles on the odometer was a major repair risk, which is no longer true in most all economy cars these days. Take advantage of this money saving opportunity while it lasts.

And avoid all extended warranties... It's a racket to take your cash... Even if they had to make major repairs under it, they'd probably weazle their way out of it...

 

F8L has done extensive research on the topic of tires. I highly recommend you study the following information.

Low Rolling Resistance replacement tires: Current List | PriusChat

On another note, whatever Prius you end up with, make sure you get two working keyfobs. Don't settle for one. They are expensive if you have to get one after the sale.

Good luck to you again.

 

Not meaning to threadjack, I just didn't want to create another thread when this one is similar to my topic.

I just purchased a 2008 Prius with the warranty. Now I am starting to regret it. Is it a TOTAL waste?

 

As you may live in northern Vermont, use the original 15" rims for winter tires, studded suckers and pick up a set of rims for summer tires, 15" will give the best mileage, 17" the safest ride.
If you use one set of rims for both, summer tires should be Michelin low rolling resistance, another 2-3mpg won't hurt, Nokian Hakkapeliitta 7 Studded for winter tires will do

You can hopefully get your money back, should be a 30 day refund period