Just bought a Prius - What kind of maintenance things should I do?

And, the car may have suffered multiple accidents, not just one. Your inspection of the VIN stickers will be especially important in seeing how widespread the damage was.

Given that vehicle report, I reiterate that bidding on that car without a prior inspection was highly risky. You may end up losing the $500 deposit if you find reasons to walk away.

 

I'd be really concerned. A trained body man or on clearly well educated will look into the interior structures like the firewall and sub frames.

They rarely make these areas look good when the repair is done. So, you can see how extensive the damages were. If you or the trained observer see tack welds and patches that appear like painted wads of chewing gum, I'd decline the car.

Just that the car looks good on the outside means nothing.

 

Based on all this new info I can now understand the op's nervousness. But not sure if the op knew this before the purchase why did he go ahead and buy the car. The carfax is a horror story.

Hope it works out for you. But the one thing I don't get is how come they didn't total the car out with frame damage?
Unless they did and its a salvage title although the ad says its clear.

I hope its a salvage title that way the op an back out of the deal.

 

Uh YEAH. This is NOT looking good now. I would be contacting the seller and asking a LOT of questions! Hope you can get out of this one. This thing looks like it has been wrecked more than once. Front End Collisions and Prius don't go well together.

Tread carefully!

 

I'd take the $500 beating on this deal in a heartbeat. Its a bad deal. Then I'd fight it out with the guy with Paypal as the accidents were never reported. Lesson's learned here.

If you used Paypal you most likely can recover your money. If you didn't use Paypal you have no business on eBay.
And with that I bid you all good night.

 

I think that is your best bet since the collisions and damage has been brought to light.

Ron (dorunron)

 

The OP seems to like risky behavior...

I would strongly suggest that you avoid vehicles with a salvage title for the following reasons:

1. No manufacturer warranty will be in effect
2. You may not be able to get auto insurance other than collision liability, check with your insurance agent
3. The resale value of a salvage vehicle is highly questionable, so plan to keep that car for an extended period and live with whatever faults it may have, if you decide to buy it
4. You have no idea how well or how poorly the accident damage was repaired. If the radiator, front fenders and hood were replaced, how could the airbags not have triggered? What shortcuts were taken in the repair?

 

Well then, go for it and good luck with your purchase. You deserve the chance to make as many mistakes as you can afford.

 

Rx, you might say we are just sharing some wisdom. I don't know how old the other guys and gals are here on PC, but I will say this. I am 58 years young. Been around the block a couple of times and still make mistakes. That is how we learn. But I do agree with Patrick about "Salvage". Stay away.

Plenty of Pri out there. Put your money on a good one, not a junk one. Prius is a great car in my opinion. But all bets are off once one gets smashed.

Ron (dorunron)

 

40 years, ago, cars were a lot different and simpler than they are now. There are three times as more parts and "engineered" sheet metal in them NOW. They use high strength tempered steels and alloys, now.


Since the early days of the automobile, the industry has continuous persuaded the public to accept the "self-serving" myth that cars that have had major damage in a crash can be restored to "factory new" structural specifications and can perform in a crash "just like a new one." In my opinion, every car that has been in a major crash should be required to be taken off the road permanently. Unfortunately, it's all about the money.

Based on my structural engineering experience, I would NEVER buy a car that has been in a major collision.

From my 35 years of experience in aircraft structures and airframe repair and accident investigation, nearly all of the structural accident failures with aircraft has been with repairs "certified" and inspected under highly controlled conditions.


In my honest opinion, there is no way to repair a car that has had structural damage to it's original factory specs, even with Toyota "certification" specifications.


Cars today are made like crash helmets. Once crashed, they can NEVER function the same as the ORIGINAL. There is NO way to predict how they will perform in the NEXT crash except crashing it.

Saving $2,000-$3000 on a good used car that has NEVER been in a crash, is NOT worth your life.

I am NOW 64 years old. And to be sure, I now ONLY BUY NEW. I am grateful NOW that I can afford it from many many years of penny pinching and doing without. I've bought many used cars at an early age. Knowing what I know about structural engineering, I NEVER bought or considered ANY that had structural damage. There is a good reason why a PREMIUM USED CAR is priced higher. IT IS WORTH IT!

If I had a near new car repaired after a major crash with structural damage, that which the insurance company would only repair, the first thing I would do, after getting it back would be to trade it in or sell it. The loss financially is NOT worth my safety or the safety of my family.

 

This one might be worth checking out:

2008 Toyota Prius Touring

 

Search salvage titles in eBay cars. There's alot of pretty good deals with cars that have not taken a whippin'.

But one of the snags is how hard is it to register a salvaged car in your state especially a car declared salvage in another state? Sometimes its a royal pain in the pump. And then the insurance company may not want to cover depending on the company.

Usually a salvage only works out well for a guy with a garage full of tools and a lift and good knowledge of the particular chassis.

You seem like you just want a good deal on a Prius and trying to snag a car cheap. That usually ends very poorly based on the posts we see here. A Prius is a very complicated car compared to say a Camry.

Just go buy a Camry or a Nissan for $8000 and drive away.

 

I too was born in the mid 50's. I did buy one salvage car way back in the risk-taking days ... but it (911 Carrera Cabriolet) had been stolen not wrecked. All the thieves had time to do was get the motor out / shipped off. I figured I could make a mint by putting in a motor myself and I guess I did okay. Didn't make near what I thought due to its salvaged title. I still played heck trying to get it insured. Oh well - it still paid off my school loans.



.

 

Well then, if your continued livelihood and income partially depends upon your automobile, why do you want to cheap out and buy the crappiest Prius available? Spend some money and buy a reliable Prius with a clean title and relatively low odometer reading, that is not about to die.

 

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