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Help me evaluate a used '05 Prius!

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by markrj, Dec 7, 2014.

  1. markrj

    markrj Junior Member

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    hey guys, ive done a lot of research and decided that i'm most likely going to get a prius as my next car. i have a limited budget (~7000) and would like to get the best for my money. this is the first time ive ever bought a car though (im 22 years old..totaled my last car and got a settlement for this new one).


    i cant link the original car online post and carfax, but i made two TINYURL (the addy is "priuschatmark" for car posting and "priuschatmark2" for carfax) . im going to get it checked before actually purchasing it at a certified hybrid mechanic to check hv battery...but how deep do they actually check the battery? obviously, its one of my main concerns.

    anyways, what do you guys notice about the carfax that im not seeing? it seems pretty good to me..looks like the original owner traded it in after 10 years of having it, and the dealer bought it wholesale from the dealer. what are the main questions i should ask the dealer about it, or the mechanic? anything else? recommended accessories? :) thanks!
     
  2. Aaron Vitolins

    Aaron Vitolins Senior Member

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    I have no idea how to use tinyurl. Can you not copy past a link? Is this car on cars.com or autotrader?
     
  3. dorunron

    dorunron Senior Member

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    Welcome to "Prius Chat"!

    Make at least five posts and I believe you can then post links.

    FWIW, a 2005 Gen II Prius is going to need work done on it, no matter how good the original owner took care of it. The fact it was "wholesaled" says a lot. If it was a "GOOD" Prius, IMO it would have been sold by the dealer who took the trade in.

    Now in reference to the big battery. You asked about testing. Toyota can test the battery in a number of ways. Chances are they are NOT going to spend a bunch of money testing it. They might scan it with TechStream but I think if there are no lights lit up on the dash that chances are they are going to simply sell it "as is". The big battery can be tested for module voltages and a print out can be made. This is a costly test as far as the consumer is involved. A simpler test is to scan for offending DTC codes. If there was a code, chances are the dash would be lit up. I am sure other's will offer more info on the subject of the "big" battery.

    Now, chances are the car is well over 100K miles on the clock. With that said, unless the original owner took meticulous care of it and changed the transaxle fluid every 60K miles as well as having the fluids changed at 100K and the spark plugs changed at 120K you will be looking at a lot of work.

    My suggestion to you is this. Ignore the CarFax. Don't worry so much about the battery as the other systems in the car. There are many things involved in the Prius. Everyone harps on the battery, but ignores stuff like transaxles, suspension and so forth when talking about buying a used Prius. In reality you are more likely to have problems with the transaxle unless it has been serviced regularly when considering the traction battery. A failed traction battery is not unheard of, but also seems to happen not as often as most people would think. Even if you did have a problem with it, there are alternatives.

    IMO, look for a newer year model Prius with mileage around 100K but not higher. Only consider a high mileage Prius IF the year model is very recent. The Prius LOVES to be driven and HATES to sit around.

    Also don't be surprised if you have to replace the 12 volt battery right off the bat. The battery is small and they just don't hold up well unless you make sure that you never allow it to get discharged.

    Do some more research on the subject before you spend your money. If you do spend the 7K you are talking about, plan to keep 4K back for reserve in case you need to make a repair. Big Battery - $500 to 4K, Transaxle - $1500 to 4K, Inverter - $500 to 3K. And so forth.

    Don't let these numbers scare you off. Just consider that you are buying a USED car in unknown condition. The car you are considering to buy might last 3 more years, 3 more months, or 3 more days. There is no guarantee with a used car.

    Just saying...

    Ron (dorunron)
     
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  4. vskid3

    vskid3 Active Member

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    Car link
    Carfax link

    How firm is your budget and does it include extras like tax, title, and registration? Do you have any sort of emergency maintenance fund?

    There isn't really a way for most mechanics, hybrid certified or not, to tell how healthy the hv battery is. The best they can tell you is if it is currently good or not by going off the codes, if there are any. So it could be fine according to the codes and end up dying 1000 miles later. Because of this, its a good idea to have an emergency fund that will cover the battery replacement, which can be as low as $1000 if you DIY up to $3500-4000 if the dealer replaces it. Plus there's also the possibility of the engine or something else going out. While the Prius is a reliable car, it will eventually need something replaced.
     
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  5. markrj

    markrj Junior Member

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    vskid3, after tax/tag/title fees (not including car getting inspected, which is 100) the car is up to 7500. im going to bring the KBB value, and tell him i have cash to pay for the entire thing if I can get it for 7000. i assume this is going to work haha

    i do have good credit, and i dont have an emergency fund since i recently depleted it. i do have a job, although i am a student, and the area i live in has lots of hybrid repair shops since many people drive hybrids here. i can get the battery refurbished/remanufactured for way less than the dealership easily (But havent gotten exact quote yet...just gone off of friends who have had issues and been "fixed").

    donrunron, those are all really good points! i will take those into consideration, didnt think about transaxle fluid and spark plugs. i will put that on my list to ask the mechanic when he looks it over. however, i dont have the budget to get any newer car, and i really plan on having this car minimum 3 years (when i am finished with nursing school, and ill have a career to actually buy a better car). all i can tell is that the car was purchased by a guy in hte military, and then he was restationed (you can see he moved shortly after buying it) to a place near where i am now. the original and second places he gets it serviced from are military populations.
     
  6. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    how many miles on her?
     
  7. markrj

    markrj Junior Member

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    vskid3 linked above to the original post of the car, bisco! the car is 2005 with 129,000 miles
     
  8. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    thanks, do a search on the seller as well. make sure you get 2 keys, they are really expensive.
     
  9. markrj

    markrj Junior Member

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    yeah, my seller is BBB certified, resolved all the complaints (only 2) and has been in the area a long time. its actually a smaller dealership (like 20 cars) so im skeptical. ive chatted with him a bit, doesnt seem eager to sell me. his reviews on yelp/google are fairly good too
     
  10. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    heated mirrors? that seems odd. what package is it?
     
  11. markrj

    markrj Junior Member

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    i believe package 6, since it has navigation and the JBL 6 cd in dash. but i dont see fog lights on it...so im not sure. im going off the manual for the 2005 prius on the toyota website..still cant post URLs but if you just google it its easy to find
     
  12. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    you maybe right, pack 6 might have heated mirrors. does it have factory leather?
     
  13. markrj

    markrj Junior Member

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    no leather, it wasnt offered that year i dont think
     
  14. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    if it hasn't been in any accidents, and has had routine service, it's proxy worth 6500 - 7000. keep in mind, with low gas prices, prius are rusting on the lots.
     
  15. dorunron

    dorunron Senior Member

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    Mark,

    I know you want this Prius bad, but remember this you have no emergency fund. What are you going to do if a major repair needs to be done? Battery, no sweat. We both know that. But transaxle? Even if you go with a junk yard one, you are still looking at many hours of labor to replace it. You have to drop engine and tranny down from the bottom of the car, disassemble the two units, reassemble, and PRAY it all works right afterwards.

    Three years might be a stretch for you with NO repairs. I think that is what you are hoping for.

    IMO, You would be better off getting a Corolla or something similar.

    Regards,
    Ron
     
  16. markrj

    markrj Junior Member

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    so theres no way to tell if he changed transaxel fluid? if the mechanic reviews it, is it possible theyll not be able to tell impending "doom" to it? i mean, if they see lots of things to be repaired, i wont purchase it.
     
  17. xpcman

    xpcman Senior Member

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    Can you get the VIN number and long on to the Toyota.com site and see the service history? That might help if the car was serviced by a Toyota dealer.

    You didn't say how many miles you expect to drive the car each year. Perhaps you have less risk if you buy a conventional car (like a Corolla) and pay a bit more for gas in the short run. That way you have a reserve to pay for repairs.
     
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  18. markrj

    markrj Junior Member

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    yeah, i just signed up for a toyota account and typed in the vin "pretending" like i own it. it says that it has 9 service records at toyota, from what i see, he had water pump replaced twice (?) last time at 110,000. and he had headlights (HID) replaced at 70,000. also a lot of the recommended fuel services had been done. the only 9 times recorded in toyotas history are from 40,000-117,000 strangely but the carfax notes a lot more service records done at the same toyota dealership. he also had the "alternator belt" replaced.
     
  19. brucebee

    brucebee Junior Member

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    i didnt have much luck on toy website w/my 04. car was serviced there at a dealer b4 i bought it. paper records show tranny oil changed etc. but website didnt, just said 30k sevice etc. maybe i am not using site right. ive put over 50k on car now at 160k with just oil/filters etc. glad i bought the car
     
  20. markrj

    markrj Junior Member

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    ever gotten transaxel fluid changed? so you bought it at 90,000...any other big maintenance repairs youve had to do/how much were they?