Looking to buy a 2010 prius.

That it's been taken care of.

 

This place is usually NOT this unfriendly.
But you can imagine this is a topic often repeated.

My advice is to google your query which will lead you to nearly uncountable threads already in Prius Chat filled with "new"- used Prius buying advice. Plus other outlets with advice.

In general? You're applying the same used car buying standards you would to ANY used vehicle of similar age and mileage. Which means you want to check out the "usual" stuff.
Tires...brakes, engine....The depth of initially will be tied to any experience and knowledge you have. Obvious problems should be obvious to everyone however. Billowing smoke, screaching brakes, tires as smooth as a babies bottom....you get the idea.

Don't know how much you want to invest into evaluation, but a Carfax, checking the VIN # to discover past maintenance records, even ultimately paying for an independent evaluation are all possible.

Running a Carfax is cheap, quick and might possibly reveal any enormous and obvious red flags.

Good Luck.

 

+1
I would also add that IF you are concerned about the HIgh Voltage traction battery's health, that you should try to find a shop that can really diagnose the real state of that battery? The reason I add this to "The Electric Me"'s list is that I have read a disturbing number of used-Prius purchasers on this forum who have trouble with that HV battery rather shortly after purchasing their used car. That may be sue to a self-selection bias that Prius owners come here when they have problems, but I am suspicious that some Prius owners sell their cars when they suspect that the HV battery is coming up on the end of its useful life.

Personally, if I were purchasing a used Prius, I would want to have a compression check and inspection of the spark plugs as they are removed to do the compression check. Also , if you can find an emissions-assessment facility that still does a direct chemical analysis of the tailpipe emissions while the car is running, I would pay to get that report because both fuel system problems and ring/cylinder wear on my cars in the past, would show up as patterns of increased hydrocarbon emissions on those tests. And if you have a mechanic evaluate it, which I think you should, you should get one who will let you walk around underneath the car with him or her while he/she explains what the signs are underneath the car. Many will not allow that due to insurance problems, but if you find one that will, put on some grubby clothes and crawl around underneath. Most folks clean the shiny side, but almost no one cleans the underside.

 

welcome! i would reset the trip meter, and take it for a good long drive under various conditions, noting the average mpg's at the end. all the best!

also, keep in mind, arizona heat is hard on the prius drive battery, and the hybrid warranty is only 8/100.