Looking to purchase a Prius v

Consider many are used as taxis and those are expected to go 300k or more. Haven't been many issues reported here with traction batteries. Look for a good maintenance history. At least 10k oil changes, 5k is better. Then the obvious tires, brakes, general condition.

 

The usual with any car, check the title for hints it has been wrecked or flooded.

The battery can only be 4 years old, So it is under warranty time wise. If it was originally sold in a CARB state (NY is one) and is currently registered in a CARB state, then the mileage warranty is 150,000.

What you maintain going forward will be as important as what the first owner did. You can get a record of all the Toyota service here Track Your Service Records with Your Toyota Owners Account

 

There were recalls on the v, be sure those are done. (I remember new software to charge the HV battery slower)

These are my ideas (and just my ideas, not in any way official) to keep your Prius happy.

Have the transaxle drained and refilled with Toyota's ATF WS at 30,000 miles, 90,000 miles then every 90,000 miles to clear out suspended metals. (as a DIY project, about $40 in parts, at my dealer about $100. A new transaxle is $5000)

Never Jump start another car, if your Prius needs a jump start, get a new 12 volt battery, they never seem the same afterwards. (Reversing the cables, even for an instant, burns out a $4000 inverter. Carry a $40 jump pack for these situations)

To help cool the HV Battery, use B mode from the top of hills with more than a 600 foot drop, it will waste energy being a air pump and keep both your HV Battery and your disc brakes cooler. Oddly, the harder you brake, the louder the engine will sound. Other than long downhills, B mode has little use)

Since you have a v, if you use it much as a cargo hauler, buy a generic cargo mat on ebay and use it backwards over the rear seats.

 

welcome! make sure it's operating properly before purchasing. are you qualified to evaluate it, or will you be taking it to a dealer for a thorough evaluation?

 

All the tips apply to any Prius, there will be more or fewer recalls by model.

The v will get 8 to 10 MPG less than the liftback, but both the back seat and cargo area are larger. If you only haul 4 adults or cargo rarely, I would go for the lift back. (I rarely travel without 2 8 foot step ladders so I need a v. You can see how cramped a ladder is in a Gen2 by my avatar)

 

I did a write up of the things I liked and didn't about my 2012 v. Here. My summary line, after 26 likes (some items important to me like space, utility and MPG) and 37 not-so-much items (mostly nits) was "No car is perfect. But I can't imagine another car that does exactly what I expected it to as well as the v does." One recall. No problems. 4 years & 33K+ miles. Only things I've replaced were oil and wiper blades.

 

I would agree with Mike, (i like more than he does and dislike less, but mine was not my first prius so my expectations were in line with what Toyota Delivered. One dislike he did not mention is I would have preferred a 3 door SKS, I had it before and really liked it. My 2012 Prius v Three has 97800 miles and has needed tires, in addition to Mike's list.

 

I recently traded my 2010 liftback for a 2014 V. My primary reason for trading is my family of 5 had outgrown the liftback. Even if you can get by with a liftback your kids will grow and space will become an issue again. Combined highway and city driving I getting over 49 MPG so I am very pleased with that.
I have found no downside of getting V when compared to the liftback.
Also my kids really like the extra space and reclining back seats.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

welcome bob, and congrats!

 

Actually, I list a lot of other people's likes/dislikes that I would not have thought of. If I'm going to give a fair picture, I need to expose as much as our collective experiences as I can (I update every once in a while when I see a contribution that might add something IMNSHO) so that a prospective purchaser can make an informed choice. This is not my first such list but has about twice as many as items in each category as the previous make that cost 3 times as much new. Probably because this car has so many more features and so much more utility.