1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Newbie. Need advice on buying a used prius.

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by Ramie Khung, Jan 31, 2018.

  1. Ramie Khung

    Ramie Khung Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 30, 2018
    47
    17
    0
    Location:
    Montreal
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    Five
    Hello to you guys from Montreal. I looking into buying a used prius and I need your opinion.

    Its a company car, 2009 prius premium edition with 190k miles. The owner mostly did highway with it. Overall, the car looks clean except for a check engine (he says related to firing system?! Not sure how to translate from french and dealership cannot fix it and it doesnt affect the car) and some rust spots on the roof.

    How bad is the rust and is he mileage too much of a risk for the asking price of 3000$?
    [​IMG]
     

    Attached Files:

  2. Ramie Khung

    Ramie Khung Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 30, 2018
    47
    17
    0
    Location:
    Montreal
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    Five
    Forgot to mention that the engine consumes oil as mentionned by he owner.
     
  3. Ramie Khung

    Ramie Khung Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 30, 2018
    47
    17
    0
    Location:
    Montreal
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    Five
    More pictures
     

    Attached Files:

  4. SFO

    SFO Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 7, 2017
    5,286
    4,225
    0
    Location:
    Northern California
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Welcome to PriusChat!!

    Being from the west coast I've never seen a rusty Prius before, but would be more concerned with rust under the car.

    If the check engine light is on you will need a device to read the Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs) and figure out what is actually wrong.

    How much oil is it using?

    Is the vehicle able to pass inspection and transfer as is?

    Will this be your primary mode of transit, or do you have other options if the car needs servicing?

    If you have the VIN try looking up the service history here : Toyota Owners Official Web Site
     
    padroo and Ramie Khung like this.
  5. valde3

    valde3 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 28, 2014
    2,002
    745
    0
    Location:
    Finland
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    From the pictures I can’t tell if there’s rust on the rocker panel. Or is it just dirt. Rust on a Rocker panel would be bad as that comes from the back and means that you have to weld in repair panel. Rust spots on the roof just look like stone chips that nobody bothered to paint. For some reason Prius seems to get many stone chips on the roof.

    Not really commenting about price as that depends on your location. But with check engine light it needs to be cheaper than one without. And you should really check what the code is. And avoid the dealership that “cannot fix it”.
     
    Ramie Khung likes this.
  6. Ramie Khung

    Ramie Khung Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 30, 2018
    47
    17
    0
    Location:
    Montreal
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    Five
    Thanks for the reply guys. I do have a second car: odyssey 2015 to haul my 4 kids. Im looking for a second car to save on gas.

    Will definitely look into the rocker panels. As for the roof, Ive asked a few bodyshops and it would cost around 500$ to fix it up (cut and put a new panel).

    A prius driven mostly on highway and fairly recent, what are the chances that the battery still has a lot of life in it?
     
  7. Ramie Khung

    Ramie Khung Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 30, 2018
    47
    17
    0
    Location:
    Montreal
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    Five
    As for the VIN. Its a canadian car so theres no history on the US site. Theres no VIN history check on the canadian site either.
     
  8. valde3

    valde3 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 28, 2014
    2,002
    745
    0
    Location:
    Finland
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    If the rust on a roof is from outside there shouldn’t be any reason to replace it. Just sanding, trust treating, and spot painting the area should be enough. Even doing nothing it should be ok for many years.
     
    Ramie Khung likes this.
  9. Deft Jef

    Deft Jef Junior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 14, 2017
    27
    21
    0
    Location:
    Chicago
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    It would depend on what other 2008-2009s are selling for in your region as to whether it’s a good value. The dealer obviously doesn’t want to invest $$ in resolving the firing. It could be a minor issue or it could require may engine work (head gasket as ex). I also try to avoid oil burning cars but it could be as simple as a pcv valve. The only time I’ve seen rust on roofs is in costal regions. But the rust is relatively minor. In my opinion the car has to be cheap enough compared to other 2009s to justify the maintenance/repair risks.
     
  10. Ramie Khung

    Ramie Khung Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 30, 2018
    47
    17
    0
    Location:
    Montreal
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    Five
    2009 here in Quebec with 100k miles go for about 6.5-7k
     
  11. Ramie Khung

    Ramie Khung Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 30, 2018
    47
    17
    0
    Location:
    Montreal
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    Five
    We have really harsh winters here and theres a lot of salt on the roads. Bodyshop work is never garanteed more than a year for a reason.
     
  12. Deft Jef

    Deft Jef Junior Member

    Joined:
    Nov 14, 2017
    27
    21
    0
    Location:
    Chicago
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    It COULD be a worthwhile risk. You still should find out what codes are being generated for the firing issue the dealer can’t repair. Find out how much oil is being burned if possible. There are no guarantees but you should be able to get another 1-2+ years from the battery. Do you have a good cheap mechanic familiar with the Prius? Can you troubleshoot and do some of your own repairs? If you are not the DIY type or don’t have access to a good cheap mechanic I would personally avoid said car.
     
    Ramie Khung likes this.
  13. valde3

    valde3 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 28, 2014
    2,002
    745
    0
    Location:
    Finland
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Yes I know we do have basically the same weather here.

    What I mean is that if it’s a rust from outside it won’t go through the metal and create a hole. As long as there’s not even a smallest pin hole through the metal you can still just protect it from the top. Roof does get lot less salt and sand/rocks than rocker panels or underside.

    Anyways bodyshop work can easily create spots where rust will start.
     
  14. macmaster05

    macmaster05 Senor Member

    Joined:
    Sep 27, 2009
    4,050
    727
    5
    Location:
    USA
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Walk away.

    It's got a ton of miles. It's in really bad condition. $3000 is not a small amount of money. Just walk away.
     
  15. Ramie Khung

    Ramie Khung Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 30, 2018
    47
    17
    0
    Location:
    Montreal
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    Five
    That bad eh. Even if its always been dealer maintained? Oil consumption is 1L per oil change which seems normal for a car that has that mileage. If the car lasts me 3 years. Ill be happy.
     
  16. SpaceCityHybrids

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2017
    38
    52
    0
    Location:
    Houston
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Model:
    Five
    I'd check the cylinder compression. Find a friend with the kit or rent one. It should be about 150 psi to be considered healthy. Less than 100 it has some issues and you should walk away.
     
    danlatu likes this.
  17. SFO

    SFO Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 7, 2017
    5,286
    4,225
    0
    Location:
    Northern California
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Can you get those maintenance records from the dealer/seller?

    The oil consumption could be ok, or it could be excessive.. how fast is the car generally driven, over 100 KPH can cause great oil usage. As can lighter weight oils. Look into a 'wet and dry' compression test (like spacecity suggested above). This should work : Compression Test Kit 8 Pc , though you might need a copy of techstream to actually do the job.

    What about the thrown code(s), any update?

    If the battery is OEM and hasn't been serviced, factor in a reconditioning system and you could be golden -except for the two (2) water pumps, the brake actuator, rusted through suspension, cleaning the HV battery fan, etc.

    Get the records, read the codes, or take the gamble :whistle:

    edit: morning coffee
     
    #17 SFO, Jan 31, 2018
    Last edited: Jan 31, 2018
    Ramie Khung likes this.
  18. Ramie Khung

    Ramie Khung Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 30, 2018
    47
    17
    0
    Location:
    Montreal
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    Five
    He mainly used it on the highway so yes 100kmh
     
  19. padroo

    padroo Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 11, 2008
    2,763
    2,250
    13
    Location:
    Chesterton, Indiana Another third world country.
    Vehicle:
    2016 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    Unless you are a DIY kind of a person I would pass on it. Major mechanical repairs and a $3,000 battery in the near future could be it's downfall. It would be different if you had some kind of warranty with it.
     
    m.wynn, HPrimeAdvanced, scona and 2 others like this.
  20. Ramie Khung

    Ramie Khung Junior Member

    Joined:
    Jan 30, 2018
    47
    17
    0
    Location:
    Montreal
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    Five
    We have shops here that does refurb batteries for 600 us. How often do batteries die? Does it make a difference if driven on highway? I see so many 200k miles 2006 with the original battery for sale..2009 makes it less than 10 yrs.