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On the market for a 3rd gen Prius - wish list

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by Bgustafson, Feb 27, 2018.

  1. Bgustafson

    Bgustafson Active Member

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    Alright....looks like I'm on the market for a used 3rd gen. Here's my wish list; is this is realistic?

    What year should I be looking for? The newer, the better.

    Max budget: $8-9k could stretch to 10 only if it's really worth the extra grand.
    Mileage: 100k or lower
    Interior: Leather, black or dark grey
    Features: Preferably fully loaded with JBL
    *SALT FREE

    Thanks, friends.

    Here's one. Low mileage but seems overpriced. Thoughts?
    2012 Toyota Prius - cars & trucks - by owner - vehicle automotive sale

    Do I even dare go with a rebuilt?
    2013 Toyota Prius - cars & trucks - by owner - vehicle automotive sale
     
  2. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    No on the rebuild....even if it's free
     
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  3. Bgustafson

    Bgustafson Active Member

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    Figured so... (y)
     
  4. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    That's almost as much as I paid over a year ago for my '13 PiP with fewer miles!

    Then again, that one looks very very clean.

    For $8-9K, you'll probably be north of 100K miles and not likely to be newer than a 2012.
     
  5. Bgustafson

    Bgustafson Active Member

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  6. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    Looks pretty nice, if you can keep it clean and don't mind a screaming hot car in the summer. Price looks fair if it's in good shape mechanically and the traction battery is in good shape.
     
  7. Bgustafson

    Bgustafson Active Member

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    I spoke with the seller. They are a dealership, so it was purchased from Florida at a wholesale auction. They have been selling Prius's since 2005, and he is an owner himself. They don't have maintenance history, just a Carfax. He says the original traction battery is in great condition. Won't go to $10,000. I think I could get $11,000.

    No maintenance history is my only issue.
     
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  8. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    if you're keeping it long term, is oil burning/headgasket a concern?
     
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  9. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    wasn't there some major hurricanes going through Florida this year? Cars from auctions are usually cars that can't go to a regular dealership
     
  10. Bgustafson

    Bgustafson Active Member

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    #10 Bgustafson, Feb 27, 2018
    Last edited: Feb 27, 2018
  11. Bgustafson

    Bgustafson Active Member

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    Absolutely a concern. From what I've read, I should be ok with a 2013? I read a lot about it happening on 2010-2011s.
     
  12. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i don't know if it is because the 10's and 11's have racked up more miles, or because toyota corrected the problems. have you read anything?
     
  13. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    If those 2 things are a must then you'll have to get a 2010 or 2011 trim 4 or 5, 2012-15 trim 4&5 will have vinyl seats with JBL sound system.

    Coming from an audiophile background, you can only take full advantage of the JBL sound system audio quality with HD radio and audio playback that's in a lossless format. Any audio sample rate below 16-bit or 320 kbps playing through the audio system, the JBL sound system will sound like exactly like the non-jbl system like the trim 2 package. There's no more standards for HD radio broadcast radio stations to upkeep anymore so songs skip back and forth. I laugh at people spending crap loads of money on sound system to see them only using 128kbps audio tracks, hilarious.
     
    #13 Grit, Feb 27, 2018
    Last edited: Feb 28, 2018
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  14. Bgustafson

    Bgustafson Active Member

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    Fascinating. I was not aware, thank you for informing me.

    Am I wearing myself out trying to track down a used Prius with low miles for my price range? I don't want to get myself into another situation like my last 06 which lasted me exactly one year... Should I give up my Prius fixation and just look at something non-hybrid? After having a Prius, I felt like there was no going back...but I need it to last me longer. I drive 15-20k a year and loved the gas mileage. Though, I know on highway there are some gas makes which do better. A quarter to half of my annual mileage is probably highway driving.

    Plus...with a HV replacement on the distant horizon, would my gas savings even justify paying for a new battery? Ugh.

    BTW - KBB puts a 2013 in excellent condition with 100k at roughly $8-10k.
     
  15. Grit

    Grit Senior Member

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    I hunted down the ideal gen 3 Prius for 6 months so I somewhat know how wearing oneself out feels like. I noticed that package 4 and 5 were listed about couple of grand higher than base model. Is the 2013 in excellent condition 4 or 5 trim? Most likely the battery will last as long as the car's life if it's in normal condition.

    Honestly and personally I don't recommend the prius gen 3 to anyone anymore knowing from what I know now. I recommend the Mazda 3 for people who do majority of highway driving with 40 mpg highway, 20s for city driving. Hopefully the Ford Cmax hybrid people can chime in.
     
  16. m.wynn

    m.wynn Senior Member

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    This is not the case. The EGR circuit is unchanged thru the entire generation, aside from an intake manifold update which did little or nothing as far as correcting the issue goes. Regardless of year, once you're at 100k miles, the feeling around the forum is it's time to restore the EGR circuit to like new flow rate. Personally, I feel this is too long to let it go but many go far beyond without issue. Likely driving conditions and amount of oil burned have an impact but it's not clear (to me, anyway) just how. There have been reports here of both head gasket failure and rods thrown thru the block right up thru 2014 that I'm aware of... Anyone planning to go well into 6-digit mileage with a turd gen should have a plan here, be it DIY or a truly competent and caring mechanic. Not trying to be alarmist, just trying to assure you don't end up in a bad place. I have no doubt the turd gen engine can live a gen 2-like lifetime with an EGR maintenance plan, and the oil level checked often and kept topped up. (y)(y)
     
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  17. Bgustafson

    Bgustafson Active Member

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    Wow.........I just did a little more reading and I see how widespread of an issue this is. Haunts me because it reminds me of my 2007 Mini Cooper S which was plagued by the timing chain issue where the guide would
    snap, causing the chain to come loose and destroy the entire engine. (Which DID happen to me.)

    So am I better off forgoing the more comfortable seats and newer interior and buying 06-09 instead?
     
  18. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    would a diesel work for you?
     
  19. Bgustafson

    Bgustafson Active Member

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    Diesel prices are typically somewhat steep around Chicago, but I’m open.
     
  20. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    i don't know anything about them, but they are supposed to get good highway mileage. i suppose you would have to adjust for the higher per gallon price. reliability of the engine is supposed to be good, but dubs have a bad overall rep.