2nd Gen or 3rd Gen....please advice

Egr circuit cleanse and a trans fluid drain and fill would be what I would look at short term.

Long term the hybrid battery would be a concern.

 

I'll throw in a contrary opinion. Guys on this forum are into doing lots of preventive maintenance. There is nothing wrong with that but keep in mind that the vast majority of Prius owners don't come to this forum and just do oil and filter changes until/unless something goes wrong.

In my opinion neither of these need to be done immediately. Please see my post earlier in this thread about the guy who did over 300,000 miles without doing either. If I were you, I would drive it to 120,000 miles and see how well it works for you. At that point spark plugs are due to be replaced. Since several parts have to be removed to get to the plugs, an egr circuit cleaning along with the spark plug change is reasonable. See Nuts About Bolts videos for the procedure.

I'm even more contrary on the trans fluid. Prius transmission (power splitting device) failure is extremely rare despite most owners never changing the fluid. Yes, this procedure is inexpensive and gives some people peace of mind but I don't believe that it is necessary. Bottom like, up to you.

For safety, I would have a thorough brake check including the caliper pins. At 100 K, many Priuses still have the original brake pads, so you may need new pads/rotors in the next year or two.

I would also have the health of both batteries (hybrid and 12V) checked before buying.

No disrespect Ray and others, I just think that a newbie doesn't need to jump right in to doing much.

 

I believe our recorder for most mileage (2fast..something) had his for over 300k miles before the head gasket gave way. But mind you he does 10000 miles in less than a month

 

I'd stay away from a Prius that may have been used as a loaner car. Especially over 10k miles (possibly).

 

To be honest, when people ask advice about which used car to buy?
It's a tough answer.

Factors into the purchasers budget.
And there is just no way to give a guarantee. Risk will never be totally removed or resolved.
Like with any used vehicle, generally speaking newer and less mileage is a good thing. But even with a carfax, there is no way to really know everything. And I think obviously, if you can avoid a vehicle with an accident history, that's also good.

But even with evaluation and given opinions, I think ultimately the best move is to have an independent inspection done pre-purchase. Choose the Prius you think you would like the best...overall picture. And you HAVE to go look at it, and inspect it yourself. Look at the general overall condition of the vehicle. Any obvious signs of potential problems, tire wear, interior condition, exterior condition, engine sound, billowing smoke from the exhaust....

When I have looked at older used vehicles, either dealership or private party...I've bought both over the years, part of my evaluation process is as mystical as simply going with my gut instinct.
Even a well detailed vehicle will reveal signs of how it's been maintained and treated. Scuffs, dents, replaced headlights, interior condition.
If I drive it, and it just feels worn out? Yes, that abstract....I have passed on vehicles.

I would pass on anything with a rebuilt or salvaged title.
I would pass on anything that has a warning light or check engine light illuminated. EVEN if the seller swears it's a $29 dollar fix, and just happened that morning.

I would choose a prospect, that I liked best for myself. Then I'd do my best to get as much information about it's condition as possible, followed by inspecting both personally and professionally.

Then if it passed? I'd purchase and hopefully enjoy...but knowing that the vehicle is used and risk always attached.

 

I just say, I give up, what car should you buy?

 

I got a 2012 Prius II and i have 80K miles on it and i haven't had any issues with it! I have done my research just like you and saw the engine burning oil issues and it doesn't seem to be on all of the Gen 3 Prii. If i were you i would go with the newest one you find with the lowest miles you can get, this way you can get the most out of it before you have any issues.

 

looks good! congrats, all the best!

 

Doing some tree trimming today?

 

Congrats. Keep us posted on how you like it.

 

fwiw, my 2010 just hit 150k miles and I've never had any of these issues. We hope to get a few more years and at least 50k more miles out of ours barring a major breakdown of some sort.

Now.... would I buy someone else's Prius at this mileage? Maybe not. Ownership since new with a full dealer service history and no accidents is a peace of mind I'd not have buying someone else's well-used car.

 

Tacking on to this old thread as I'm looking at buying either a gen 2 2009 Prius with 118k miles or a gen 3 2012 with 130k miles. The gen 3 has had the following work done "to prepare for sale" which worries me.

2. NEW Intelligent Power Module and New ECU transistor - 7/21
3. Hybrid Inverter Cooling System - drained and refilled - 8/21
4. Engine Coolant drained and refilled - 8/21
5. New spark plugs - 8/21

This look to me more like he could be having problems with it recently and wants to sell?

Any advice would be appreciated thanks!

 

3, 4 and 5 are normal preventative maintenance and in the appropriate mileage ballpark. #2 is not normal unless there is a problem. I would ask for info on why this was done.

Welcome to the forum. Since you are new here, it would be a good idea to search for EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) issues in the gen 3. Bottom line, the EGR cooler gets clogged and may cause head gasket problems later. If you have the space, tools and time to do it yourself, it costs little but is expensive to pay a shop to do it..

The negative for the 2009 is that the hybrid battery is 3 years older and therefore could fail sooner.

How long do you hope to keep it? How many miles per year?