Looking to buy a Gen 2 Prius pretty soon

Never heard of touring getting different gas mileage... One thing more expensive about them is larger wheel diameter / inch larger than standard so tires are more expensive. Only other difference in Touring model is slightly stiffer rear shocks and slightly larger wing on the hatch. Definitely not worth trying to get one. Just get the best Prius between 2006-2009 and plan to replace 12v and clean, charge, balance and recondition hybrid battery. Also change trans fluid, engine oil and all filters. If you do all that you'll have a super reliable car.

 

Apparently, it is a thing. Attributed to the 16" wheels.

 

The car doesn’t need daily operation to survive.

It also doesn’t like to be forgotten in a garage for 8 years. There is a happy medium and most people find it without any time spent looking.

If you get one with the smart key system, disable it for extra protection when you go on vacation.

 

Looking over the stats and based on discussions here the last three years the touring model gets about 1-2 mpg less than the standard model. We had a standard model that was totaled in an accident before acquiring this touring model and our gas mileage dropped 1.5 mpg (U.S. gallons).

The larger Prius V delivers a 10% or or higher reduction in the gas mileage.

 

if the hybrid battery has a weak cell, but not throwing a code as yet, sitting for months may cause it to go completely bad. but it would be inevitable anyway.

if you're going to do your own repairs, read through the battery replace/rebuild, engine replace, tranny replace, brake actuator replace, a/c compressor replace threads. those are the big ticket items at a dealer.

you'll want tech stream diagnostic software to read trouble codes

all the best!

 

A quick way to identify a Gen 2 Touring is to look at the wheels, if it still has the factory wheels that is. @srellim234's profile shows the wheels that came with the Touring model, which are distinctly different from the regular Gen 2. Personally, I am very happy with the ride and MPG we are getting on our 2007 Touring, but never having spent significant time driving a regular Gen 2, I can't comment on how it compares.

I can vouch for the durability of the leather interior with 280k miles on our car now, and really no significant signs of wear anywhere. I definitely think it would be worth paying a few hundred more just for that option, if there were no other differences in 2 cars you were comparing. Note that the leather was optional on both the Touring and regular model cars, though, so there is really no difference between the Touring and non-Touring interior.

 

I have replaced one section of the leather on the driver's seat. It didn't survive my wife getting in and out often while wearing her gun belt. Now that she's fully retired, no issues with the Softex to report.

A cloth interior would have never stood up to that gun belt either. Between the two, we prefer the leather. Easier to clean and keep clean while being more durable.

 

hybridautomotive.com sells a system that's similar to a trickle charger for a 12v battery, but it trickle charges the high voltage battery. This is also the system you will need to do hybrid battery reconditioning...

As for if the vehicle is down for a period of time, this isn't that big of a deal, just more problematic.... For example the packs that fail that I've worked on tend to be the lower mileage closer to 100K after a dozen years and daily drivers that are up above 200K miles seem to have fewer problems. But that's kind of an end of life tendency that can be addressed with periodic trickle charging and reconditioning. And it doesn't mean you should invest in high mileage Prius over a lower mileage one, just a good reason to pull the trigger on a high mileage one it it's a really great price.

 

I agree with a note that my 2005 has been with me I’ve 590,000 miles so with that in mind let milage, Dr Prius and the Veepeak code reader be your guide. Keep a grand in the bank so if the battery doesn’t last you can get one that will.


iPhone ?

 

Don’t overthink the touring part. Your better off just getting the nicest cleanest one you can find. I agree with the 2006-2009 call. They made some changes in 2006. Leather interior is mostly found in the upper models so you get most of the goodies that go with those models.

I drive a 75 mile round trip 5 days a week and my Prius saves over 100 bucks a month over my 4 runner or Tacoma. That pretty much pays for my parking space downtown.

 

What year is it? Was it part of the recall scandal? For $500 it sounds like it could be...

 

I loaned out my Prolong system to mcbrunnhilde yesterday. She's looking to replace her Gen II Prius with a Prius Prime soon. She was asking me where to find a buyer and I suggested here at Priuschat. She doesn't log in very often so I'll prompt her again.

She has a really nice 2004 with 300,000+ highway miles that's been really well maintained and taken care of cosmetically. She has always kept it in a garage. Original battery pack.

If someone is interested, I'd be happy to put you in contact with her. Touch base with me through a conversation so we can keep our contact info private.

EDIT: She did mention out of state delivery should not be a problem. She loves road trips.