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Should I buy?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by invalidusr, Dec 26, 2019.

  1. invalidusr

    invalidusr New Member

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    Hi All!

    I'm new here and about to purchase my first Prius, any advice and feedback is greatly appreciated.
    I came across an 06 Prius with 125k miles. Interior is very clean, exterior is in good shape, just minor scratches here and there.

    Ran a Carfax, no accidents or flooding shown. History shows it has had 1 owner, the state. It was regularly maintained.

    Car seems to drive well. And everything seems to be functioning as it should.

    Is $4650 a reasonable price for the car?
     
  2. mubex

    mubex Junior Member

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    Im buying 06 right now with 167k for 3.5k

    New Toyota battery at dealer in 2017.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
  3. Aaron Vitolins

    Aaron Vitolins Senior Member

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    2nd gen Prii are fantastic vehicles that can last a really long time but the hybrid battery has a death more related to age, so beware of that. I would buy it, but have a a grand or 2 extra ready for a hybrid battery in the near future! Best of luck, and feel free to ask any questions here
     
    The Electric Me and edthefox5 like this.
  4. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Like Aaron says any discussion about buying a used G2 the conversation should be dominated by how the hybrid battery looks.
    Is it the original hybrid battery, whats the mileage look like etc?

    Many people sell there old G2 because the hybrid battery is showing signs of death. Its the most reliable little car until the hybrid battery fails then its a 4000 lb paper weight. The car will not move without a hybrid battery.

    Just based on age a 2006 is close to end of life for that battery especially since it has low miles which is very hard on that battery also.

    Please use the blue search forums tab up top and search keyword:

    hybrid battery

    and see what lots of people are going through.

    Everyone wants to buy a cheap used Prius because it gets great gas mileage. One big repair bill throws all that gas savings out the window.

    You can tell how bad the battery is with a baseline test:

    Find a flat road little traffic that's at least 5 miles long. Turns off all accessory's lights, radio, and AC. Get the car up to 60 miles an hour and turn on cruise control. Then hit the reset button on the bottom right of the consumption meter on the center screen the mfd. This erases all mpg history. We want to log new mpg history. Don't touch the gas pedal for at least 3 miles and then after 3 miles what mpg does the car show on the mfd?
    My old 07 with Prolong maintained battery shows 50 mpg's. Anything at or below 40 mpgs the hybrid battery is in stage one of failure. May be recoverable with a Prolong battery charger system maybe not depends how corroded internally it is.
    A G2 with low mileage will probably be pretty corroded. Battery just sitting all the time kills it.

    Now if your handy with tools and good with all phases of electronics and wrenching on cars you can rebuild it yourself pretty cheap or get that battery rebuilt by a good rebuilder not a Craigs List rebuilder. There's a good guy in Texas. Matt at Texas Hybrids.

    Good luck.
    .
     
    Redbot, donbright and Aaron Vitolins like this.
  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    welcome!

    get a reasonable value from kbb.com, but the price is always what the market will bear.

    if you're comfortable owning a 14 year old car, with several complicated and expensive systems aboard, and you're capable of serious diy, know an excellent hybrid shop, or don't mind paying dealer repair pricing, go for it!
     
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  6. edthefox5

    edthefox5 Senior Member

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    Oh you'll mind the dealer repair pricing. The dealer I bought my car from raised there labor rate its now $145 an hour.
     
  7. fomenter

    fomenter Junior Member

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    It is reasonable for the price wise. Prius usually goes at or above KBB "good" value (at least) assuming that hybrid battery works and the car does not have a salvage title. I watched a lot of videos replacing bad cells on the battery and it does not seem to be a hard repair-I mean it is hard but looks doable if you have some mechanic skills

    I can replace my own brakes, shocks,belts, oil etc so I felt ok with the process despite it is time consuming. I was in the same dillema two weeks ago and ended up purchasing a used prius (08 with 124k,pack 2) for less than $4k. I bought it as a second car because i did not want to add more "city" miles to my BMW.

    Good luck
     
  8. mubex

    mubex Junior Member

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    fomenter likes this.