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Prius 2012 with 11000 km... to buy or not to buy

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by emanboulay, Oct 30, 2021.

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  1. emanboulay

    emanboulay Junior Member

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    Hi everyone,

    Quick question. I have the opportunity to buy a 2012 Prius with 11 000 km (verified) for $15k CAD. Main concern... the hybrid battery. It's a base model (smart key, backup cam). Winter tires on rims + summer tires.

    Must take a quick decision...

    You buy or you pass?

    Thanks!

    Etienne
     
  2. royrose

    royrose Senior Member

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    Sounds like a fair deal to me if it is in good condition and has been maintained well.. If you plan on keeping it a long time and putting a lot of miles on it, it would be good if you can do some preventative maintenance yourself. Engine coolant replacement will be due around 160,000 km. Spark plug replacement will be due at about 200,000 km. That would be a good time to clean the EGR cooler which can get clogged on this gen Prius. I have a 2010 with 165,000 km and it runs like new.

    Yes the hybrid battery can fail at some point but who knows when. You can get an OBDII bluetooth enabled adapter and run the hybrid battery tests in the Dr. Prius app to monitor the battery.
     
  3. ForestBeekeeper

    ForestBeekeeper Active Member

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    That is a very low mileage vehicle.

    Mine is approaching 200,000 miles.
     
  4. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Worth a test drive and look-over. You're in Canada? What province?

    Here's a Auto Trader BC listing that's similar:

    upload_2021-10-30_8-58-20.png
     
  5. emanboulay

    emanboulay Junior Member

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    Time will have effected the hybrid battery at least as much as kms... so would need to keep a provision of $2k to $3k for the pack... even if the car has only 11000 km.

    And would you prefer this car or a Prius Prime 2017 with 108000 km at $17500 CAD?
     
  6. emanboulay

    emanboulay Junior Member

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    I'm in Quebec. : )
     
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  7. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Check the underside for rust, that nothing's dangling. Pop the hood too. If you can get Dr Prius app and a bluetooth OBD adapter (Carrista is good), you can do the quick test of the hybrid battery. Take it for a good test drive, and start it up cold if possible.
     
  8. emanboulay

    emanboulay Junior Member

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    Already done, The car is immaculate. Always garraged. While writing this, someone juste posted a 2014 plug in with 18000 km for a very low price of $8k... only drawback is that the car is at a 7 hour distance. Waiting for more news from him.
     
  9. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    Other concerns should be the brake booster system $2,500 US which will lose extended coverage in US at 10 years in operation. These also have flawed pistons and rings eventually causing excessive oil consumption. But frequent oil changes on a 11km engine might prevent, at least through 150km.

    Egr systems clog up (your gen2 did not have), a $800 US maintenance item at the dealer. Inverter should have had a firmware update to reduce failures, another design flaw. HV batteries often have capacity loss due to aging and non-use which may be your case at 7,000 mile US over ten years. HV battery replacements are expected, the other gen3 issues are design flaws.
     
  10. emanboulay

    emanboulay Junior Member

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    I thought that the 2010 was the year with most of these issues and most of them had been cleared.
     
  11. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    before purchasing, i would look to see the prices of a gen4 new or used. if i could swing the difference, i would.
    if not, it is certainly a great car. does it drive and feel like new?

    any rattles? what can you get for km/l on a 20 mile test drive under various conditions?

    and yes, you should be prepared for egr circuit cleaning on a regular basis, along with an oil catch can.

    check the 12v and spare tire well for water intrusion.

    all the best!(y)
     
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  12. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    Time has shown these issues are strongest on 2010-2014s. Some 2014s and all 2015s have better pistons and rings. However the brake booster and inverters are common through 2015. The brake boosters are becoming frequent with age especially since the 2010-2012s are losing Toyotas special warranty on them. Head gaskets are now hitting many owners, likely caused by oil consumption and egr clogging, both design flaws.

    Again, a 7,000 mile 2012 should be the best example of the gen3s but the hv battery is still a real possibility in the next couple of years because of age and little use.

    What most would say is the price is inflated and a gen4 (2016-2022) is far better engineering. In normal times, you could easily find a gen4 for this price.
     
  13. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    The only significant revision in 3rd gen was changing to higher tension piston rings, happened sometime in 2014 model year.
     
  14. emanboulay

    emanboulay Junior Member

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    Oh the mighty brake booster... did it twice on my 2006 Prius. Reading you, things seems to have worsen sfrom gen 2 to gen 3... brake booster and hybrid battery were the only issues I had, costly though.
     
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  15. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    The pistons were changed as well with different grove spacing. The 2014 vin last six digits defines the production change.
     

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  16. emanboulay

    emanboulay Junior Member

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    Oh well after reading many many posts, your comments and articles, I think I will pass. At $15K the price seems pretty high for a 2012, especially considering the risk associated with a car that has sat long periods of time through the last 8 years. There is not much headroom for costly repairs that may be due to the car not being used at all. Also, the market will probably come down at some point and a Gen 4 will be a better option.

    We will take our chance with our Versa Note and hope the CVT will hold up until the next best deal comes up!

    Thanks for your replies

    Etienne
     
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