what good is an 04?

I watch auctions and there's an 04 Prius up for sale here. It'll go for about $500-$600 - these city tow yard auctions are rigged - they're not even online and no pics or info is provided, and every car goes for at least that minimum amount to cover the tow and storage fees. I doubt any one else bids more. There was a beautiful one that went for $600 a few weeks ago, but the cat was gone and no telling whether the battery was good.

What's the deal with those battery cells? Is it that they can retro into our battery cases, but more than one car's worth are needed? If so, no use buying this one, unless someone else needs so Gen2 cells.

 

LOL, OK, sorry for that miscommunication. I don't want this Gen2. I like Gen1s only. I know that many rebuilt Gen1 batteries use Gen2 cells, I've bought one of those, but it's been a few years. I need another battery in one of my Gen1s. But, I seem to recall that there aren't enough cells in one Gen2 battery to rebuild a Gen1 battery; you have to have some more Gen2 cells. If true, then there's no sense in me buying this car for the battery - I don't have any other Gen2 cells. But, maybe I'm remembering wrong - I do that a lot.

There also may be something else of value in a Gen2 - for salvage purposes. Of course, the cat, but something else that a Gen1 might use. IDK, probably not, but thought I'd ask. Seeing if there's anything that could make the car worth at least $500-$600...before I go to the PITA to drive to that auction, and if I win, have to tow it away right then. Yeah, maybe it's worth fixing, but there's no pics online, or a way to inspect before hand, so I base my decision assuming it to be wrecked and mostly worthless. And, regardless, I'm not looking to fix any Gen2s. I wouldn't buy it to fix.

Don't get me wrong - if the cats are still worth +$600 for the metal, and the crushed carcass is worth another $2-300, a guy could probably win the auction, remove the cat, and take all of it to the metal recycler in the same day to make $300, if it all works out.

 

thank you, sir. Dementia, glad to see I'm not completely lost.

 

I remember the shifter when I test drove my first Gen1 back in 01. I was buying it for my daughter's HS graduation, and I knew she'd love that quirky gear shift.

They were new, but the salesguy wasn't, and he didn't know anything about the car. Told me that the air coming out the exhaust pipe was cleaner than the air outside. I suggested that hospitals could use them as emergency oxygen tents, and he thought I was serious.

 

And the first time I took it to get inspected in our little far-suburb town. Guy didn't have a clue. Put it on a machine that let it drive in place and attached a hose to the exhaust, then put the emergency brake on and put it in gear, and the engine promptly died. He asked how he was supposed to get a reading out the exhaust pipe. I said, "That is the reading out the exhaust pipe. You just got it."