Hello Gen 2 owners, I am a happy Prius V owner looking for a 2nd car. I am looking for a reliable used car, with the following requirements. Budget $8000 USD (in US market) which is probably a 2009 with 120k miles. Reliable : near 0% chance of $3000+ problems in the next 50k miles. Fuel tank? brake booster? Old hybrid battery is not a problem, I can DIY that. Toyota but not Lexus Hatchback/wagon for utility Automatic climate control (okay maybe that's asking too much) Backup camera (I can install it myself it needed) IIHS rating is GOOD for both side/front. I posted in the Gen3 forum, and so far the consensus is do not buy a Gen3 with 150k miles on it because it will have head gasket/oil consumption issues at my budget. So, I thought I'd ask here about Gen2 instead. Buying a used 150k mile Gen3 Prius in 2026
Own 4 with your budget for the one at 8K I don't mind faded paint . But must have leather interior air must work no exceptions . Don't care about heat . Inside must be clean it's wer I live . Hybrid batteries I keep here and plenty of parts here . Easily last forever . Keep em away from others . They will wreck them . I don't let anyone use em anymore wen I do they get wrecked. .now they so old no one asks anymore .
they were great cars, built like tanks. no one can guarantee reliability, especially on the one you buy vs the overall fleet
That's a bit unrealistic. Things break on old cars, often several things close together. Your odds of having no huge expenses for 50k miles will be better if you buy something like a Corolla or a Civic, old enough not to have either GDI or a CVT transmission (a manual would be best), and only if there is no significant corrosion. Even so, having the A/C evaporator fail is a significant risk in a car that old, and it will be a $3000 job unless you do it yourself, because the whole dash needs to come apart. In that distance a car will need tires, and if it is old, it may well need shocks or other suspension components. That could easily come to $3k too.
