Just got a used Prius first things to look for?

Try accelerating a bit quicker. Not flat out but say at about 30% to 40% accelerator pedal displacement. You should be able to get about 50 MPG once you get more used to it.

 

how many miles on her? i would just make sure all the maint. items in the book are done for the mileage. not sure there is anything you can 'check out'.

 

North Cal... Two of the best hybrid shops in the nation are up that way, Art's Automotive in Berkeley, and Luscious Garage in SF. No reason to use a dealership unless you are in the unlikely need of a warranty repair.

A 2009 is one of the most robust vehicles on the planet. Have the transaxle fluid changed now and every 60,000 miles, and you have a reasonable expectation of many trouble-free years/miles. One of the users here, 2 fas 4 u, has logged 353,000 miles and counting on his '09.

The two most likely trouble spots are the 12V auxiliary battery, and HID headlight bulbs, if you have them. The 12V battery is easily damaged if it gets run down. It is an AGM battery with special terminals, so replacement with either OEM or conversion to an Optima yellowtop is not as cheap as buying a small conventional flooded lead acid car battery. The HID bulbs are a known issue on '06-'09 and there is warranty coverage to 50,000 miles. The symptom is that one bulb will flicker and go out after being on for a few minutes. The same exact bulb that sells at the dealer for $150 is sold on Amazon for $55.

 

Removed. I didn't pay attention to the year of the car.

 

Check for used condoms wedged between the seats....

 

I learned how to get the car into electric only so I'm pretty happy about that. I get the car to about 20 or 30 and REALLY gently push on the accelerator. If I'm pressing ever so slightly it'll maintain electric only until about 40ish. I thought it was weird that it needed the gas engine to accelerate at such low speeds but maybe I'm pushing it a little harder than I realize.

You don't want it in "electric". Charging the battery takes gas, unless you get the charge "free" from regen when you slow down and brake. Pluse and glide is the way to get max milage.

 

Since your car is relatively new, all that is needed is to verify correct fluid levels especially engine oil. If the engine oil doesn't look clear then you may want to change it using 5W-30 viscosity. The engine oil level should not be above the top dimple.

The point has already been made that you do not need to accelerate so gently. The idea is to reach your desired speed using the gasoline engine without placing much drain on the traction battery. The reason for that is the battery eventually needs to be recharged by the gasoline engine and there is some inefficiency in that process.

Once you reach your desired speed then you can be gentle with your throttle and brake inputs to maintain that speed. Or you can try the "pulse and glide" method which may improve your mpg further (do a search if interested) although I personally do not bother.

You may have noticed that your car's mpg over the first 5 minutes of operation is ~25 mpg. This is because the gasoline engine runs to heat up the catalytic converter. Therefore if you make short trips your mpg is not going to be great no matter how slowly you drive in the city. Longer trips should result in better mpg.

The engine coolant heat recovery pump usually runs for a few seconds upon startup and shutdown. That pump can make a very distinctive sound and is located in the LF wheel well in front of the tire. The purpose of that pump is to circulate hot coolant into the engine upon startup, to speed up engine warmup and thus reduce exhaust emissions.

You may also be hearing the brake pressure accumulator pump. You can force that pump to run by repeatedly depressing the brake pedal, and the pump is mounted on the firewall in the engine compartment. The purpose of that pump is to provide hydraulic pressure in the brake system, in lieu of the vacuum-operated power brake boost assembly that most cars have. (Since the Prius gasoline engine does not run constantly, a brake system that depended upon the continued availability of engine vacuum would not be a very good system.)

It would be helpful for you to become familiar with these sounds so that you know what is normal.

 

Welcome and you are trying too hard! Just drive it! You may find that brisk acceleration improves mileage. One secret to good mileage is to not hit the brakes, so plan ahead not to. That will improve any car.
Here is an excellent alternative owners manual
John's Stuff - Toyota Prius User-Guide

 

It would have been better to have it checked out by a dealer before buying it, to make certain there were no in-obvious problems, but it sounds like everything is OK. Buy a copy of the Owner's Manual from a dealer or online and read it. See here for the maintenance schedule:
Toyota Parts and Service

Ditto remarks above about accelerating. You want to use the battery as *little* as possible, to avoid the losses inherent in energy conversion.

 

now, get out of here!

 

well done!