2007 with 20,000mi - too low miles???

Why a Used car and not a New one?

 

If you can get the vin number of the car , you can go to toyotaownersportal and plug in the info and it will tell you any service that was done to the car at any Toyota dealership

 

What's up, did you buy the car?

 

yes I got it , its running great , I did have a little scare though but that was just me not knowing things. I must of hit the button to change mph to km and not knowing this I was wondering why I was going like 65 when i was going about 30-35 . It dawned on me when i was reading the owners manual . Also, my kid hooked up a trickle charger , so i just have to plug it in around the grill , not sure how much I will have to do that cause I tried it today and the 12v battery was fully charged . Got a cargo cover coming too for it , it was missing when i got it , but so far no problems , car runs great, knock on wood!!

Gregg

 

Congrats and drive it in good health

 

.

 

This is my opinion. Think of it as Preventative Maintenance. If it's not a financial hardship than go for it.
However many people may disagree. It is a values question and only you can decide.

If you do replace it then you'll drive with a clear conscious and that is priceless.

I only say that because my last car was over 7 years old and stuff broke left and right and always at the worst times going to work, going home from work, lunch time, out with friends, etc. No fun waiting for the Tow Truck driver with his cash only rules, than waiting for the dealer to do there dog and pony upsell show. To me if the battery's life is past the service life span, and the cost is not that high, best to get a new 12V battery and be done with it.

 

There seems to be 2 schools of thought here, and it is a matter of where do you put your trust.

1) Some people hate the Dealer, call them $tealers. They look for every opportunity to use a Third Party Product like an Optima Battery and install it themselves. The Dealer is the last resort when all possibilities are exhausted from this crowd. There are many good independent mechanics who will use OEM parts then your got a good place.

2) On the other hand if you have a good dealer Service dept in town. They have a higher labor rate than say Independent shops. However they are product experts. They are fully trained on the Prius, and in many cases the car is sent to a team that works on nothing else but Prii. You pay a little more but the car is worked on and parts replaced with confidence. Nothing beats. Certified Master Mechanic when you have serious car issues.

You have to find that Trusted Advisor for your Car.

My choice is get the Toyota OEM battery. If you know how to replace it yourself go for it. If not go with whom you trust. Most likely the dealers cost to do it is not much different than the independant.

 

Any mechanic can replace a Prius 12V battery. No need dealer Prius expert for that I am sure. I have a trusted mechanics servicing both cars for my family.

 

HiHello

 

(sorry about previous blank post; my iPad's acting up)!
this is an interesting thread. We just found a similar certified pre-owned Prius (priced in mid teens) for my DH today...2007 base (nav & stereo upgrade) w approx. 25k. Car fax was clean; car had 3-4 oil changes and 'routine maintenance'. We put refundable deposit down on it.
Suggestions re. new 12V battery, and drain & fill of transaxle fluid are good ones.
Toyotaportal and mytoyota don't work so does anyone have other suggestions re. Tracking down car's history?
Thanks!

 

I found that I couldn't access Toyota's full web sites thru my iPad. If you have access to a more conventional computer you might try that.
Try Autocheck or Carfax for searches of major accidents or repairs. Some reports are that Autocheck is more complete but I can't corroborate that.

 

Thanks, we looked into the recalls. The transaxle drain & fill has been recommended by various members on this site. Since the car is a 2007 and has low mileage, we figured we'll be prudent since we own our cars until they die.