Found a 2005 with only 67K - should I be concerned?

I bought a 2005 with 66k last December, and it has been working fine for me. There is some evidence that battery desegregation is caused more by age than mileage. Thus, some people recommend buying a newer model with higher mileage versus and older model with low mileage. However, there are many other factors that affect the life of the HV battery as well. Heat is definitely a culprit in this regard, so a car that has been parked in a garage and/or lived in a temperate environment might be desirable.

Are the service records available? If there is nothing obviously wrong with the car & you are interested in buying it, I'd have it inspected at a Toyota dealer (not the one you are buying it from, if indeed this car is from a Toyota dealer).

 

It may not have sat unused. My 2007 just turned over 45k miles but it gets driven at least once/week. I think its HV battery is pretty happy--it's almost always in the insulated garage, doesn't hard-cycle too often. It works just like new.

I think most of the car's components benefit from the reduced wear of not being driven too much. You (and I) might not get as many miles from the HV pack as the frequently driven ones, but the rest of the car should be in good shape. If I get 80,000 miles from the HV pack, I'll be thrilled (that'll take me another 17 years).

Bluetooth was part of package 6 in 2005--top of the line!

 

There have been a few low mileage cars that have had Traction battery problems. So some of us think age plays a part in battery health equation. My suggestion is you not pay a huge premium for the low mileage.

 

For sure the 2005 has Bluetooth, mine does.

 

I bit on an '05 with 43k on the clock. Full service history, short dealer offered warranty due to low mileage. Everything seems to be in good shape. And I'll second the Bluetooth as our pkg 6 has it as well. Can't figure out the phone book transfer yet but it's all there. Good luck whatever you decide.

 

If it is a clean car and a fair price go for it. A grid charger from HybridAutomotive.com would be a great investment to extend the life of the HV battery.

The bluetooth works great for phone calls. That is the extent of it, it doesn't stream music and phone book transfer requires hooking up a laptop. Just dial from your phone.

 

You did fine!

 

Sounds great.

In theory it is, because it's not good for the cells undergo significant discharge via self leakage as opposed to real usage. In practice however using the Prius just a couple of times a month would be plenty to prevent any problems. Even at only 67k miles, your car has still been driven over 140 mile per week on average. I think it's very unlikely that the battery sitting for too long will have been a problem.

 

3MCS1DJ, I owned a 2006 (RED!) Prius with only 49,500 miles on it and I drove it every day. I just don't have to drive much - my commute is only about 16 miles a day. I LOVED that vehicle and it was so reliable and good to me. It was totalled by a 17 year old driving a Nissan Frontier who ran a stop sign and crushed the passenger side 3 weeks ago. I have been heartbroken ever since.

Best wishes to you for a long and happy relationship with your new old car!