U.K. Help hoping to get a gen 2 soon

check in with @prius_noob

 

Hi!

I would suggest you go for 2007+ as that's when the official 'facelift' was introduced with a newer touchscreen etc (although from the outside physically the cars are identical i believe).

There are 3 trim levels:

T3 - Base model with 15 inch wheels and single CD slot

T4 - upgraded JBL audio and six CD changer, fog lights (I think)

T-spirit - top of the range with sat nav as standard and reversing camera with automatic parking feature (in 2007+ models), 16 inch wheels.

 

I think the gen 2 facelift added some lighter colored taillights, which I believe look better. This is for the U.S. though. I don't know about the U.K.

 

2006 was the facelift model year.

 

It was December 2006 to be exact, so safer to go for 2007 as you can't always tell the difference without looking inside the actual car

 

Badges bellow blinkers in front fenders. Different material+texture on some dash parts and parts of door cards. Chrome trim in front grill. Different tail lights. And probably something that I’m forgetting. I wouldn’t really care if its facelift or not. That’s facelift model.

 

Updated screen graphics with 2007 and newer. Not a big deal, but it looks much nicer than the 2004-06. That car is in pretty good condition. I was shocked to see the start button on the right below the air vent.

 

The miles at 138k is not bad at all but the age is getting up there for the battery be sure to take that into account when making an offer. Nice looking car

 

For a Gen 2 in the UK (unlike say California) age seems to be as big an issue (or at least different in terms of likely failure mechanisms) as mileage, now. A low mileage (or older) Gen 2 that has had a hard life -- short journeys and left on the road -- might be a worse bet that a higher mileage or newer Gen 2 that has been garaged -- like any conventional car. Electronics don't like to get damp and a good run of 30+ minutes twice a day for most days per weeks, warm dry garage, regular service, etc. seems to me what I would seek. (Similar considerations may be true for the main traction battery). Looking at the reliability data sites, luck seems to play a part too. I would also suggest you consider why you are buying a hybrid - CO2 reduction, lifetime cost reduction, image/lifesyle or consumer investment in technology, etc.. My initial motivation was the latter, coupled to CO2 reduction, but I have been lucky to get low cost motoring and hope to get mine to last many more years and 10k's miles. If you are expecting to to a lot of miles (e.g. taxi/uber use) in a relative short duration then a Gen 2 might be a great buy. Similarly if you want to cut overall CO2, giving an extra lease of life to a Gen 2 might be a good option (if you drive modest distances) compared to a new purchase. Cheap worry free motoring might be possible looking at the reliability data, but it is a bit of the roll of the dice, especially if you don't have a detailed history of the car.

If cost were the main driver, I would set a budget (target) of capital depreciation of ~1500GBP per year (assuming that the car would be scrapped in 2-4 years) with a maximum maintenance cost of 500GBP per year. I would aim to do as much maintenance myself -- Priuschat and YouTube will tell you almost all you need to know for routine DIY maintenance and many simple repairs and where to get help. I would hope to do better these numbers, but prepare for the worst. The savings in road tax and mpg for a Gen 2 versus a conventional car will only save you ~200-300GBP per year for modest use (10 000 miles per year). So you either need to drive many more miles or bet on better than average reliability to make the savings that will counter the capital cost premium, as in the UK Gen 2 Prius still commands quite a price premium.

I'd be grateful for others' thoughts as my wife is considering buying a Plug in hybrid (without much operating pedigree) and I cannot convince her to buy a PiP .

 

ionique?

 

This article presents a different view to mine (above), noting that intensity is a factor: How long will a hybrid battery last? | Battery Clinic

 

the very second sentence is wrong. toyota does not state that a new battery will last 8 years, how would they warrant them for 10?

next, uber driving shortens the lifespan? what about the canadian taxi's with 500,000 km on them?

third: some here claim that the gen 3 battery is not as robust.

 

Driving a 2004/2005 (build/first registered) Prius here. I'm currently at about 300,000 km and over 13 years on the original battery.