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Joining the Prius family

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by perry470, Oct 20, 2016.

  1. perry470

    perry470 Junior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 9, 2016
    13
    8
    0
    Location:
    San Francisco
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    I've been looking for a commuter car for work for a long time now. The traffic in San Francisco Bay Area has increasingly deteriorated to a point where I said enough is enough. I needed a car that's very fuel efficient. (My previous car is a '05 Corolla LE) So that when I am sitting in traffic, at least my time won't get wasted as much.

    It was simple for me. I always knew the Prius is the most efficient hybrid car out there. Deciding which one to get was the hard part. I didn't have the money to afford a brand new one (insurance cost and down payment). So I started looking in the used car market. My budget was $8,000. And I spent several months checking on Craigslist. (There are so many salvage titled Prius there...) Finally, I found a pristine '08 Prius three weeks ago for $6,800. Test drove it twice and loved it. Bargained a bit with the seller and took it down to $6,300.

    The car has a lot of miles on it (over 160K) The seller told me the hybrid battery is original and he's the first owner. Carfax report checks out. The vehicle is well maintained and serviced. I was a little hesitant at first due to the high mileage. The seller reassured me that the battery has at least 50,000 miles on it and told me not to worry. He seemed like a nice fellow and I trusted him. Looking back, I'm not sure if I made the right decision.

    Anyways, I've been driving the car for three weeks now and I couldn't be happier. I am not hypermiling and still get 55+ MPG consistently with casual driving style. I'm happy to join the Prius family. Here are some pictures of the '08 Prius.

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    gta_, Aaron Vitolins and 'LectroFuel like this.
  2. CooCooCaChoo

    CooCooCaChoo Active Member

    Joined:
    Jan 7, 2015
    886
    493
    0
    Location:
    Cow-lee-fornia
    Vehicle:
    2023 Prius
    Model:
    LE
    Um, I don't want to worry you but two statements seem contradicting:

    1. The car has 160k miles and the hybrid battery is original
    2. The battery has at least 50k miles on it

    Is the battery from the second statement the 12v battery?

    But other than that, welcome! Looks like a nice clean Prius. Driving around in SF, should be easy to hypermile going down those hills. Up ... not so much eh.
     
  3. perry470

    perry470 Junior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 9, 2016
    13
    8
    0
    Location:
    San Francisco
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Sorry, I think I didn't make myself clear. The seller told me the car can go at least another 50,000 miles before any issues with the hybrid battery and he said he's being conservative due to how well he maintained the vehicle.

    The 12v battery is good. I asked the seller to not drive the car for 24 hours before I inspect it and the self diagnose shows 12.4v at ACC mode.
    But I don't know if the 12v battery is original. He didn't say anything about that.
     
  4. srellim234

    srellim234 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 26, 2015
    1,192
    1,680
    0
    Location:
    Laughlin, Nevada
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    Welcome to the fold and may the car perform well for you.

    No one can say how long the batteries are going to last. Sometimes the hybrid battery will show some signs of weakening over time but there are many instances of the battery going out without warning. For someone to say it will go another 50,000 miles is either dishonest or ignorant. The battery on our previous Prius went from performing perfectly to "blowing out" so quickly it was a matter of parking the car in the driveway for a few hours and then starting it back up. Since your car is beyond the 150,000 mile warranty here in California I would suggest you start setting aside a "battery replacement fund". Then, if or when the battery goes out, you'll be prepared to replace the battery or add the money to your initial payment on your next car.
     
  5. 2k1Toaster

    2k1Toaster Brand New Prius Batteries

    Joined:
    Feb 14, 2010
    6,035
    3,854
    0
    Location:
    Rocky Mountains
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    And if he told you his pet unicorn loved the feel of the ride, would that make sense either?

    Unless the seller is clairvoyant, he has no idea. Going off of historical data and averages, in San Francisco's climate you should expect about 10-12 years out of the battery. 10-12 years with average driving. Less life with more driving (i.e. a taxi) and less life with less driving (grandma only drove it to church on Sundays). The taxi's can go 400k+ on the battery pack no problem. But that's 4 years of service.

    It is is possible you will get another many years trouble free battery out of it. But it is also possible that it will die tomorrow. Be prepared for whatever happens in the future.


    In San Francisco, 8+ years on a 12v battery would not be unreasonable. Heck in the cold climate here where it is cold soaked at -30C for hours, I still got 9 years out of the original 12v battery but it was super dead by that point with at least 2 shorted internal cells.
     
  6. Eastside

    Eastside Member

    Joined:
    Feb 24, 2016
    129
    82
    0
    Location:
    NorthVirginia
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Good find. All good things come to the patient. Brains and luck help too. That looks like a very nice 2008, congrats.

    FWIW, the big battery in my 2005 went past 300,000 miles and 11 years. The engine still isn't burning any noticeable oil between oil changes.
     
    Aaron Vitolins likes this.
  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,571
    48,862
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    congrats and welcome, all the best!(y)
     
  8. gta_

    gta_ Active Member

    Joined:
    Sep 3, 2016
    189
    133
    4
    Location:
    Tracy, CA
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Congrats! I was in the same boat as you recently after moving from the East Bay out to Tracy and extending my commute. Ended up with an 07 with 101k on it that I found at a Ford Dealer in Fairfield right after it had been traded in. I'm loving the mileage as well and also hoping to get many more miles out of the HV battery :)
     
  9. orenji

    orenji Senior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 17, 2013
    5,884
    3,486
    0
    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    Congrats and welcome. Looks like a nice clean car, which would indicate it has been well cared for. I see that it has a dealer ad plate, but you indicate you bought it from the original owner? Was the original owner a car sales dealer?
     
  10. perry470

    perry470 Junior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 9, 2016
    13
    8
    0
    Location:
    San Francisco
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    The seller sold the car through a dealer because he didn't want to go through all the paperwork himself. I think he only got 5,000 out of the 6,300 I paid. For me, I also benefit from not having to go to DMV myself. The license plate gets mailed to me directly.
     
    Eastside and orenji like this.
  11. CooCooCaChoo

    CooCooCaChoo Active Member

    Joined:
    Jan 7, 2015
    886
    493
    0
    Location:
    Cow-lee-fornia
    Vehicle:
    2023 Prius
    Model:
    LE
    Hrm ... the only paperwork that needs to be done is signing the title over to you, and maybe a bill of sale. Did you see the title in person and/or inspect it to make sure its legit with no liens?
     
  12. perry470

    perry470 Junior Member

    Joined:
    Oct 9, 2016
    13
    8
    0
    Location:
    San Francisco
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Yes I did see the title in person and made sure it's clean and has no liens on it. I did check the history and reviews on this dealer before going in. I may have been too hasty to make the purchase, that I agree. I am glad it all works out at the end. Both the license plate and title were mailed to me two weeks ago. Now let see how many miles I can squeeze out of the OEM hybrid batteries (just passed 171K last week)... :unsure: