Should I buy high milage 3rd gen Prius?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by Shane Burns, Dec 6, 2016.

Page 1 of 2
  1. Shane Burns

    Shane Burns Member

    Joined:
    Oct 30, 2015
    94
    126
    0
    Location:
    SoCal
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    I would love to have 3rd gen Prius as my project car. I just checked on Craigslist and saw a 2011 Prius with 300K on it. Selling for $4,500... Maybe I can get it to $4,000.. Look clean. With that high mileage, I know that engine/transaxle will have to be replaced soon. I have enough budget for new low mileage engine/transaxle and some couple of mods.

    Am I talking crazy and avoid that car? lol :sneaky:

    P.S. There are some other 3rd gen Prius with 300k and issues for roughly $3000 or less if I negotiate.
     
    #1 Shane Burns, Dec 6, 2016
  2. Eastside

    Eastside Member

    Joined:
    Feb 24, 2016
    129
    82
    0
    Location:
    NorthVirginia
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Have you researched buying from a charity that auctions off donated cars ?

    300k 3rd gens might auction off for much less than the craigslist route.
     
    #2 Eastside, Dec 6, 2016
    CNYhybrid likes this.
  3. CNYhybrid

    CNYhybrid Member

    Joined:
    Oct 31, 2016
    158
    83
    0
    Location:
    Liverpool, New York
    Vehicle:
    2011 Prius
    Model:
    Four
    There may be more than the engine and transaxle involved. I would never buy anything without pulling a Carfax and seeing what service was done and any other issues. With that mileage it may have been used as a taxi and, in that case, steer clear of it. Good luck! I love my 2011 Four.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
    #3 CNYhybrid, Dec 6, 2016
  4. stockdaddy

    stockdaddy Member

    Joined:
    Feb 27, 2015
    208
    56
    0
    Location:
    Missouri
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Model:
    II
    I like buying higher mileage cars but not that high. The discount you get for a car with 300,000 miles vs 200,000 is very little.

    Here are some KBB private party prices for 2010 Prius II
    50,000 miles 9450
    100,000 miles 7200
    150,000 miles 5500 (sweet spot for me)
    200,000 miles 4600
    300,000 miles 4150
     
    #4 stockdaddy, Dec 7, 2016
    tvpierce and Shane Burns like this.
  5. Shane Burns

    Shane Burns Member

    Joined:
    Oct 30, 2015
    94
    126
    0
    Location:
    SoCal
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Thank you for your honest tips! Wish me a good luck on search for 3rd gen Prius. Hopefully the price would be just right :)
     
    #5 Shane Burns, Dec 7, 2016
  6. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    113,654
    51,724
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    all the best!(y)
     
    #6 bisco, Dec 7, 2016
  7. Shane Burns

    Shane Burns Member

    Joined:
    Oct 30, 2015
    94
    126
    0
    Location:
    SoCal
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Welp! Just bought 2010 Prius! Call me crazy but this bad boy have 328,000 miles on it! I got it for $3500. Drive good and just ordered Mini VCI so I can check the health of hybrid battery and some other stuff! Wish me good luck on modding and some necessary repairs!
     

    Attached Files:

    #7 Shane Burns, Feb 19, 2017
    ckam1989, iamvietdang, RMB and 3 others like this.
  8. Incredablehefey

    Incredablehefey New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 31, 2017
    6
    2
    0
    Location:
    Southern California
    Vehicle:
    2015 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Advanced
    Good luck!
     
    #8 Incredablehefey, Feb 21, 2017
  9. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jul 1, 2016
    11,265
    15,520
    0
    Location:
    Bay Area, California
    Vehicle:
    2019 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Plus
    Mind sharing what the necessary repairs are?
     
    #9 Raytheeagle, Feb 21, 2017
  10. Shane Burns

    Shane Burns Member

    Joined:
    Oct 30, 2015
    94
    126
    0
    Location:
    SoCal
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Oh not its too bad. I need to inspect my suspension because the ride was bit harsh. The struts might be gone after 300,000 miles lol. And the A/C is not blowing cold. Just cool. It might need a simple recharge or new A/C compressor. And maybe need new transaxle fluid and spark plugs. Hopefully thats it.
     
    #10 Shane Burns, Feb 21, 2017
    RMB and Aaron Vitolins like this.
  11. Aaron Vitolins

    Aaron Vitolins Senior Member

    Joined:
    Feb 28, 2014
    1,612
    1,144
    0
    Location:
    Franklin TN
    Vehicle:
    Other Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Hey, congratulations on the "new" whip! I wonder what time of mpg you'll be able to get out of your new ride? Keep us posted!
     
    #11 Aaron Vitolins, Feb 21, 2017
    Shane Burns likes this.
  12. RMB

    RMB Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 21, 2016
    406
    642
    0
    Location:
    Oakland, CA
    Vehicle:
    2014 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    Nice find! Good luck with your project!
     
    #12 RMB, Feb 21, 2017
    Shane Burns likes this.
  13. stockdaddy

    stockdaddy Member

    Joined:
    Feb 27, 2015
    208
    56
    0
    Location:
    Missouri
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Model:
    II
    Fixing AC is a pain in the A$$. I doubt you can recharge it, the line has a leak somewhere or a bad compressor. That's probably a $500 to $800 job though might be cheaper using used parts.
     
    #13 stockdaddy, Feb 23, 2017
  14. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

    Joined:
    May 22, 2009
    9,083
    5,801
    0
    Location:
    Undisclosed Location
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Well best of luck.
    I think you ended up with exactly what you wanted. A Project.
     
    #14 The Electric Me, Feb 23, 2017
    Shane Burns likes this.
  15. Shane Burns

    Shane Burns Member

    Joined:
    Oct 30, 2015
    94
    126
    0
    Location:
    SoCal
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Passed 10,000 miles yesterday! One major repair... A new HV battery lol. When I have the time, I will be doing some maintenance such as all new high quality (ceramic?) brake pads as current cheapo brake pads give out excess brake dust... Hopefully I can tackle it with Techstream's help.. Oh , maybe spark plugs change and EGR cleaning and transmission fluid change. Still going strong! Looking forward to reach 400,000 miles!
     

    Attached Files:

    #15 Shane Burns, Sep 17, 2017
    Grit and mjoo like this.
  16. MelonPrius

    MelonPrius Senior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 13, 2017
    839
    516
    0
    Location:
    Nevada
    Vehicle:
    2014 Prius
    Model:
    Three
    Which route did you go with replacing the HV battery? How many miles did you drive before you realized that it needed to be replaced?
     
    #16 MelonPrius, Sep 17, 2017
  17. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

    Joined:
    Oct 28, 2010
    8,316
    7,094
    0
    Location:
    Redneck Riviera (Gulf South)
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    Time to update your profile!
    So far it sounds like $3500 well spent.
     
    #17 ETC(SS), Sep 17, 2017
  18. ckam1989

    ckam1989 Active Member

    Joined:
    Jan 13, 2014
    185
    358
    7
    Location:
    Irvine, CA
    Vehicle:
    2014 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    Congratulations! many crazy mods done yet?
     
    #18 ckam1989, Sep 17, 2017
  19. Shane Burns

    Shane Burns Member

    Joined:
    Oct 30, 2015
    94
    126
    0
    Location:
    SoCal
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    @MelonPrius @ETC(SS)
    I drove 1,000 miles and then all crazy lights came on. I immediately knew it was failed hybrid battery so I hooked up my cheap OBO reader and yup, Failed hybrid battery. I cleared the codes and they came back 700-1000 miles. I went on hybrid battery shopping and researching all batteries pricing. (Rebuilt, Dorman, and new oem battery) Then I strike the gold! A low mileage battery for $500. That battery only have 21,000 miles on it! The catch? A 4 hours drive to Henderson, Nevada lol. So I took my Prius and drove over there in the morning. Pulled the HV battery out from the salvaged Prius and then drive back! Then I installed new HV battery the next day. I already put 8,000 miles on my new hybrid battery and no lights came back. :D
     
    #19 Shane Burns, Sep 17, 2017
    Tbkilb01, Aaron Vitolins, Grit and 3 others like this.
  20. Shane Burns

    Shane Burns Member

    Joined:
    Oct 30, 2015
    94
    126
    0
    Location:
    SoCal
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Actually I already installed coilovers on mine! :cool: But I also have the airbag kit.... Havent got the time to install it haha
     

    Attached Files:

    #20 Shane Burns, Sep 17, 2017
    ckam1989 likes this.
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)
Page 1 of 2