Toyota Prius college student

You would probably be better off with an old Corolla, battery life in a Prius becomes more problematical when the mileage tops 100k, although in some states it is under warranty until 150k.

 

Read this: New to the Prius | PriusChat
There was an electronics display upgrade in 2006, they should feel newer than a 2004 - 2005, mechanically they are much the same from 2004 to 2009.

New York has had the longer warranty since 2004. The 2014 list of CARB States in the US | PriusChat

 

2k or under for a rebuilt, 3k+ for a new one. From what I have read on this forum, new ones are much more reliable.

 

The Prius is typically a very reliable car, as long as you do your research by checking maintenance & repair history before you buy. As they get older, however, there is a risk of hybrid battery failure after around 10 years or 200,000 miles, and that costs $3000 to replace. Currently, based on the figures I've found there's roughly a 3% risk for the model years you're considering, which could go up to 10% in 3 years. Basically, you've got good odds that you'll have a very reliable car through college but if you're in the unlucky few, you'll have a big bill to pay.

 

This should give general guidelines: 2006 Toyota Prius Manufacturer Service Schedule and History - DriverSide.com

Also, the 12v "regular" car battery should be changed every 5 years or so and all recall repairs should have been completed. You should be able to find out any recalls needed by telling the VIN to any Toyota dealer.

When doing a test drive, pay attention to the battery meter on the "energy" setting of the display. The level should stay in the blue (or green) range and should not go up or down more than 1-2 bars. If it changes by 3 bars or more, that means the hybrid battery could be at risk of failing so you don't want it.

 

As a hybrid mechanic, I can tell you that you would be better off buying a non-hybrid vehicle.
A used hybrid in your budget range could easily have an expensive hybrid battery, tansaxle, or inverter problem come up. These repairs would be an unplanned $2,000-$3,000 expenditure.

To reduce the likelihood of big costs, you would be better off looking for a Toyota Corolla, Honda, Fit, etc.
The gas mileage will be decent and you still will be better off than some 20mpg car.

 

If it's being sold by a Toyota dealer, there should be a multi-point inspection they do prior to putting the car up for sale. And if that was done, I don't think you need to get it inspected by a different mechanic. Others may disagree, but that's my opinion.

Regarding the hybrid battery quote you saw, there are a number of places that rebuild and resell hybrid batteries and charge considerably less for them than new ones. However, rebuilt batteries have significantly lower reliability (some can fail in a few months) than new batteries (which typically last 10 years or more).

 

1 year warranty? Probably not good enough for your needs.

You need to ask yourself if in 15-18 months will you be financially prepared to buy another $1,200 battery.
Or during the 12 month period, pay for labor again to have a warranty replacement installed.
I work on hybrids for a living, and I would say it is not the best choice for a college student. Unless of course you get it at some ridiculously cheap price (1,500 - $2,500) and with average miles.

If you are dead set on a hybrid, no one is going to stop you. There are ways you can try to mitigate the risk, such as looking at the hybrid battery levels with a scanner (bluetooth obdii adapter + Android app like Torque or Hybrid Assistant)

I'd be happy to walk you through it.

Too often I've seen college students get burned when purchasing a high mileage hybrid. I don;t want that to happen to you.

 

air conditioning

brake actuator

inverter

tail lights

transaxle

problems that are difficult and expensive to diagnose

brake shoes/pads/discs/drums

you should search for the recent thread from a college student here (along with many others) who is stuck between a rock and a hard place because can't afford to fix his prius, can't diy and just wants it fixed. cheap.

take a course in economics while you're there. all the best!

 

Dylan....
You keep refuting answers to your own questions from a Prius enthusiast forum regarding 3 year reliability on what will be an old or very high mileage car....and we're not talking about 3 normal years. With your commute, and in your climate you can expect to put roughly double the normal wear on this car, doing two things (working and college) that are not vehicle fault tolerant.

If your major isn't economics, you'll also need to consider the fact that hybrids are a little more expensive than non-hybrids.
That's cool if you plan on getting a car that has roughly 75-percent of its life cycle ahead of it because the car will have a chance to save you some $$$, but in your price range 75 percent of the vehicle's lifespan is in the rear-view mirror.
That's just not............efficient.
Or in purely economic jargon.....they're money pits.

So....you're into Priuses.
That's GREAT.
See if you can look at this from the other end of the telescope.
Get a car that NEEDS a transaxle or an ICE, or an Inverter, or a battery......in a year or two and with spare money.
Yeah.
I know.
"What spare money? I'm a ^%$#@ college student!!!"

What I'm suggesting is that you start a fund to get a junker and see if you can resurrect it as a project car after you have a little money kicked into a cookie jar labeled "Dylan's Prius Fund."
Just remember.
Non Hybrids in the $6000 range are going to need work too, and Priuses also need the same stuff IN ADDITION to stator windings, inverter pumps and plumbing, regenerative brakes, batteries, etc.
If you've read through this forum, then you'll see that there are a lot of people that adopt elderly Priuses that just aren't financially ready to do a heart-lung transplant, and they have to sell the car off for $1000 or less....with the regrets that FANS of Priusdom are trying to save you from.
With a little patience, a few junk yard parts, LOTS of time and Youtube vids, and a dash of luck you might be able to sell off the non-hybrid beater someday.....and continue to Love Priuses like you do now.

Good Luck!

 

If you have a lot of extra time on your hands and don't need the car to be very reliable, then maybe a high-mileage used hybrid would be a good choice.
Then you can do the work yourself with your tools eves/weekends.

 

If you do not change the ATF WS in the transaxle periodically, (every 90,000 miles) suspended metals may short the Motors in the transaxle for $5000. If you get a gen 2 consider changing immediately ($40 in parts, near $110 at a dealer)

If you are unwise enough to jump start another car, or just get the cables mixed up jumping your car, you can fry the Inverter.($4000) Do not jump other cars (a jump pack you carry with you is about $35 amazon.com/gp/product/B013UJ2JCE ) and if you need to jump start your Prius, replace the 12 volt battery. ($175)

I do not recommend a used Prius unless you have deep pockets in case you are one of the unlucky ones.