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The Year is 2019– Should I Buy a Used 2005 Prius from a Toyota Dealership?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by Melody Wombough, Apr 2, 2019.

  1. Usle

    Usle Active Member

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    Depending on your budget.
    The prius needs a new traction battery, 2,500-3.000$, then it will give you 45-50 mpg, now, as it sits, a corolla or what you have will be a better bet, so....making it like new... Is good, but if your budget doesn't allow the 3,000$ for a new traction battery, get a used corolla or keep what ya got.
     
  2. 09Prius2

    09Prius2 Member

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    Honestly a month or two ago I got an 06 with 190k for 1k with a bad display screen and good batteries. I already have another 500 in it parts only with no end in sight.

    Got a honda civic hybrid today, 07 with 160k but a bad battery. Guess what though, it still operates with a bad battery and gets 40 mpg. Plus no excessively complex electronics always failing.

    I got the civic back no problem and the prius had a flat tire and the dashboard was dead.

    Pick your poison.
     
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  3. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    Stick to the plan.

    If there is nothing wrong with the Accord? You might be surprised how long you might be able to drive it.
    It's only 3 years older than the Prius you are considering.
     
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  4. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    As a 2005, it wouldn't matter to the OP anyway...
    But Oregon is a CARB state.

    I bought my Prius believing the warranty was for 10 years or 150,000 miles.

    If I was wrong?
    I guess I got the benefit of the peace of mind of having a ignorance warranty.
     
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  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    you would know better than me, i was under the impression it wasn't. i sit corrected.
     
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  6. MilkyWay

    MilkyWay Active Member

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    For me it is $1950 brand new OEM toyota installed (1650 for part $300 for prius mechanic to put in).

    Or $1800 for a Dorman installed.

    Or $700-$800 if I go on car-part.com and get used battery (400-500 part) plus 300 install.

    Or $400 for prius mechanic to replace the bad cells / "rebuild" battery.

    Not that serious of a repair in my opinion. In the rare case my battery fails on my 205k mile prius that runs like-new I would just put a used one in from a reputable junkyard. Maybe even just sell it as-is for 2k and then buy another one with less miles (I think it's worth 3k running the way it is now and probably someone would pay 2k with bad battery).

    It's really one of the most overhyped repairs in car existence. 2k brand new OEM worst case scenario or as low as $400 to $700 rebuilt/used.

    That's cheap. On other makes/models you're looking at $2000 to rebuild trans or thousands when motor goes bad. On a diesel truck if head gaskets go bad you're looking at a $5000 repair. Almost every car has a "well...typically around X miles this part is going to fail".

    For a Prius it's usually somewhere between 250k and 500k where the battery will go bad (for people that drive 30-50k miles per year and use their car for work).

    Of course it is a little more common if you barely drive your Prius and can go bad before 150k (pretty rare though). I'm subscribed to the 200k mile plus thread and pretty much every single person that crosses 200k and posts about history is on original battery working fine.

    The last 4 posts on the 300k mile plus thread all have original battery. It's extraordinarily rare if you drive your car daily and put lots of miles on it to get a bad hybrid battery from what I see. Guess a little different if you put 10k miles on a year.
     
    #26 MilkyWay, Apr 4, 2019
    Last edited: Apr 4, 2019
  7. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    IIRC, they said 180,000. Either figure is WAY too close to the CARB warranty anyway to be a realistic target for engineering. Just PR speak.
     
  8. fragglestickcar

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    This is not a good reason. A wise man once said premature optimization is the root of all evil.

    Using the averages from fuelly, the Prius is 0.56x as costly, putting your per month figure at $90, and your per annum savings at $840, which a'int bad!

    But I suspect you'll be paying $1000+ out-the-door to trade in the Accord for the Prius. Gotta factor in a bunch of transaction costs associated with dealership buy, including sales tax.

    Sounds to me though, you have your heart set on a new (but used) set of wheels.
     
  9. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    Well I'll say this. When I bought my Prius, I did buy it under the impression or with the belief Oregon was a CARB state.
    Just now? I've googled the question and seem to get feedback that indeed Oregon IS a CARB state.
    However, when I bought my Prius? The salesman told me the warranty on the Hybrid Battery was only 8 years, 100,000 miles, when I told him Oregon was a CARB state and therefore the warranty was 10 years, 150,000 miles, he did not believe me, and hadn't heard.

    So, I could be wrong. However, if you do google the question, it seems to suggest Oregon IS a CARB state, even if my Toyota Dealer-Salesman, in Oregon didn't seem to believe this or know about it.
     
  10. ericbecky

    ericbecky Hybrid Battery Hero

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  11. golfmk681

    golfmk681 Active Member

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    If I was in your situation I would’ buy a hybrid right now. There’s expensive parts involved that will eventually break given the age. I’d go a civic manual transmission. Those can easily be fixed by a regular mechanic. A monkey can work on them. Heck the 06 8th gen that we have is still chugging a long. Any civic will do. I choose 8th gen because of the upgraded safety standards and those can be had for cheap. I bought a cheap Prius and had put is some serious cash to get it up and running and now it’s running like a champ.
     
  12. cyberpriusII

    cyberpriusII Prodigyplace says I'm Super Kris

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    Oregon IS a CARB state.

    Oregon has no sales tax.

    Also against the law to pump your own 8.5 gallons of gasoline at each fill-up yourself.

    And, it NEVER (well, seldom ever????) pays to get rid of a used car that is giving no trouble for another used car that you THINK won't give trouble. I like to hold on to Toys/Hondas to at least 220-230K....

    Might check the Toyota owner's site with the VIN of the used Prius just for fun and see what IT says about the rig's history....
     
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  13. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    You had a Prius c, correct?

    That warranty is only 8/100 CARB state or not:

    Prius C HV battery warranty

    The classification of the hybrid is more important than the fact it is a “Prius”;).

    We bought a 2017 RX450h and it’s battery warranty is 8/100 even though we live in the great state of California for that classification reason.

    But a 2005 is long out of any warranty so no need to fret the details(y).
     
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  14. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    I’ll be parting with our 2010 at months end for good karma, so that might be one reason to part with a perfectly performing 200k mileage Toyota :).

    If I can help someone (and also feed an itch for a PHEV) I’ll do it(y).
     
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  15. The Electric Me

    The Electric Me Go Speed Go!

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    No I had a "Standard" Prius.
    And as stated, was operating under the belief that I had 10 years or 150,000 miles.
    And I already said, that since the OP was considering a 2005, it really didn't matter to the OP.
    Honestly, doesn't really matter to me anymore, since I don't own the Prius.
    My point was that I believe Oregon IS a CARB state.
     
  16. chelvis

    chelvis Member

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    Hello Melody, I bought my 2005 Prius brand new, best car I ever bought. Great car to buy, when it is brand new...it now has 303K miles on it. I get mid 50s mpg for about 7 months/ mid high 40's in late fall and winter months in NJ, this has been so over the entire14plus years.

    Here in 2019, probably not as a good a buy especially given the lack of maintenance funding. Like others said, battery is a big cost and other things that come up on (brake actuator, struts, etc).

    A 2002 Accord is a good car, especially if it has the 4 cylinder engine. I would drive that car until the pistons shoot through the engine block.

    Good luck!!
     
    #36 chelvis, Apr 5, 2019
    Last edited: Apr 5, 2019
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  17. Mike 06 Gen II

    Mike 06 Gen II New Member

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    Hi Melody.
    If you can have a mechanic who knows Prius check the car before you buy. Many will do this for a very reasonable amount like 50-60 bucks . I just bought an 06 with 301,000 miles- single owner- and got a very good bill of health by the mechanics. If I need to replace the traction battery there are remans out there for 700-1300 installed with various warranties from 5 months to 3 years. It is great to pass gas stations when gas is over $3 a gallon and I really love this car. Also get the Carfax and you can see everything that was done on it.
     
  18. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    melody was last seen 3 months ago
     
  19. Mike 06 Gen II

    Mike 06 Gen II New Member

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    Yeah- saw that afterwards....oh well;)
     
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  20. cyberpriusII

    cyberpriusII Prodigyplace says I'm Super Kris

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    Oh, Melody, we hardly knew ye.