2005 Prius worth the price?

I do have to ask, because it sometimes becomes an issue, but when you say "The Battery Was Replaced at some time" is that the Hybrid Battery or the 12 volt?
I have seen threads go off, and then it's later discovered "Battery" meant 12 volt.

It might be a good enough investment. But replaced hybrid battery or not?
I wouldn't buy it without expecting Hybrid Battery replacement could be needed. If it was the Hybrid Battery do you know if it was a rebuilt, refurbished?

Plus there is no way around the fact that it's a vehicle with 275000 miles on it.
Prius aren't magical. That matters as much to them IMO as to with any vehicle. That's a LOT of miles on all components hybrid and otherwise.
You can argue that brakes and engine wear at different rates with a Prius compared to conventional automobiles BUT...275000 miles is still 275000 miles.
I don't think you purchase NOT expecting some pretty significant investment into repair and maintenance isn't going to happen.

In other words...buy it OK, but only if you have enough budget to potentially buy a new Hybrid Battery, and/or deal with maintenance and repair issues that could happen across the board.

If the purchase itself puts you up against the wall. Don't do it.

 

I just bought a 2005 2 weeks ago in great condition with 217K miles and a meticulous service history on it for $3,200 cash. For perspective, they were asking $3,500 for a 2008 with 275K miles on it, and the interior was trashed; all things considered, go for the lowest mileage possible. Sounds like you're in the right ballpark though, but it also depends on your local market. Here in Atlanta, there's a million Gen2's to choose from so pricing is definitely negotiable.

Here's what I have found out about shopping for used Prius's:

Get proof the HV battery (assuming HV battery) was changed out. I had more than one seller claim such, and when asked for proof, none could provide it.

At the end of the day, IMO, I would shy away from 275K miles unless the battery was replaced with a new Toyota battery (not reconditioned) within the last few years and it was in great shape. Even then I would be queasy. Around here, you can find Gen2's with 125-165K miles all day for around 3.5-3.8K with those being closer to 4K generally in better condition.

 

Our first Prii, Priscilla, a 2005 was bought about a month ago. 1 Owner, locally owned. 153000 miles, HV replaced under warranty at 105000, 12 volt a few months ago. Clean inside and out, runs and drives perfect. All original. EP422’s about 50% all around. All records for everything done at my local dealer starting with the first oil change up to current. I paid $4500. Maybe I overpaid, I could get some for 35 but that service history was worth the extra $1000.

 

Do not buy that car.

 

I would say you did good!

 

Here's another way to think about it.

I recently purchased a 2007 with 135k and a bad HV battery, but a full service record at Toyota dealership. I replaced the battery with a rebuilt one from Hometown Hybrids after reading about them in a Forbes article. $2300 for the Prius, $995 for the battery, $3295 total. She's been running great for the past month!

As with any 13 year old car, there's a bit of wear & tear. Today I went to Wrench-A-Part to try to replace the front drivers side wheel front mud guard (not sure what the parts real name is, but without it you can see into the engine bay). Unfortunately they only had 3 Prii, all gen 1. Logical deduction indicates gen 2 and above must be valuable enough to repair rather than part out.

Yes, some repairs are costly, but I would buy another well maintained gen 2 in a heartbeat!

 

My daughter seems to think so!