2010 Prius (III?) purchase. First time hybrid owner

Hello! I have an opportunity to buy a 2010 Prius (I'm assuming it is a gen III) for $5,000. It has 50K miles. Leather. Clean. Seems like a pretty great deal, not knowing much else - if it is what it says on the tin. The owner recently died - probably unrelated . It is being sold by the estate.

I've wanted a prius for sometime and am particularly interested using it camping/traveling and as a back up if the power goes out (like it did during the terrible freeze this winter in Texas).

I'm about 90% certain I will be purchasing it but wanted to do some diligence since I've never owned a hybrid.. Here is my check list - what am I missing?

- I understand the rings (head gasket?) may be a problem,in the 2010, so I will look for oil underneath/around and in the exhaust....
- Check the details given on the fuel economy in the dash. I expect it to have gotten at least 40 mph.
- Walking around, everything looks good. It has been garage kept - accept maybe the headlights which look foggy.
- Take it for a ride. Kick the tires. Look underneath.
- Turn on 'all electric' mode and see how far she goes - to test the ev battery.
- It had been sitting for about 6 months - so the 'car battery' had to be replaced. Should I worry about the 'ev battery' - for sitting that long without running?
- Check EGR and manifold (will need to find out more about those

Am I missing anything? Advise? Warnings - what do you think?

Thank you and see you out there! Kaz

 

Thank you everybody!

All good to know - and new to me. Maybe before he moved it here it sat in the sun. Thank you!

I will be gentle with my test and look for the red triangle. And also pick up the reader + Dr Prius. How could I not get the Dr Prius :?)

Sams. Gonna do that 100%. Thank you RJParker.

Many many thanks to all. Seems like great advise.

 

So, after some days of 'estate matters' I was able to go for a drive today, kick the tires, look underneath etc. Looks nice, remarkably so for a 10+ year old vehicle. No oil sitting underneath :0/

The seller, because of 'estate matters'(where his lawyer told him he NEEDED to get another quote) got a quote from carmax. Says they would give him 6,500 - and willing to take 5,800 which is ok by me unless it is a lemon which I seriously doubt.

I could see the battery was charging. We sat and ran the AC - then the engine turned on. When we drove, you could see the battery charging pretty rapidly. I forgot to look at the 'gas stats' but I will give that look before I buy. Pretty confidant it will be ok given the look/drive.

RJParker - I called Sam's multiple times and got a voice box - which was full. I told the seller I'd like to take it there before we close the deal. I assume he can run Dr Prius and give me some experienced feedback on the matter - including a in depth look at the health of the battery. He has great reviews.

It is a nice drive. Someone said it has 'nasa level engineering' - who am I to argue against that.


Honestly, I'm kind of excited.
Anyway, to all, happy Priusing! Thanks for all the advice. (hey look at me I spelled that right).

Cheers, see you on the other side.

 

I went to Sam's. Truly great advice rjparker! Highly recommended. Thank you. He opened the hood and immediately pointed out the head gasket. I was told it was part of a recall fix. I have _copious_ documentation. No, the gasket just started leaking and was fixed in 2016. Part of the gasket is 'sticking out', not a great job IMO. ($2.5k from Toyota - I have to say they really rip you off, looking at the paperwork) .He took a pretty thorough look and said 'if you don't buy this for 5,800, I will'.

So I did - and feel like I got a good/great deal. Very good. Aside from the driver side, you would think the vehicle was brand new. But not all roses.

Sam did not do a full battery test - (he just said 'it was fine'). - at least did not do the things I had to do with Dr Prius. (fast start / stop etc) at the end of the day Dr Prius had no codes thrown (I was beginning to wonder if the 'battery test' was even going to work but it ultimately said it was fine. The 'longevity test' - charge/discharge said the battery had 62% capacity. Not a number I would have hoped but one that would not have changed my mind in buying it.

My first day, I took it for a drive of 45 miles, after filling up. Got back, filled up, it used .8 gallons. Wow! I'm happy about that! I feel confidant I will get well above 40 on a full tank. Maybe fifty.

I can see myself getting 'gauge syndrome' while driving this thing. Lots of interesting functions and doodads. I'll have to ween myself from it but it honestly does interest me - driving aside.

One thing that does perturb me, perhaps the only thing, is 1) The EV mode simply does not work for any distance 2) Running the AC, the engine cycles a little too often. Of course, this might be expected given 62%. Sam says he reconditions them for 500 - back to 90% of capacity so I will have to put that on my list of Todos. He said, come back and I will show you how to fix the traction battery fan (which runs all the time and is pretty loud). Honestly though, I have some experience with LifePo4 and may jump to it in a year or so. I know there is some gray area there among the community but it seems the obvious choice to me.

My first mod is complete. It used all the technical prowess I could muster and I only fell on my butt once. I took off the hubcaps

My todo list.
1) Change oil/filter (not done since 2019, but still have miles to go ... but still ...)
2) Put on a (tiny!) lift kit (so I don't pull off fenders on dirt roads and speed bumps)
3) Fix some dings and scrapes
4) Fix the traction battery + fan
5) At least take a look at the EGR and intake with a mechanic who knows what to look for.

Anyhow, just wanted to give an update because I know everyone was waiting anxiously LOL. I really do appreciate the feedback. I'm sure I will be back with more questions. High five to all.

Cheers, Kaz

 

In the owner's defense, he was dying. In terms of miles, the little Toyota sticker for oil changes says I have a couple thousand miles to go. I'll change it soon, I promise