1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

thinking about buying a gen2

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by joanqu, Jul 27, 2021.

  1. joanqu

    joanqu New Member

    Joined:
    May 29, 2021
    5
    2
    0
    Location:
    Aner
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Hello everyone I am European and fuel prices are currently on the rise and right now they are at 7.20$ a gallon and to me it seems kind of funny how Americans pay 2-3 times less for fuel yet drive them while here there are barely any and very frowned upon due to the hybrid battery

    the prices vary and are around 5-7k for a 2008, but all are mostly high mileage (150-200 K miles) to put into perspective corollas costs just as much with usually a little less mileage (100K) and honda civics cost more (of the same year 2008)
    new cars are ridiculously expensive here, a 2021 prius costs around 50k usd$

    to me it seems like its a good decision to go with a prius in this situation but i am quite afraid of "common" problems such as the ABS / AC / hybrid battery / cats,cats theft and other things that come with this mileage.. but a lot of them have good service history in toyota since toyota gave 10 year battery warranty if you serviced your prius in a toyota dealership

    the most important thing in a car to me is to get from A to B the cheapest possible
    what do you guys think?
     
    dolj likes this.
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,571
    48,862
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    i think it's a disaster waiting to happen. a gen 2 prius is likely to burn oil, need a new battery (10 years is up) and a brake actuator, among all the other normal maintenance, and even an a/c compressor now and then.
    unless you know a great hybrid mech who works cheap, i'd go with a corolla, and drive slow.
     
  3. Another

    Another Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 22, 2021
    1,802
    508
    0
    Location:
    Naples, Florida
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    Buying a used car is always a crap shoot. But buying a used Prius is not always a bad deal. People that say Gen 2's are likely the oil burners are overstating problems. Actually the oil burning problem manifested itself in most 2010's and some 2011 Gen 3's after Toyota's failed piston ring design change in the Gen 3. Other things will fail as they do on all used cars as they are up in miles or have been abused due to lack of oil changes and other routine maintance. The trick is to find a seller who is not dishonest will tell you of any major problems and will have the service history. Get a CarFax or a free Toyota Service history report with your VIN and also check for accidents. I am not sure how useful CarFax is on European delivered cars for accident reporting etc.
     
  4. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 3, 2012
    10,769
    4,371
    0
    Location:
    Pacific Northwest, USA
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    If you or a friend like to learn how to fix your car yourself these cars are incredibly reliable and inexpensive to maintain and this website can walk through how to do everything.

    But if you don't want to have anything to do with repairs and depend on a local mechanic or especially a Toyota Stealership for repairs it's probably not going to be very cost effective.
     
  5. joanqu

    joanqu New Member

    Joined:
    May 29, 2021
    5
    2
    0
    Location:
    Aner
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    I will probably not DIY i would really want to but i have no experience and a prius is probably a bad place to start.. Mechanics wise you can somewhat get by here if you are willing to drive a bit but they all charge quite a lot 60-70 $ an hour
    the big part is fuel saving, im not sure about a corolla's fuel economy but from what i understand if i drive around 15k miles a year I can expect around 2500$ in saving from fuel
     
  6. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,571
    48,862
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    i would confirm that math myself, starting with the corrola fuel economy, then what fuel economy are they using for an old worn out prius, then how many miles/km you drive a year in what conditions.

    then subtract a reasonable amount of prius repairs done by a specialist vs a corrola by any mech
     
  7. joanqu

    joanqu New Member

    Joined:
    May 29, 2021
    5
    2
    0
    Location:
    Aner
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    if the corolla will do 26 Miles per gallon and the prius will do 44-45 and I drive 17000 miles with half being city and half being highway with some serious jams in the morning the math would look like something along those lines
    17000 / 44 = 386.363636 gallons of fuel = the price of 1 gallon 7.20$ x 386.36 = 2781.792$
    17000 / 26 = 653.846154 gallons of fuel = the price of 1 gallon 7.20$ x 653.84 = 4707.648$
    if the economy is somewhere around those numbers then we can expect around 2000$ saving with fuel.
    service and repair are impossible to predict however.. both will be quite old cars with the corolla being more reliable likely, parts are plentiful for both cars.

    as far as i know fuel prices will go up even more with them, with an increase coming in around 2 days.
     
    bisco likes this.
  8. Another

    Another Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 22, 2021
    1,802
    508
    0
    Location:
    Naples, Florida
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    Yes, buying a ‘worn out’ anything is rarely a good idea. Is that is what the OP was looking to do?
     
  9. ETC(SS)

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

    Joined:
    Oct 28, 2010
    7,668
    6,483
    0
    Location:
    Redneck Riviera (Gulf South)
    Vehicle:
    Other Non-Hybrid
    Model:
    N/A
    I do not concur.
    Priuses are fantastic places to begin to learn how to maintain a car!
    There are many information resources, parts are relatively cheap, and the G2 was a VERY WELL engineered car.

    Where people get into trouble with buying them is not making a plan for what to do when things go wrong - and in ANY teenaged car, things WILL go wrong.
    This is why we often tell people that they are better off with a non-hybrid...BUT....gas here is closer to $3 a gallon ($2.65 where I live.)

    If you drive 15,000 miles per year then the math may change a little bit if gas is $7.20 a gallon.
    If you get 25MPG then if my math is right you will pay around $4500 a year for fuel.
    OTOH if you get 40MPG then you will pay only about $2800.
    You may want to check my math.....I was up late last night (work) and I'm a little dodgy today.

    ..$1700 (or even $1500) can buy a lot of repair work if you know how to spend it!!!
    That's why the greens LOVE high gas prices.... ;)

    You can actually do many of the repair and maintenance items yourself, and without a lot of money spent in tools.....BUT....as with ANY car if you do not have funds set aside for repair and maintenance, and if you do not take the time to LEARN about the car (ANY car) then you are setting yourself up for failure.

    BTW...in the USA, average hourly rates for mechanics start around $100.
    Dealerships are often double that.

    Good Luck![/QUOTE]
     
    Moving Right Along likes this.
  10. PriusCamper

    PriusCamper Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 3, 2012
    10,769
    4,371
    0
    Location:
    Pacific Northwest, USA
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    Worn out is in the eye of the beholder and is usually more a refection of your bank account's abilities than vehicle durability.
     
    bisco likes this.
  11. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,571
    48,862
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    especially when it comes to marriages...
     
  12. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    107,571
    48,862
    0
    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    if you can save 2k a year, and you know a decent hybrid mechanic, i would go for it.
     
  13. Moving Right Along

    Moving Right Along Senior Member

    Joined:
    Dec 29, 2016
    685
    539
    0
    Location:
    USA
    Vehicle:
    2009 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    From the numbers I’ve seen, a Prius is either equal to or more reliable than a Corolla. If you can get a 2009 Prius with a documented repair history, it should be more reliable than most 3rd Gen Prii, according to Toyota Prius Reliability - Dashboard Light
     
  14. Another

    Another Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 22, 2021
    1,802
    508
    0
    Location:
    Naples, Florida
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    Touring
    Even Prius’s eventually wear out. The OP was contemplating one that seemed long from being worn out. If one does due diligence before the sale the risks can be minimized but there are still risks. If one wants no risk, then look elsewhere. The Gen 2 Prius is a fantastic car and a good value if it has been maintained. If it has been abused, it is risky. Do the due diligence and buy from a reputable party. Otherwise buy something under warranty elsewhere.