2010 Prius 5 w/ advanced tech

No, don't buy it. Arguably the worst Prius model ever made especially after grandma and all her relatives have owned it. High cost of repairs could easily add $5k in a year including engine failure. When buying used avoid 2010-15 Prius with 100k or more.

 

This car may or may not be good for you. I have this exact 2010 Prius package 5. I will list some pros and cons

Pros

1. Is really advanced for a 2010 model car. Has many features that are just coming out as standard features for the 2020 model year cars.
2. Has navigation (works and keeps you focused on the road and not on your phone).
3. Has radar cruise control, great feature if you travel and don't want to worry about accelerating and braking on cruise.
4. Car can parallel park for you, gimmicky feature at best.
5. Overall decent car.

Cons

1. Has bigger 17 inch wheels, more expensive to replace and MPG is not as good as regular prius with 15" wheels
2. Has poor leather interior (the vinyl around the leather surfaces are splitting on my car)
3. Paint on the car is very thin, may already be fading/flaking on your car.
4. My car burns oil (as with many 2010 models)
5. Your HV battery is over 10 years old, may need a new replacement soon.

At around 100k miles this car can still be very good. However you will have to spend some money to do some maintenance, the dealer is not the place to get it done. This is not the car where you spend $10k and think you'll go another 100k trouble free miles. I think you'll need to set aside $3000 just to not freak out when repairs come up (like a new HV battery). The rest of the car's mechanicals should hold up pretty well until you get close to 200k miles.

At 100k miles and 10 years, you'll need the following preventative services

Spark plugs change (these actually go for 120k miles but no better time than now to do it when everything is exposed)
coolant change
EGR circuit cleaning
Transaxle fluid change
Electric water pump (preventive replacement)
Brake Fluid change (only if it tests bad)

As this car has been religiously maintained, I would think it's in fairly good mechanical shape. Review the service records to make sure you don't duplicate what's already been done (as dealers will upsell and services may already have been done). You won't need the fuel injector service unless you're having issues.

 

Tough call but the ‘09-‘10 years were not the best for this car. You’re paying extra for the tech, which believe me is nice… I have a ‘12 Prius 5 w ATP and all of the modern conveniences found on an older car are great, but the engine is still the same as is found in the lower trims. While I didn’t find any issue with the bigger 17s and actually prefer them myself, I can understand other reservations people here have noted. If you’re looking for a Gen 3 you’re going to likely be better off with a newer one if you’re looking at that kind of mileage. Just my .02

 

Define: Long time
Define: relatively hassle free
Also: honest evaluation of your DIY abilities

One can only guess if a 2010 is a good fit for you without these knowing these parameters.