Is 220,000 miles a lot? Looking to buy a 3G?

I'd say IF he could get one for the $3600 you paid...then absolutely...go for it with the knowledge it may have some very big issues ( EGR issues, head gasket, possible engine replacement, brake accumulator replacement, etc.. ).

However, have you seen the used car market lately? Absolutely insane prices...even for very high mileage Gen3's. No way he is getting it for anywhere near what you paid. I fear many are getting totally ripped off lately, paying extremely high prices for used Gen3's that have or will have major issues in the very near future.

If anything, I guess I'd consider a Prius C with high mileage. However, even those are going for way more than they should be in any normal used car market.

 

I got my 2012 at 195k mi, but half of those are highway miles. It has 210k mi. now. I would feel better buying a Gen 2 with 220k mi. than a Gen 3 with 220k mi.

 

if you do preventative maintenance you may forestall major issues. Installed OCC, cleaned intake, new 12V, new plugs and coils, very strict oil changes (almost no oil burning issue), use seafoam, gumout etc only on highway trips, changed all brake pads and rear rotors. All DIY so way cheaper than a mechanic or dealer plus top-quality parts not chinese junks

 

Well...that's what many of us thought....and then the head gaskets go out. Doesn't seem to matter how much preventative maintenance is performed either. Happens all the time on Gen3's...Trust me, we have been discussing and trying to determine the cause of Gen3 oil burning and head gasket failure for years ( most have moved on from the Gen3 ). And pretty much no consensus whatsoever other than there is a flaw in Toyota's head gasket design. BTW - there is a flaw in the Gen3 piston ring design as well that was 'fixed' in the 2014 model year. Additional issues were 'fixed' in the 2015 model year if I recall. That is why everyone here recommends a 2015 if you are going to go with a Gen3 Prius.

I think my point stands that the price of a used Gen3 Prius is FAR above what it should be for a potentially ticking time bomb of issues. However, if someone can get one for what you paid ( which is exceedingly low ), with the knowledge that something major probably will go wrong in the near future, then I say go for it.

 

My money’s on regular EGR cleaning, for head gasket longevity. For oil consumption, all you can do is shorter oil change interval, and try to avoid short trips and/or protracted idling.

 

Well...a lot of us had our money on head gasket cleaning...and unfortunately, it didn't work.

But yeah...it goes without saying that EGR cleaning is an absolute requirement ( yet another Toyota Gen3 design flaw ) . I had forgotten to add that for the newer folks here.

 

It’s a frequent lament here: “I’ve followed the maintenance schedule religiously, and now it’s got the cold-start shakes and losing coolant”. Toyota only paid lip-service to the EGR cleaning , and dealerships won’t do it, or even alert customers to the issue.

 

If you have a G3 Prius, gotta be your own doctor Considering their current ages and the issues will only be ripped off by any dealer haha.
and I believe the head gasket story starts with irregular oil changes due to low-pressure rings, which tend to be stuck if the oil is not clean enough. Either you ll get it have 2015's rings or strict oil changes

 

Turd Gens r riddled w issues and none of em are cheap. I got one in Jan '20 that's a crackwhore on wheels: Booster/accumulator/master cycl, Hybrid pack, EGR cooler cleanout, new radio, speakers, Econopaint. There's nothing good about this car. This past week the HG blew. Needs shocks struts sway links and bushings. It's like a wife that cheats. Every time I fix it and hope for the best she goes out and does it again. In spite of all the flaws, I think the car is still better than a Chrysler product and def cheaper on gas. Make sure u don't pay much for dinner out with her (purchase price) and you won't be disappointed when she cheats (breaks down).

 

Lol it’s all in the my name. “2010moneypit?” It’s actually not been to bad:
Head gasket at 149,000 under warranty (carb state)
Throttlebody problem at 200,000
Of course The clearcoat has been failing for years.
now traction battery is getting very weak but no codes yet.

Better then an American made car. Sad to say.

 

That actually depends on how early you start cleaning your EGR. If its late like for example, at 180k miles. Of course the HG is most likely on the way out. But if you start cleaning it early like at 100k and are religious about it, the Gen 3 could certainly last up to 300-400k miles. I’ve seen some that made it to 500k+. There is a thread on here about high-mileage Gen 3s and there are plenty of them. Of course its all about the owners and their maintenance.

 

In my garage at home right now

 

On a side out the dealer did the head gasket at 149,000 and did not clean the EGR on my car. I inspected it after they did the head gasket it found it to be mostly blocked.

 

Lol...ok bro. I've absolutely babied this Prius v and the HG issue still happened ( yes, including complete EGR service at relatively low mileage..it was NOT completely blocked ) . Not sure what else to tell you except that I'm not convinced that EGR service is the magic bullet to avoid HG failure. I think some seem to win the 'head gasket lottery' with the Gen 3's....some don't. I have also seen some Gen 3's with no issues over 100s of thousnds of miles. I have also seen a ton where the Head Gasket blows WAY before it should...even with clean EGRs, etc... Tons of examples here.

We can certainly disagree on the above. Regardless, the point of this thread is about buying a very high mileage used Gen3. I'd strongly argue it definitely isn't a good idea at current pricing. When the Gen3's were 'good deals', I'd say go for it...with the knowledge that major things could go wrong. People are chasing high MPG vehicles now and I'd be willing to bet many are buying very high mileage Gen3's, paying way too much, and many will likely get hit with major repair bills before they know it. It's just not worth it at this time.

 

From what I've read through Prius Chat, those who do a lot of city driving have more
head gasket failures than those who do mosty highway driving.
Also, those who drive it like a Prius, fair better. On average.

 

Certainly could be...but if you buy a very high mileage Gen3....who know how it was driven? Frankly...you don't. This is the reason I'm advising caution to buyers...which is the original intent of this thread.

 

Why do so many ppl think "how it as driven" matters? That expression eludes to being hard on the gas v easy on throttle. Light to mod trottle actually uses the most EGR recirc and hard on teh gas closes the egr valve. lol. Long oil change intervals clog the rings, burn oil, clogs egr, trashes the cat. heat cycles destroys HG early, not hard throttle application. "How it was driven" is not in the equation, and if anything, hard throttle application closes the egr valve so it clogs less, not more. Still love hearing how ppl think that matters....

Facts:

EGR step positions:

Gas engine:
Idle: closed
moderate throttle: wide open
Full throttle: closed

Diesels are very different. EGR is open at idle. Compression ratios are different, 20:1 air:fuel ratio, all different stuff there.

Si if you wann keep your egr from cloggin up change oil every 5k mi and idle or run full throttle

 

Carfax. You can tell when over the period of one year a car's odometer goes from 132k mi. to 180k mi. You then know that it was mainly highway miles for that period. That's how it was with mine.

 

When my wife and I were looking for a Prius earlier this year we did a LOT of research on them and soon learned who was worth listening to (and who wasn’t). From the reliable and (actually) knowledgeable ones we heard “there is no such thing as a good buy in a used Prius because those who took care of them and drove them in an intelligent (key word there) won’t want to part with them because they are so dependable!” Now clearly there are exceptions to this but the point is well taken. So we bit the bullet and bought new. From reading a lot of what is posted on this site, I’m REALLY GLAD we took that advice.

 

That's why I stated above I would feel better about buying a Gen 2 with 220k mi. than a Gen 3 with 220k mi.