I have heard and read about the reliability of the 2nd generation of the Prius and noticed a 2008 Prius on Facebook Marketplace in Southern California. Can I get your thoughts and advice on this car? I was planning to see it tomorrow, being that today is Father's Day. Here goes: The color is gray with a gray interior. The mileage is 95,000 and it has leather seats and fog lights and a backup camera. Not positive, but I think it has a six speaker JBL stereo system. The main battery was been replaced in May, 2025. It has a 12 month 12,000 mile warranty. The 12 volt Interstate battery is also new. It has a new water pump and new thermostat. It has a new inverter and a new inverter cooling system 3 way valve. This Prius has 7 spoke wheels with new tires with new tire pressure monitor sensors and a catalytic converter protective shield. This Prius has a clean title. I was told the owner, a lady, bought a new Prius and was having a car repair garage sell her old one. She is one of their customers. They have all her service records. The price of the car is $6500.00. I'm thinking I need to get a thorough inspection at a proper hybrid repair garage, maybe even a Toyota dealer? There is a Toyota dealer very near me. What do you all think? This would be my first Prius. I would like to take road trips with this Prius. I've worked on gas powered cars for many years, but I really would like to know what you all think. Thank you all very much! - Thomas
If I was going to buy this Prius, I would ask: Is the main battery OEM or one from a rebuild company? I guess it's a rebuilt battery. The replaced parts are they OEM or from a local auto parts store or online aftermarket supplier?
get the receipt showing where the hybrid battery came from. if it isn't oem, get a copy of the warranty to see what it covers and if it is transferable. did you pull a car fax? look through the service records carefully, report anything that looks odd here. be aware that the brake actuator is around a $4,000. repair. i mention that because they are somewhat prone to failure on older cars. also be aware that a lot of old prius have problems like oil burning or leaking head gaskets that have had sealant added for a temporary fix. who is the seller? i would rather take it to a reputable hybrid shop than a dealer. all the best!
I decided to take a drive over to the location to see if I could actually see the car, unofficially, just to see what this Prius looks like, in person. The garage was closed, of course, but the car was on the lot and backed up against the fenced area. There were many Priuses parked on the street - I counted about 8 or 9 parked on the street and 2 or 3 within the fenced area. The cars on the street looked like they had been there for a while. Parts cars? I should have taken a closer look. Anyway, this was not what I was expecting. It looked like a business that fixes and flips Priuses, which I’m not interested in. In one corner of the lot there were several wheels and tires and other miscellaneous Prius parts. The 195/55R16 tires were not “new”, which makes me wonder what else was not true about the “new” parts on this car. Apparently 16 inch tires are used on 2008 Touring Prius cars. It sounded like a nice desirable car, but I’m guessing it was made to run as cheaply as possible, to maximize profit. I will probably cancel my plans to visit this car tomorrow. But I will let the guy selling the car know I’m not interested. My gut feeling has red flags all over the place.
