Hi all, I've been scouring these forums looking for advice after my 2008 Gen 2 was unfortunately totaled. One of the cars I've been looking at is a 2010 Prius Trim Level III, with 105,000 miles and one owner. The car was mostly driven around town and pretty meticulously changed oil & filter every 5k miles. There is some rust but not bad for 15 years in new england. They are offering 7,000. EGR has not been cleaned, original hybrid battery. I guess my main question is if people think the price is worth the risk given the head gasket issues. My alternative option would be buying a Gen 2 with more miles (~180k) but for a lot less (3-4k). Thank you for your help!
If the oil was changed every 5k and the vehicle has less than 110k then you may be able to avoid the HG issue by cleaning the EGR and continuing to keep the oil CLEANER by replacing it more often than 10k. If you're able to do some of the maintenance items yourself (plugs, EGR, transaxle fluid and coolant changes, brake fluid replacements, etc...) and if the car's overall condition is good enough then 7k (offer 6 and settle for 6500) is a solid buy. If you're not able to maintain this car then I would look for a comparable egg-shaped, 5pax, FWD car in your price range WITHOUT some of the hybrid bits. Maybe club up to a G4? They're......um.......'not pretty to look at' but they are rock stars for reliability - especially if you get the coolant issue fixed. Good Luck!
These cars have a guaranteed 2 major failures that are quite expensive to fix Hybrid battery replacement and brake actuator replacement. Both run in the thousands and are needed after 12 years. So if the car you’re looking at still has the original parts, you have to prepare yourself when those come up
if you know the seller, fine. if not, hard pass on any gen 3 except maybe late 14 and 15. a 180k gen 2 is likely more reliable
If these are New England cars; they'll need a belly rub and close full chassis inspection. I personally wouldn't touch a car that old from there - my finger may poke a hole in it. Cars from the southern states, where they don't salt the roads are in much better shape.
Christ, $7K? Really? I just snagged a cheap 2012 and have plans to keep it to tinker with LiBSU; I don't need three cars, so I'm looking to get rid of the 2008 I bought from TN in 2023 (https://downloads.laboratoryb.org/reports/CARFAX_2008_PRIUS_JTDKB20U487749596.pdf, 215kmi currently). I snagged it for $4K, have just put new Michelin Defenders on it after a warranty claim on the last set, and will be putting a new Walker catalytic converter on it in a minute here. It's still rust-free. If you're not in ME or NY, the replacement catalytic converter is a non-issue, and I could part with it for, well, less than $7K. I'd maybe still take $4000? Saves me the trouble of listing it on Marketplace :shrug: I'm not even sure if this comment is appropriate, there's probably for-sale section on the forum.
