I am about to buy a Gen 3 Prius now in these last few days of 2025, but probably Jan 2026 due to holiday timing. My requirements are odd but real. Budget $8.000 USD (in US market) 160k miles or less (=nearly 0% chance of head gasket or oil consumption in next 50k miles) Toyota but not Lexus Hatchback/wagon Automatic climate control Backup camera IIHS rating is GOOD for both side/front. As of December 2025, that means Gen 2 or Gen 3 Prius. Venza and Prius V fit my requirements but clean listings are outside my budget. So: 1. Should I avoid white exterior because of the paint peeling problem? I actually would prefer white but not if it peels off. 2. Should I only buy 2014+ with VINs after revised piston and piston rings? 3. Should I just get a Gen 2 instead? Back in 2015, I bought a 2012 Prius V and it has been amazing so far. I had not known anything about Gen 3 head gasket or piston ring problems at the time. I am only at 94k miles today, so I don't have death knock or oil consumption problems yet. I can DIY oil changes, coolant drain/fill, EGR and intake manifold cleaning, spark plugs, etc. I am also okay with replacing the Hybrid battery some day, hopefully after 2030 but earlier if necessary. The money to buy a new battery is in a separate budget.
I put the odds of a Gen 3 Prius of having a head gasket problem at mileage of 160k to 210k at about 50% or more, definitely not near 0%.
at 160k miles, a gen 3 would soon be needing a brake actuator and hybrid battery. And then you have to worry about a head gasket afterwards. My 2010 just got the brake actuator replaced at 165k miles and hv battery failed back in 2020. I just have to look forward to the head gasket failing one day.......but with timely coolant changes and water pump replaced, fingers crossed that it won't happen.
I was about to say that you won't have to worry about the IIHS rating because the car is going to be a hangar queen buuuuut you're a G3 owner (victim) and you seem to know what you know. I'll leave the validity if an IIHS rating for a small car in a state that's over-represented by 4x4 trucks for another day. I have over 200,000 in G3s and I never felt that they were death traps - but my work car is now a 4x4 (barely) and my personal car is a truck, because physics really doesn't care about people's 'feels.' WHAT I WOULD DO if I woke up in your shoes is give you back your shoes. THEN I would look for a 2014-15 BASE MODEL with maintenance records from a private seller. I would not get one with an OEM backup camera for the same reason that it's moronic to buy a car with a "gps" system. You're paying for yesterday's technology with tomorrow's dollars. Reserve $300-400 for some tin-ear audio shop to install an aftermarket system which will solve both your phone integration issues and give you a functional backup camera. Priuschat has a marketplace where G3's show up for sale by PC people - who are generally more likely to have taken care of their car. Realistically speaking in places other than the Southeast US, Priuses are over-priced, so you may want to spend more than 8K buying in. (I paid $2.039 a gallon for my last fillup) Your budget should 'guide you,' not rule you. Good Luck!!!
You're not going to find a 160K mile car that doesn't burn some oil; even with the revised piston rings. They will usually be down at least 1/2 quart @ 10K intervals or 1/4 quart @ 5K intervals - is the best you can hope for. So that rules out pre-2015 gen3s. Also heard there's a booming business of odometer roll-backs on them. Good Luck on your search......
