Hello Gen 2 owners, I am a happy Prius V owner looking for a 2nd car. I am looking for a reliable used car, with the following requirements. Budget $8000 USD (in US market) which is probably a 2009 with 120k miles. Reliable : near 0% chance of $3000+ problems in the next 50k miles. Fuel tank? brake booster? Old hybrid battery is not a problem, I can DIY that. Toyota but not Lexus Hatchback/wagon for utility Automatic climate control (okay maybe that's asking too much) Backup camera (I can install it myself it needed) IIHS rating is GOOD for both side/front. I posted in the Gen3 forum, and so far the consensus is do not buy a Gen3 with 150k miles on it because it will have head gasket/oil consumption issues at my budget. So, I thought I'd ask here about Gen2 instead. Buying a used 150k mile Gen3 Prius in 2026
Own 4 with your budget for the one at 8K I don't mind faded paint . But must have leather interior air must work no exceptions . Don't care about heat . Inside must be clean it's wer I live . Hybrid batteries I keep here and plenty of parts here . Easily last forever . Keep em away from others . They will wreck them . I don't let anyone use em anymore wen I do they get wrecked. .now they so old no one asks anymore .
they were great cars, built like tanks. no one can guarantee reliability, especially on the one you buy vs the overall fleet
That's a bit unrealistic. Things break on old cars, often several things close together. Your odds of having no huge expenses for 50k miles will be better if you buy something like a Corolla or a Civic, old enough not to have either GDI or a CVT transmission (a manual would be best), and only if there is no significant corrosion. Even so, having the A/C evaporator fail is a significant risk in a car that old, and it will be a $3000 job unless you do it yourself, because the whole dash needs to come apart. In that distance a car will need tires, and if it is old, it may well need shocks or other suspension components. That could easily come to $3k too.
i'll say this much, it's only 3 years older than your v, and was built better in the engine and brake booster
I got my cheap shot humor out of the way, so I'll give a few more words. Those 2nd generation Priuseses were fantastically reliable cars, but now they're all too old and used up. Old cars will eat your wallet no matter how reliable they used to be. And an old Prius is especially good at it due to its complexity. For your budget? stick to a simple car that anyone can repair.
