Hello! I just joined, as I'm considering a lime green Prius C. I'm up near Ottawa, Canada. I'm trying to figure out if I could fit my pop-up tent in the car if I buy it, which is about 5.5 feet long. I've been doing some research on what to look for when I go looking at the car. Is there anything that is maybe not a common thing to look for? Anything you wish you'd known about before buying used? I will look at the battery fan. I don't have much of a budget, I'm looking at one that's a little over $6000, over 200,000 miles. I believe it's a base model with some upgrades, as there's no moon roof, and it's a keyed start, no heated seats. For the other Canadians, are there any forums ect you'd join to find others looking to sell? There's a zillion groups for Honda Element owners, I'm surprise there aren't as many Prius related. Am I missing something? Thanks!
welcome! prius c battery doesn't typically last as long as the lift back. plan on a replacement in your budget just in case, and do the research on replacement costs before buying.
Welcome; The Prius C is pretty cramped if your planning to live in it. It has the smallest battery out of the entire lineup. It is also very expensive to repair; especially when it's past 200K - when everything starts breaking. If you don't know how to fix cars; I would steer clear because an unscrupulous mechanic or someone that's not familiar with this kind of car will just aim a parts cannon at it. Next thing you know; that cheap car will exceed the price of a new one. Just my 2-cents......
I would hope you are not planning on living in it as it is small and has virtually no insulation between you and the outside. People think a Prius is a great vehicle for a hybrid hobo because it can be left on to provide heat, ac and some power with the engine cycling a few times a night. In reality leaving it on (Ready mode) will cycle the engine several times an hour and may keep the engine on constantly for heat since heat depends on engine coolant temperature. As a normal vehicle it is one of the simpler hybrids although many shops won't work on it even though many things are common to a regular Corolla or Yaris. Perhaps my biggest concern on a 2016 Prius c for $6k is why it is selling for less than half of typical value in the middle of a gas pricing crisis. Salvage, wrecked, major engine, hybrid battery issues or some combination?
I'm a fan of the Priussy but I'm wondering why you're considering THAT car for camping - or at all for that matter with only a $6000 (C$ ?) budget...... I'm leaning another way with a 6K budget until I know a little bit more about how deep you are for maintenance and repairs.
It probably has an intermittent ICE cooling pump and possibly slowly losing coolant. While the 2016 had the low tension oil rings; lower end oil consumption issue taken care of - the other gen3 issues are still there. There's a good chance that traction battery is on it's last leg. I remember that I could almost roast marshmallows below my rear seats when traversing the Sierras. I'm exaggerating a bit; but if you put your hand back there - it's pretty hot. An uninsured motorist totaled mine around 100K miles.
