Looking to buy a 3 years old Prius. What should I be aware of?

I just bought my '06 a little more than a month ago. It had a little under 45K on it, but had new tires, regular oil changes and a clean Carfax. I had my mechanic look it over and he gave it a clean bill of health. Not surprising since there is little maintenance needed on these cars, and as long as it is not abused, they have a great track record. I would definitely check Carfax to make sure it has a clean vehicle history, ie. no accidents. And it's a good idea to take it to a mechanic you trust to look it over. If you can see service records, that's always a plus to. Any seller who saves all that generally is someone who takes good care of their car. You could also go Certified used, but that always jacks the price up.

 

I would add that you should make sure the car hasn't been in any serious accident - in the US this would be called a "salvage" car (because it has a salvage title) and the original warranty would no longer be in effect. This advice would apply to any used car.

 

Is it a 2006? I think there was some recall issue on the 2005, at least in the U.S. (steering column?). You might want to ask if they ever ran out of gas, because if they ran too long on battery power only, there's a possibility they could've shortened the life of the battery pack. But there's no easy way of knowing if real damage occurred, and it's pretty rare.

Otherwise the 2006 is a pretty solid model year for the Prius. Some (including mine) have had a problem with the coolant transfer pump that runs after you turn the car on or off, but it's only noticeable at temperatures below freezing (there's always some noise when it runs, but this is an unusual noise, so it takes a trained ear). This will reduce your fuel efficiency a bit in cold weather, but otherwise seems safe.

That just leaves the normal car-buying stuff. Does it ride smoothly, does it look clean, are the tires okay. You can't use the magnet method to check for bondo (filler used after a fender bender) on the front and back because they're aluminum and the magnet won't stick anyway.

 

I drive a 2006,it's just coming up to 220.000klm,i've had it from new and absolutely no problems,
As other posters have said,check it's history for accident damage,if it has a history don't walk away....run away!!
In Europe Prius has 3yr/100,000klm warranty so that might be up depending on registration date,the 8yr/160,000 hybrid warranty will still be in force,
If you do purchase you'll be pleasantly surprised...best of luck!!

 

I just bought a 17 month old 2007 a few weeks ago, and I am loving it. I did a Carfax check (cost about $30), and took it for a drive. It only had 16,000 miles on it, and with a clean Carfax report (and chatting with my mechanic), I opted to not have it checked at my mechanic. I've been completely pleased. I had been driving a 1994 Honda Accord wagon - which served me well, but I do like the more compact feel of the Prius.

I spent a month in Poland in July 1989. Was in Warsaw, Gdansk/Gdynia, and sailing up in the lakes region (Mazury Lake). Absolutely loved it!

 

I've been driving my 2005 Prius (red) since November 2004 and have 60k miles on it. The black one has about 80k miles on it. The only thing we have had done was a water pump replaced on both of them...apparently there was a problem with them and Toyota extended the warranty on them to 60 or 70k miles. Other than that, they have had zero issues. Best car(s) I have ever owned.

 

Personally i'd go for the 2006,the 2004 had some minor faults,MFD etc, plus the fact it's 2yrs younger and the fact that you want to use the car until the end of it's life,i know there's 18,000 klm difference but 68,000klm on a Prius is not something [with 1st hand experience] i'd worry about,$3500 extra for a car 2yrs younger with Navi and Bluetooth,if it was well maintained that's where my head would be!!

 

I guess the question is, do you want nav and bluetooth?

 

You do impressions also.....damn talented Polish folk!!

 

LOL,only joking...best of luck with the cars,let us know how you get on?

 

I have been looking at `07 and `08 Prii for a while. I am chagrined at how many have been handed off from one dealer to another a long way away. Many have incomplete service records. Relatively few owners of late model cars seem to have enough equity in them to be able to sell them without the help of dealers these days.

I have come to realize that there are various and sundry scenarios where something really awful can happen to a car without it showing up on Carfax. Repairs and service done by new car dealers or by larger shops approved for insurance or AAA work are reported. But small shops--including some very good and reputable ones--do not report. Note carefully what Carfax guarantees and what it does not. If somebody pockets a big collision or flood damage settlement and moves the unrepaired car along that has not been declared a total loss, that wretched car keeps its A-title and clean Carfax report. The in-house service done on rental cars does not show up on Carfax. (Car rental companies may self-insure their own-vehicle loss.) Beware when a rental company with its own sales operation auctions a rental car into the used car network instead.

Dr. Fusco's advice to get a computer scan of a car considered for a buy is crucial good advice!

 

Hi jackmilas,

Check that the coolant heat recovery pump was replaced. It will be out of waranty at 5 years/60000 miles (double check those numbers!) miles, and will probably squeek allot in cold weather, but not warm. If it stops rotating, that could be a problem that has to be fixed. And you will be out of waranty without a reliable pump.

 

Isn't the coolant heat recovery system is for North American cars only?

If he is buying it in Poland, it will be the European version.