160,000 mile Prius-should I buy?

Just so you know, transaxle repair starts at about $2000, for installation of a salvage component. It is several hundred if you can do it yourself. Similar for the HV battery.

Look for service records. How many times have they changed the transaxle fluid? Toyota specs a lifetime fill, and often the answer is zero.

By 160K, it should have had spark plugs, PCV, engine and inverter coolant drain/refill. It may need an engine water pump -- service life of the component installed in that model year is 100,000 - 150,000 miles. It should have also had the inverter cooling pump replaced recently under the recall.

Changing the oil every 3000 is a complete waste. The engine is the most robust major component on the car.

$7500 is high, but you know this...

 

The traction battery in the Gen2 prius has proven to be very reliable, but at 160 miles you can't rule out the chance of a failure. Fortunately highway miles seem to be the easiest on the battery and hybrid system, so high mileage doesn't necessarily mean the the battery is going to be worn out.

If you test drive it, then after it's warmed up* watch out for rapid changes in the SOC (state of charge) indicated on the energy monitor screen. If it stays pretty consistent at about 6 bars (5 to 7 bars) then that's a good sign for the battery. If it goes up to green one minute and then down to purple a few minutes later etc etc then that's a bad sign. Unfortunately you probably need a fair bit of experience driving a known good Prius to really accurately judge what's normal for the driving conditions and what is abnormal there. I know I could easily judge this now if I had to pick out another prius to buy, but I would have had nothing to gauge it against when I bought my first (current) one.

*Remember that some SOC fluctuations are normal and while warming up SOC fluctuations are likely to be greater.

 

In this market that's a good price. I don't know what they used to go for but you probably won't find one at a better price for that kind of age/mileage.

I would personally buy one that old. It is always a gamble buying a used car without warranty. If you can, look through the ODO history. I don't know if Gen2 has that (I assume it does), but on the Gen3 you can review the past 6 trips (maybe a tank of gas or whatever the owner defines their trips as) and see mileage. If it sucks I'd run away. If it's good the battery is probably fine.

As mentioned, anything can go at this age but most 160k Priuses should be fine and battery likely ok, too.

I see this on a bunch of Craigslist ads. I wonder how often it is true. You're right it's literally flushing money in the toilet, though. But, heck, even SAYING it at least the person is aware of the need for oil, so that alone is probably indication that it was changed enough.

 

Many of the comments offered here are applicable to your situation:
http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-prius-main-forum/92580-am-i-foolish-considering-05-227k.html

The tell-tale sign of a bad transaxle is that the car won't run; or if it does run, the transaxle is making plenty of noise or vibration. So it should be obvious that the transaxle has failed.

There are two major reasons why the transaxle might fail. The less likely reason is mechanical in nature, perhaps a bearing inside has failed. The more likely reason is electrical in nature, for example a stator winding of one of the MGs has failed.

The bad news is that there isn't much warning of a transaxle failure if it is electrical. One day it is fine, the next the car refuses to move.

You need to consider that a car with more than 150K miles on the odometer is really at end-of-life. Every mile driven beyond that is a bonus.

You might drive many more miles before a significant repair is needed, and you might not. No one can say with any assurance how long the car will last before you are hit with a large four-digit repair bill. Good luck with your decision.

 

Patrick answered the signs part, but keep in mind, the Prius has the planetary gear system, or Power Split Device (PSD) not a transaxle per se.

I haven't heard of one of those going bad, but I don't read every post here...

 

I and other members have provided many posts here regarding how to DIY repair most of the problems that might happen to 2G Prius. If you can handle the repairs yourself, then the car might be a reasonable purchase at a lower price.

On the other hand, if you know nothing about cars and rely upon dealer service for everything, then an older Prius can quickly become a money sink if you are unlucky.

It sounds like you are able to DIY repair regular vehicles, so if you are comfortable learning about the significant electronics content that Prius has, and can get a good price for the car, go for it. Good luck.

 

I'd shop around, I came across a 2005 Prius II the other day for $9,500 with 98,000 miles on it... There are better deals out there.