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2005 Prius, Battery Replaced in 2009, Good deal?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by Caboose, Dec 2, 2014.

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  1. Yakoma

    Yakoma Active Member

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    Duh...didn't see JimN's post.
    See if you can take it to an independent shop for a pre-purchase inspection. Might cost you $50-75 but it will give you peace of mind if nothing else. Ask to inspect it with the tech. I bought a salvage title Prius from an independent seller, but took it to an independent shop and also to a Toyota service center to get their inspections before making the purchase. The independent mechanic said he'd buy it, but put aside some money each month for stuff that will eventually fail. Remember, it's not a new car and possibly unwarranty-able, but you can get it fixed when it breaks -- even traction batteries. Just be comfortable with the purchase price.
     
    #21 Yakoma, Dec 2, 2014
  2. Caboose

    Caboose Junior Member

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    I did some further scouting into the inventory selection for this dealership, and I found a 2010 Honda Insight also available for around the same price point ($9995, 104k miles). So far, my initial research has shown that while the CarFax reports that the vehicle has only had one owner and is clean, and the vehicle has significantly less miles than the Prius (145k miles) I am interested in, but no service records are available within CarFax or Honda Owners Portal. Whereas the 2005 Prius has lots of documentation showing that the vehicle has been well maintained throughout it's multiple owners.

    The Prius' price was also significantly marked down since I initially looked it up. It's now being listed at $6995 instead of the original listed price of $8995.

    I will have to Test drive them both, if they are still available by the time I get to the Dealership on Saturday. But I wanted to get some feedback or suggestions on whether the 2010 Insight, or the 2005 Prius was the better deal here.

    Thanks again for all the responses. Regardless of my ultimate decision, the advice given here has been invaluable in making this process easier for me.
     
    #22 Caboose, Dec 3, 2014
  3. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    No No No on the Honda Insight. There's a reason that car's no longer made. At $6995 it's not a bad purchase. Pocket the $2000 saved and use it for a new battery when the time comes.

    I would still try to find a lower mileage car, however I doubt that one at $6995 will be around for long.
     
    #23 JC91006, Dec 3, 2014
  4. vskid3

    vskid3 Active Member

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    Insight isn't a bad car, it just wasn't quite good enough to compete head-to-head with the Prius. It'll get a little less mileage than the Prius, but I've read that the handling is much better in the Insight.
     
    #24 vskid3, Dec 3, 2014
  5. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Darwinism for cars
     
    #25 JC91006, Dec 3, 2014
  6. Caboose

    Caboose Junior Member

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    But the mileage difference is pretty vast between the two vehicles. And though I can easily modify the Prius after purchase, the 2010 Insight comes with an AUX/USB port for audio, which is really the only premium feature I really care about.

    Like I said, I'll be gunning for the Prius, but I'll definitely take the Insight out for a test drive.
     
    #26 Caboose, Dec 3, 2014
  7. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    insight is not horrible, some people actually like them. but if you look at the sales numbers, not many. the system has issues like, if you have the a/c on, the engine won't shut off when you come to a stop. they'll probably replace it with their new hybrid system, once it's proven.
     
    #27 bisco, Dec 3, 2014
  8. ePriusdotcom

    ePriusdotcom Junior Member

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    If you put the vin in to the Toyota owners site, open up service records and match the date of the battery replacement with the service date from Toyota. If you click on the date, a detailed invoice with the replaced part numbers should pop up.
     
    #28 ePriusdotcom, Dec 3, 2014
  9. Caboose

    Caboose Junior Member

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    I'm going in tomorrow to test drive and potentially purchase the Prius! I'll update this post as I can :)
     
    #29 Caboose, Dec 3, 2014
  10. Caboose

    Caboose Junior Member

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    Car was sold before I could even get into the dealership today :( Such is life.
     
    #30 Caboose, Dec 4, 2014
  11. Yakoma

    Yakoma Active Member

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    DOH! There will be others.
     
    #31 Yakoma, Dec 4, 2014
  12. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    A good prius for $7000 or less won't stick around. But yes, there will be others.
     
    #32 JC91006, Dec 4, 2014
  13. Yakoma

    Yakoma Active Member

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    You're in a prime month as a used car buyer. Dealers trying to clear their inventory before end-of-year.

    One more tip...listen to this episode of This American Life - 129 Cars.
     
    #33 Yakoma, Dec 4, 2014
  14. Aaron Vitolins

    Aaron Vitolins Senior Member

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    Have you looked at the two silver 2005's in Portland, on cars.com?
    One has 158,000 asking $7500 I think
     
    #34 Aaron Vitolins, Dec 4, 2014
  15. Caboose

    Caboose Junior Member

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    I did a long time ago when I started researching this process. Honestly, it left me more intimidated than empowered! But it's definitely one of the best episodes of that show.
     
    #35 Caboose, Dec 4, 2014
  16. Kutanks

    Kutanks Member

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    Have a dealer check the hybrid battery out for you as part of a pre-purchase inspection. I got rid of my '04 with 140k it was only getting about 41mpg I think due to having a weak traction battery. Only got $6,000 but it needed shocks/ springs thanks to Boston potholes. Mine was fully loaded with JBL, Nav, HIDs
     
    #36 Kutanks, Dec 5, 2014
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