2010 Prius

The good, it’s not too bad on miles. Generally speaking, the Prius is reliable. However, there are items to look at. If you are the DIY type, plan on a weekend to do it. Step one, EGR cooler cleaning. High pressure water does wonders to the buildup. Step 2, clean intake manifold, and add oil catch can. Step 3, plugs and maybe coils( since you are in there).

This will take care of most of the primary issues the Prius has. Now, if the coolant level is steady, you will be good to go. If the level is dropping, the head gasket is possibly leaking somewhere. I bought my 2010 with lunar miles(209k), and put an engine in it 90 some days later. But I bought mine with engine noise knowing it wouldn’t last forever, and was ok with having to replace the engine. I have put 16k or so on it since the engine swap July 2018, and it hasn’t missed a beat. Buy it right, and don’t worry; or get it cheap enough that repairs don’t hurt. Both options exist in the market.

 

Welcome to PC. Oh, I wouldn't say PriusChat members are biased toward any particular mode of conveyance. We are all well informed and have discussions about any and all we come across. Buying used always comes with a modicum of excitement and danger. Some things to think about regarding this purchase; the 2010 model was the first year of Generation 3 which usually means this model year will have some or all of the bugs that were ironed out in later model years. One of these seems to be earlier and increased engine oil usage. It might seem counter-intuitive but a low mileage car might be worse off than a medium to high mileage one when considering the useful life of the traction battery. This car likes to be driven a lot. You can assume the vehicle probably has accumulated an average of around 14,000 miles a year which is pretty good if it was somewhat uniformly spread over the lifetime of the vehicle. Other things to consider for the Generation 3 are problems with the inverter, some evidence of early failure of the A/C compressor, and a carbon build-up problem with the EGR circuit that can lead to performance issues and head gasket failure.

 

Oh, and did I say anything about reliability? This is my second Prius and all have been 100% reliable, with a goodly amount of careful and reasonable maintenance. Reliable = dependable.