About to buy a car that's making a ticking noise...

I'd pass on that one at that price. $4500 is about where it should be if it were in good shape and without the ticking. The ticking could be a a harbinger of expensive problems on the 31st day.

 

My first assumption with any ticking noise is that it's a time bomb.

Run!

 

Pass, actually, turn and run from this one. imo.

Here's a similiar deal for only $300, negotiable.




My advice is, check craigslist and pay $6,000 - 8,000 for newer Gen 2 model from the original owner.
Good luck

 

Both my 2005 and 2012 Prius makes ticking and hissing noises while I drive and after I shut them off. Both have been doing this since new. Are these the same clicking noises you're talking about? I don't know but the noises I hear are standard Prius noises that happen even after the car is shut off.

 

we get a lot of complaints here about ticking noises. i don't recall any resolution, or further problem development.

 

Nothing sounds good about this deal.
Out of warranty, 12 model years old, accident with recognizable accident repair. (Good repair shouldn't be so easily noticeable).
Does it have a salvaged title? Because that's the only thing I think you could add that would possibly make it worse.

Every instinct in my being say's NO...

Which is why I'm going to recommend you do it!
YES! Buy it!
Tick, tick tick BOOM! Do it!

You said you were about to buy a 2004 Prius....
Which makes me think I can't talk you out of it. You've already got the checkbook open and the pen poised.
Oddly enough the ticking noise might be the least of my concerns.
The history of accident, and the obvious somewhat shoddy repair would be bigger red flags to me.

But eh...who cares! Red Flag be damned! I say fork over $4500 and get the thrill of "not being sure and not knowing". The thrill of riding the edge between tick and boom is alluring. People pay for that type of adrenaline rush.

 

If 4500$ is your nut, look for a corolla, might find a fairly new one, close to the same mpg's, not a time bomb, not in an accident, doors close, good for 500,000 miles.

 

Solid advice from everyone else already. Don't buy this car. There are better cars to be had for a comparable price.

 

That sound is perfectly normal under braking. If you are not braking, the actuator should not cycle often (or at all?), as pressure in the lines should be stable. My 2007 had its actuator fail. It would cycle once every few seconds by the time it actually threw a code. My 2005 cycles once every 30 seconds or so, and IIRC it would only cycle every couple of minutes when I first got it 20k miles ago. I expect that one will fail soon as well.

If that's the only problem with the car, it wouldn't scare me off. I bought my 2007 knowing its actuator was on its last leg because the price for the car was right. All in all, if you get the actuator for 200, you can have the repair done for around 500 total. It's not a HUGE expense, IMO.