Bought a hacked prius

I don't think it's that bad, other than the extra mileage, the car essentially is what you bought and still looks and drives the same

 

This situation is a proverb/idiom check list:

• A fool and his money are soon parted.
• Look before you leap.
• A man who represents himself has a fool for a client.
• Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.
• One man's trash, is another man's treasure.
• Good things come to those who wait.

Are you sure? You knew better, yet you failed to heed your own advice/knowledge.

Odometer Fraud
DMV requires Odometer attestation disclosure every time the vehicle is bought and sold; even when the vehicle is 10+ years old, something needs to be listed. You should be able to look-up what the odometer was when the fraudster purchased the prius. You know what the fraudster says the mileage was when you bought the car.

HV Battery
Your description of the HV Battery SOC (State of Charge) swings, fit the pattern of a failing HV Battery. You can do module swaps, buy a "rebuilt/refurbished" pack, new Genuine OEM Pack, or 2k1Toasters cylindrical replacement.
Normal corrosion on a 10-month old HV battery? | Page 2 | PriusChat

Post #30- HV Battery Costs
Post #34- Reality 101 that many fail to account for.​

Member 2k1toaster also made cylindrical replacements for the Prius HV Battery; another worthy option to consider.
Read about it here: Prius Battery Replacement (GenII) Like you've never seen - NEW Cylindrical Cells | PriusChat
2k1Toaster's company: New Prius Battery Kit (GEN2, 2004-2009) - New Prius Batteries LLC

Catalytic Converter
CARB Certified Cats have to demonstrate the same, or better, emission reduction as the OEM Cat, and have a minimum warranty of 5yr/50,000 mile. That is why CARB Cats are pricey compared to the cheap weld-on/bolt-on non-CARB Cats. You are paying for longevity.

 

Another idiom describes throwing good money after bad.....

I'd forget about small claims.
IF you're able to get the creep served, you'll almost certainly get a judgement......maybe.....but that's all you will get, and your damages AT MOST will be the difference in a 130,000 mile car and a 230,000 mile car....which will not be much.
If I'm a Judge, I'd kick over a $1000 judgement just to get you out of my court......but then what will you wind up with after you pay filing and service fees?
If he's selling trash in a Denny's parking lot, what kind of assets can you seize?

I'd cut my losses, sell the car privately (or part it out) and move on.....either upmarket or to a car with fewer long term reliability issues past 100,000 miles.

Good Luck!

 

I would think you could part the car out and make your money back plus some. That is if you want to get out of it.

 

Car parts take forever to sell. And you might possibly just break even on $3000. Best to just drive it and don't think too much about it.

 

Really? My son parts out Civic's & Eclipse's in about 2 weeks or less. I would have thought second hand Prius parts would be just as sought after. But then, I guess I can see your point. Not as many kids buying a Prius to hop up as there is for Civics and Eclipse's.

 

Nothing really breaks on a Prius. That's why it's hard to sell. The car is also a base model (no sks functions).

Engine and Transaxle - $300 each (due to high mileage, and you have to remove them)
Worn HV battery - $300-$500
Catalytic converter - $300

That's about all the high ticket items. You'll have to get a $100 here $100 there to add up to $3000

 

I (briefly) read through the thread, and am surprised nobody has said the instrument cluster may have been replaced. Remember that the Gen2's have the problem with the instrument cluster circuitry that makes them fail. It's a few capacitors to replace, but most people don't repair little stuff, you replace. My guess is that the cluster went bad and they bought a salvage one to replace it. Someone somewhere was dishonest, but the seller might actually not have known. Of course the proper thing to do is replace it and then program the odometer to read the proper mileage, but most don't do that. And once you get to 299,999, it just stops anyways.

 

it was mentioned in one of the posts.....oh maybe not....I think everyone is convinced this was a sketchy purchase

 

I remembered it too. It was mentioned in post 4.

 

Well, there you go then.

Carry on folks...