Considering a GEN2 for kid's car.

Just remember to impress on the kids the need to check the oil reasonably often on an older Prius. A lot of modern cars will happily go from oil change to oil change without requiring anything, but the Prius often needs a top off (or two or three).

There have been quite a few stories here (on the forums) of members who've bought a new car and gifted their old Prius to a son or daughter. So many times the story ends with the last oil change that they gave it (before gifting) being the last oil change it ever got and a blown or damaged engine within about a year.

 

You also have to impress on kids and sometimes wives that when that oil light comes on that you shut the car off right there, you don't drive it to a gas station or home. Same goes with overheating situations.

 

If you haven't been here yet. I have used these videos to help me with maintenance on my 100K plus cars.

Nutz About Bolts Prius Maintenance Videos | PriusChat

 

I'm not sure how many of you have driven a car destroyed by hail. I had a Subaru that got beaten up in a Texas hail storm. It was still drivable but looked terrible. In hindsight, I paid the price for not having enough insurance coverage, and spending $300+ on dentless removals did next to nothing. There wasn't much I could do to make it presentable.

I still took care of what was under the hood. But after the hail story, I had very little pride in ownership and the paint job suffered from it. I was thrilled the day that I was rear ended and the insurance company handed me a check for an amount that was double what the car was worth on the open market.

 

On one level you are seeking and looking for a cheaper, older, high mileage vehicle. Nearly nothing you find is going to be absolutely risk free or perfect.
You're doing you due diligence it seems with carfax and seeking maintenance history.
If a lower mileage Gen 2 is your goal, in the end, you're just going to have to find one in which you feel good about the price, mileage, and what you can find out about the history,- then go check it out. Nothing beats a hands on look, and a test drive.

If this is a vehicle for a son, well my priority would be with potential safety issues. Tire condition, Brakes. Headlights. Airbags...

Owning a Gen 3 Prius as you do, you are already familiar with many aspects of Hybrid ownership, even if what you are looking at now is Gen 2. You already seem well versed at the differences between the 2 generations.

IMO the Gen 2 Prius is the iconic Prius that really created the foundation for the Prius's success. People have owned them and continue to own them, and the reputation of the generation and the vehicle is excellent. But the reality is also with every passing year...Gen 2 Prius become that much older.

However if what you want is " a cheap GEN2. Seems like it might also be a fun project car. " .

Then that is a very obtainable goal.

 

I have 287,000 miles on my 20005

I can only speak for myself... I have a 2005 with over 287,000 miles on it. I have yet to replace the rear brakes. Why? The only reason I can think of is that the Prius uses regenerative breaking for most of the stopping power and the brakes seem to last forever.

 

Anecdotal but I think I've seen more issues reported here with rear disc brakes due to dirty/corroded pins or stuck e-brakes. FWIW

 

Like most cars, the rear drum shoes on the (US) Prius only need replacement approx. every 2 times the front pads need replacement. However on a carefully driven 2nd gen, the front pads can go 150k miles (normal driver is ~100k). For this reason corrosion is a bigger issue, as the first drum shoe job could be at 300k.

If buying a 2nd gen, I'd look for the later year models - 08-09, just for the younger batteries. Failures on these cars start to happen it seems around 12 years (at the same time, batteries lasting more than 15 years isn't rare). So right now we're seeing 04-06s with batteries failing on the forums. An 07 battery could fail in a couple of years, it's hard to say the exact risk, but it's something to plan for.

 

For a lot of people that is low miles. I doubt you'll have a single problem for years but I'm just speaking from personal experience and maybe I just have good luck with Priuses.

 

I don't like the after market rims. It doesn't have navigation (which I have but my phone is way better), and it's clean but not that clean. I can see a scuff on front right bumper. And I'm sure somewhere a panel or two are wavy from being repainted. Looks like brake light is on.

I think price is too high.

Have you checked dealers? Don't be afraid to buy one from a dealer. This one looks way cleaner with only 95k miles for similar price:
2005 Toyota Prius ONE OWNER!!!! - cars & trucks - by dealer - vehicle automotive sale

This one also under 6k under 100k miles: 2006 Toyota Prius - cars & trucks - by dealer - vehicle automotive sale

And same seller as 2nd link has this 2009 with 130k miles under 6k: 2009 Toyota Prius - cars & trucks - by dealer - vehicle automotive sale

 

Dealer can actually be better in many cases...Sure, it's coming from dealer auction, but when they are clean, 9 times out of 10 the selling dealer at the auction was a Toyota dealership who received vehicle from the 1st or 2nd owner who traded it in. And that's exactly the type of previous owner you want vs. the private owner on CL that treated his car like crap.

 

I've always traded in my used car problems instead of selling them to an individual. Decades ago, my brother literally pushed his POS into the dealers lot to trade it in. LOL

Edit: I was reminded by another thread, make sure the car has two working FOB's or budget accordingly.

 

Ya, they will take anything, but if it is a lemon falling apart you probably won't get much as trade in. I'm talking about the sparkling new excellent condition Priuses inside/out that go in on trade to an A Class Dealer (Toyota, Ford, GM, etc.), end up being sold at dealer auction to a B Class Dealer (small lot). Like the one's I posted in MN that look really clean.

Typically if it looks to be in excellent condition it is not going to have major problems. Just my experience.