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Considering Buying Used 2016 Prius- Red Flags?

Discussion in 'Gen 4 Prius Main Forum' started by EmbraceTheMPG, Jan 28, 2017.

  1. EmbraceTheMPG

    EmbraceTheMPG New Member

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    Hi everyone, newbie here, both to the forum and to the Prius world.

    I'm considering buying a used 2016 Prius that has come available, and I'm curious if I should be worried about anything I've found.

    First of all, it was bought 4 months ago, and then subsequently traded in. It has about 12,000 miles on it. I know Prii can last forever, both in years and mileage, but should I be worried at all about that 36,000 mile per year rate?

    I was curious why someone would trade in a car so quickly, so I went onto the Toyota Owners page to see if there are any service records that could clue me in. Here's what I found:

    1/9/17 - INFORMATION LINE ~|~*CUSTOMER STATES, JUST HAD AN RECALL DONE ON THE CAR AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON A FEW DAYS LATER. CUSTOMER HAD LIGHT TURNED OFF AT ANOTHER DEALER. WAS TOLD THAT IT WAS THE ACTIVE GRILL SYSTEM WAS FROZEN. PLEASE ADVISE. ~|~ ~|~FOUND CODE P05A074 PENDING FOR SHUTTER A ACTUATOR SLIPPING, PARTS ARE ON ORDER

    1/12/17 - INFORMATION LINE ~|~*CUSTOMER STATES, INSTALL SPECIAL ORDER PART ~|~BROKEN,SPLIT, TORN ~|~OP CODE 520991 T1-62 T2-12 1.5 FAILED PART NO. 53019-47010 CAME IN FOR CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CONFIRMED THAT SHUTTER ASSEMBLY WAS INOP REPLACED INOP SHUTTER ASSEMBLY AND INITIALIZED SYSTEM

    Any red flags there, or is this relatively standard? Any idea if such problems are common or uncommon in the 2016s?

    Thanks in advance, everyone.
     
  2. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    What area was the car in use? I'm guessing "FROZEN" is literal? Maybe he took the car through a car wash, and it froze up subsequently? Sounds like it was resolved.

    Where are you seeing 36,000 miles? (n)
     
  3. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace Senior Member

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    The only other case we have seen of a shutter issue was related to the dealer running the optional Engine Block Heater cord obstructing it

    If that car has an EBH, I would get a new cord and route it differently. The other user rerouted the cord & cleared the error. Apparently, the cord might have been damaged internally. The car caught fire one night and the cause appears to be pointing toward the EBH cord. :(
     
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    welcome!
    one reason people are trading in 2016's is because the 2017 comes with all the safety features standard.

    shutter problems don't matter, as long as it is fixed and operating properly. 12,000 miles in 4 months suggests a very long commute, or possibly a commercial vehicle. you may want to try and investigate that.
    who is selling the vehicle, a toyota dealer? if so, is it cpo?

    finally, what is the savings vs a 2017 with the same package? they are being discounted heavily right now.
    all the best!(y)
     
    #4 bisco, Jan 28, 2017
    Last edited: Jan 28, 2017
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  5. EmbraceTheMPG

    EmbraceTheMPG New Member

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    Frozen could very easily be literal, temperatures have been below freezing most of January.

    Sorry for the confusion about the mileage. The car has 12,000 miles on it in 4 months, so I extrapolated it to 36,000 miles per year rate of driving.
     
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  6. EmbraceTheMPG

    EmbraceTheMPG New Member

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    Thanks! It's for sale at a non-Toyota dealer, so no CPO, but all of the original warranties should have plenty of time left anyway.

    As far as savings goes, we'll see what I can get the dealer down to. Hoping to get it to $17-18k, which would probably be a nice savings over new.
     
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  7. William Redoubt

    William Redoubt Senior Member

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    I don't see any red flags. Do you have oil change records? Oil changes are very important. Look for crash damage and care items like interior, door dings, etc. I drive 40,000 miles a year and keep my car in good repair.
     
    #7 William Redoubt, Jan 28, 2017
    Last edited: Jan 28, 2017
  8. EmbraceTheMPG

    EmbraceTheMPG New Member

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    Thanks for the reply! I'll check on the EBH.
     
  9. EmbraceTheMPG

    EmbraceTheMPG New Member

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    Thanks! Looks like oil changes at 5K and 10K miles.
     
  10. liskipper

    liskipper Member

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    I would be suspicious of a car that new not being sold by a Toyota dealer. Auctioned? Get a CarFax.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
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  11. EmbraceTheMPG

    EmbraceTheMPG New Member

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    The car fax doesn't have any details about how the dealer obtained it, but the advertisement says "Local Trade." I'm guessing the person wanted a different car of a different make, and traded it in.
     
  12. William Redoubt

    William Redoubt Senior Member

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    There are 260 days in a work year. Subtract 30 for "holidays" and 2 weeks of vacation. That equals an 80 mile one-way commute. Very common in SoCal.
     
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  13. kithmo

    kithmo Couch Potato

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    12,000 miles in 4 months suggests to me it may be an ex-rental car. Not really a problem as it has been serviced where necessary and although rentals are sometimes driven hard, the Prius has plenty of protection in the software to protect it from abuse. Of course it needs to be a good price with the mileage it's done, I'd expect it to be about the same price as a 12 month old Prius (10-12K miles).
     
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  14. IAPrius

    IAPrius Active Member

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    12,000 in 4 months isn't that crazy. I have 13,000 in 6 months and I travel for work. Many traveling salesmen say 1,000 miles a week is their usual.

    I haven't ever seen a Prius used as a rental car so I wouldn't worry about that. If the Carfax is clean and they have oil change records you're in business I think.

    You'll probably get a steal of a deal.
     
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  15. liskipper

    liskipper Member

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    Actually CarFax tells if it was auctioned and how it was used (fleet,taxi,rental,etc )

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
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  16. liskipper

    liskipper Member

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    In NYC they are used as rentals (Enterprise) and as Zip Cars.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
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  17. tucatz

    tucatz Active Member

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    I've been wondering about the active grill shutter... how can you tell if it's working, or not working. Your post is the first that I have seen about an error code and related service. My bet is that the car is fine. It's under warranty. Personally, I would be wary of the dealer, any dealer, not the car.
     
    #17 tucatz, Jan 28, 2017
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  18. Chippingawayatlife

    Chippingawayatlife Active Member

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    I've got a friend who drives a Prius in San Francisco full time with Uber and probably puts in that many miles. Prii are everywhere with Uber and Lyft here.

    Is there any chance of overheating if the grill shutter what frozen close? Or does the computer manage that somehow too? You can always check the oil cap I guess. But on second thought, the dealer might have just cleaned it out.
     
  19. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Second one for me: there was someone else, their block heater cord was installed so that it jammed the active shutter (@Prodigyplace made mention of that case): it also triggered a warning. Seems a valid issue.
     
  20. Prodigyplace

    Prodigyplace Senior Member

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