Hello. I am looking at buying a used 2002 prius hybrid synergy. The miles are close to 200,000 but not quite there. The price is less than 1K but the hybrid battery is shot. The owner says the car will run on gas and die after a few miles because of the battery. I have about 2k to drop on a car that I need for local use only. I found a used battery for $700. My question is this: is there any way to drive this car on gas only for at least a little while nefore I get that battery installed. I need to to take me to and from work 2 miles and to and from class 2 miles. And to local appointments. I dont know squat about hybrids and cant seem ti fond the specific info I am looking for on this car. Which is really, is there any way to reliavly start and drive this car just on gas for the nonce. Thanks. =)
You cannot drive just on the car's engine. If you are driving 2 miles, just buy a regular car, don't buy a hybrid. It'll be the same (the first few miles on a Prius is operated the same as a regular car, until the car warms up to operating temperatures) as a Prius and won't surprise you with HSD problems. You'll thank yourself later for not buying this car.
Very short drives are VERY tough on a hybrid battery and you'll get very poor mileage. Buying a used 18 year old battery is like buying used bald tires: pointless. An old, high miles hybrid with issues is not a money saver; especially for someone who doesn't work on cars or know anything about them.
My understanding is you can drive a Honda hybrid with a bad battery. Walk away and get a used Corrola, you will be better off in the long run.
The Civic hybrids of the 06-09 era have been reflashed so many times the “hybrid” battery is basically just an oversized starting battery. I did drive one before I bought my Gen 3 and it seemed like all the hybrid part of the system did is restart the ICE on takeoff.
Really? What if that’s all the money they have for a car? You gonna drive there and fix it, no charge?
Bisco is being sarcastic, don’t pay attention to him I’ve learn that now judging from his old posts. I bought a 2001 Prius with 98k miles. The car has been sitting on the previous owners house untouched for the past 5 years. It supposedly had a bad battery. I went home did an oil changed, new filter, 12v battery and sparks, tried to start the car and nothing. Friends came over, we inspected the HV battery and the terminal heads weren’t making proper contact with the car. I think the previous owner might have messed with that or something. We cleaned it and tighten better, and it worked. My cousin has driven over 500 miles and it’s hasnt given her any problems. Do I expect anything to go bad anytime soon? Yes But I paid $750 for it Toyota’s are Toyota’s and I expect them to last longer than most cars. I own nothing but 80s and 90s Toyota’s with over 400k miles each, little to basic maintenance Lots of Prius owners here act like Priuses are cheap breaks everyday PT cruises I bought a new 2019 Prius and honestly I was regretting it after reading all the stories of owners spending thousands of dollars fixing their Priuses but then I realize it’s a Toyota.
Tosha, Under no circumstances should you buy this car. It is a car best left to someone willing to tinker and lots of time on their hands. As others have said, buy a non hybrid for this short of a commute. Buy a non hybrid.
