First time buyer questions - Price/mile and scheduled maintenance

Hello & welcome to PriusChat.

If you've only got a budget of 8k, chances are you may not have the funds available for any upcoming High Voltage battery replacement. A Prius is best purchased young - then put the miles on it. There a multiple (really - lots of them) threads here at PriusChat discussing this very thing. But just so you know, it's not uncommon for a dealership to get Prius in on trade because the owner didn't want to put the money into it for a new battery. What do we do with those cars? Clear the codes and send it to auction. If you buy a used Prius, keep this in mind. (Just remember, private sellers do this too) If I had to have a Prius and it had to be a used vehicle. I'd only buy it from Toyota dealer and it'd have to be a "Toyota certified used" vehicle at that.


You'll find a couple of different opinions should you decide to have a look around. Those who say they are a great car to purchase used, and then those like me, who wouldn't recommend them to anyone unless it was 5 years old or younger.

 

Welcome.

I'd stay away from the '10 since it's nearing the end of the typical traction battery lifespan and also since we see lots of reports here of that model year having oil burning issues. If you go for a 2012, you'll get the changes that came with the mid-cycle update.

At any rate, with that age and those miles, you'll be shopping for a battery sooner rather than later. Thankfully, the price has dropped a lot on new batteries.

Another potential issue with the 3rd generation is clogged up EGR systems. If not cleaned out, they have been known to blow head gaskets with the resulting loss of coolant and warped head. If you're a DIYer, it's a straightforward process with lots of videos to help you. Dealers will charge quite a bit for that, though, because it's time consuming. Some people buy a used EGR system and then just swap it out and clean the old one at their leisure.

You can download owner's manuals and such stuff from Toyota. Toyota Online Owners Manuals and Warranty

 

Welcome to Prius Chat .

Some questions:

• Why a Prius and not something like a corolla or Camry?
• Is $8k your hard limit, or does this include a separate repair fund?
• Are you the DIY type?
• Know a good independent mechanic or would you use the dealer for all your servicing?
• How many miles do you put on a car in a years time?
• How long do you want to keep the car once it is yours?

There are some maintenance items that don’t appear on the repair schedule worth doing on a Gen3 Prius, which runs from model years 2010 through 2015.

Then go in the Gen3 maintenance section of the forum. I’d say root around there a bit to see what others have run across so you are familiar with those experiences before committing.

Keep in mind as any car ages through both miles and years, repairs are inevitable, so setting aside funds in advance can help avoid any future regret.

Good luck and keep us posted .

 

my daughters '08 with 130k is up for sale for $5,500. in great condition if you want to come east

 

Pics?

 

An independent shop specializing in Prius might be a better option. Depends on the dealership, but a lot of them are very mercenary, really just trying sell you on bulked-up service packages.

Disclose more specifically where in Ohio you are and maybe someone will have suggestions for an independent mechanic.

I'd second all the above comments; Exhaust Gas Recirculation circuit is clog-prone, ditto for the intake manifold due to Positive Crankcase Ventilation dumping oil/water/air mix into the intake manifold.

Oil consumption is cropping up more-and-more, and in that regard the 2015 is likely the best, has revised pistons and rings for just that issue. The earlier years have components that maybe were trying to eke out a bit more mpg, lower friction, but were not up to the job?

Have a good look at the underside too: the suspension rusts up fast on salted roads.

 

If you pop the hood and everything's filthy, and there's a lot of leaves jambed in there at the base of the windshield: never a good sign, lol.

 

Talk about judging a book by its cover...

 

It’s at the gas station with a for sale sign, but you can probably find a green one on line, albeit shinier

 

2k miles in a year?

Are you sure yours a car and not just rent one for your out of town trips?

If I were in that mileage a year position I would not buy a car.

Happy new year and good luck .

 

If that 2,000 miles a year figure is even close to correct, I would not get a hybrid. That's only 38 miles a week. I walk farther than that. Seriously! Well, I did before I got my rowing machine.

 

have you considered a pip? a bit more money, but would last forever, and perfect for your driving

 

Which rowing machine did you get?

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

A hybrid only makes sense financially if you drive long distances, it does not improve mileage much for the first 5 miles, after that it is phenomenal. (15 miles in winter)

Your $8,000 will go much farther in a Honda Fit or even (shudder) a Nissan Versa if you drive short distances.
The best shops are independents, as are the worst. More detail in your location can help you get recommendations. At the least folks will tell you which dealerships to avoid. Some are truly wretched.

I hope we were some help!

 

Here is the 2010 Prius maintenance manual, the 2011 and 2012 will be VERY similar.

https://www.toyota.com/t3Portal/document/omms-s/T-MMS-10Prius/pdf/2010_Prius_WMG_0W20_lr.pdf

Page 40 of the PDF starts the different mileages.

 

A plug-in or electric car would suit your needs better.

Pixel XL ?

 

It's gotta be a "typo" folks - OP lives in Ohio and a half dozen trips to the East Coast would be significantly more than 2k miles per year.

 

Sunny Health & Fitness Magnetic Rowing Machine - Sunny Health & Fitness
Best bang for the buck I could find when I was shopping for it. The display is worthless, but I don't use that -- just my watch. And it started making loud clickity-click noises after a few weeks. Chased that down to sticky grease in the rewind spring. Disassembled, cleaned, & re-lubed spring which was really hard to put back in. Also propped up the back end to increase the slope because it was working my legs too little compared to my arms. Love it now!!

Back on topic now. I also wondered if an electric car would be a good solution. Fine if the typical trips are short enough. It wouldn't fit the need for the occasional trip to the coast, but a rental car would fix that.