Guys what should I do?! Prius or Honda Fit??

Nate Byrne - Greetings. Here is my 2¢ Worth.

Do transaxle failures happen fairly frequently at this mileage? No.
Should I really be concerned? No more than about the running gear in the '09 Honda Fit.
Will a Toyota mechanic be able to spot a failing transaxle before I make a purchase? If the mechanic is competent.

Assuming everything being more or less equal with these three car purchase candidates. I would purchase the '07 @ $9K & 89K-Miles. The '07 Prius improved/fixed a couple of flaws in the '06 Prius, and the Honda Fit is much smaller than is the iconic 2G Prius Hatchback Sedan. Bottom-line, even with studied caution in buying a used car, it is a crap shot. Good Luck.

 

Transaxle failure is extremely rare in the G2. I have an 07 and nothing has gone wrong with it in 7 years except a front wheel bearing.
Prius is extremely reliable. if your stuck on transaxle failures (not even sure why) just be hyper vigilant about fluid maintenance. Alot of us are and we change out the trans fluid every 30,000 miles at a cost of 4 quarts of fluid=$40.

Btw, Prius is commonly used as a Taxi. Please go to this blog and read about it from the Prius Taxi servicer:

lusciousgarage.com

 

Pcv valve is not an issue. carfax only reports services done at the dealer, it could have been done elsewhere and not on carfax.

Remember carfax is not complete, tons of things are done away from the dealer that's not recorded. Best to ask for physical records, don't just rely on carfax

SM-N900P ?

 

Check if a tow hitch was installed in those Priuses. If not, check if ATF was ever changed. It is not necessary but it is good if you see previous owner changed it on record.

 

i wouldn't worry anymore about the prius tranny than the honda. on the plus side, a good mechanic can replace the tranny with a junk yard dog for cheap money.

 

Are these cars for sale by dealer or individual?
Any idea how many previous owners?

 

PCV costs less that $10 and is a simple install in a tight space.
If money is so short OP, Wth are you running to the dealer for repairs/maintenance you can do yourself ?

 

I would go for the one owner if it looks and drives like it has been well maintained.

 

Brand new feeling is a good feeling. Have you driven new to compare?

SM-N900P ?

 

You can't go wrong with a Prius!!
You will be very HAPPY with a Prius!!

 

MA (Mass) is a CARB state so you get extended CARB warranty to 150000 miles and 10-yrs.
But you need to make sure it qualifies Toyota will disqualify depending on registration history in other states, and depending on when MA joined CARB. I think MA has been part of CARB long time so as long as it was always registered MA. Toyota does reserves the right to disqualify the extended warranty based on out-of-CARB ownership or purchase, so best way to verify would be check VIN with dealer.

 

I think you shouldn't worry so much about the transaxle, it's a very reliable cvt transaxle. I don't believe there are many reported failures.....especially before 150k miles.