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HELP needed in mileage on a used 2008 prius

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Fuel Economy' started by aragon, May 21, 2012.

  1. aragon

    aragon New Member

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    (Also posted in Prius II main forum)
    Love the discussion here and learn a lot.

    I am in the market for a used prius and came across a 2009 prius on craigslist, which I test drove. I havent owned a prius before, but I loved the car overall. It is loaded with leather, nav, bluetooth etc. (I think it is with package #6). KBB costs it at about 19k.

    I have three questions:
    * The average mileage that this seller has gotten in 36 mpg, which was a huge surprise to me! Granted this is in SFO with hills, etc. but this seems to be a huge red flag to me. Any thoughts on whether this is a systemic issue with the vehicle vs just bad driving?
    * The car has about 45k miles, which is on the lower side. However other cars with much higher miles (70k to 110k) go for around 12 to 14k, and am curious why the price difference is so high with higher miles
    * There was a clapping sound when I braked hard, and slight rattling, should I be worried (is this indicative of a bigger problem)?

    Thanks in advance for all the insights and tips.
     
    #1 aragon, May 21, 2012
  2. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    Re: the mileage, don't know, but Most fuel-efficient cars is what the 2nd gen Prius got in CR testing. If the owner is doing very short city only drives in stop and go, then that, coupled w/the hills could make the poor mileage believable, coupled w/underinflated tires and/or bad alignment.

    If you can, get the car warmed up and then take it on the freeway and reset the MFD (multifunction display aka touchscreen LCD), drive at least 5 minutes at a steady speed (say 60 mph using cruise control), then turn around and do the reverse trip. Let us know the mileage you see.

    I can't speak to a "clapping sound" but perhaps you're hearing ABS engagement or something?

    Forget KBB. Their prices are one the high side.
     
    #2 cwerdna, May 21, 2012
    1 person likes this.
  3. aragon

    aragon New Member

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    Thanks for the reply - Any range you can provide on a good price for a well equipped 2008 prius?
     
    #3 aragon, May 21, 2012
  4. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    #4 cwerdna, May 21, 2012
    1 person likes this.
  5. aragon

    aragon New Member

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    Thanks again, appreciate the tips.
     
    #5 aragon, May 21, 2012
  6. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    A couple more thoughts...

    Not sure if the tires are original. If the originals wore out, they might've replaced them w/non-low rolling resistance tires. Non-tourings shipped with 185/65R15 Goodyear Integrities. Tourings shipped with 195/55R16 Bridgestone Turanza EL400-02. What tires and size are on this car?

    Also, if the tires are new, there can be an apparent mileage drop (Tire Tech Information - Tire Rolling Resistance Part 3: Changes to Expect When Switching from Worn-Out to New Tires).

    And yes, there could've been plenty of bad driving by the original owner too, besides the other things I mentioned.
     
    #6 cwerdna, May 21, 2012
  7. xpcman

    xpcman Senior Member

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    You might also need a new 12 volt battery. A battery that can't take a charge can cause strange things to happen - like poor MPG. But, I agree that non LRR tires and short trips Plus SF hills will push the MPG into the mid 30's.

    You also want 2 key fobs - since a new one can cost $200 or more. Loss of the only key fob can cost over $500 to tow and program the car to accept new keys.
     
    #7 xpcman, May 21, 2012
  8. Rokeby

    Rokeby Member

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    +1 on what has been said thus far.

    Plus,
    * check tire pressure.
    Use 42Front/40 rear for improved MPGs

    * For possible weak 12V battery,
    See MPGs dropping?-Test-12V battery.
     
    #8 Rokeby, May 21, 2012
    dbcassidy likes this.
  9. JimN

    JimN Let the games begin!

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    #9 JimN, May 21, 2012
  10. 6lark5

    6lark5 Junior Member

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    Bring it to Luscious Garage in SF. And pay for an inspection.
     
    #10 6lark5, May 21, 2012
  11. aragon

    aragon New Member

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    Thanks all - I am test driving on Wed, so will look for these.
     
    #11 aragon, May 22, 2012
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