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i test drove my first prius!

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by DinaPrius, Jun 3, 2008.

  1. DinaPrius

    DinaPrius New Member

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    Other Non-Hybrid
    im relatively new here, my present car is a acura 1.6el, for those who dont know its a basically a civic ex with leather, sunroof and heated seats.

    i get around 38mpg with it so its pretty good, but its got over 290k on it so its about time for a newer car.

    i made a pact that i would not get something that gets worse fuel economy so i choose the prius,
    today i went and viewed an 05 prius with navi and drove it around.

    ride was good, i did about 60% city at around 60kmh and rest on highway at around 110kmh, everything seemed to work properly but when i was in the city rarely did the gas engine ever shut off even those the battery was showing to be full, maybe i was doing something wrong,
    it did however shut off everything i came to a stop or let go off the gas pedal to periods of time.

    now my question is he is asking $19,800 for it, its a private sale so i only pay a 8% tax with no dealer fees or such.
    it has extended warranty till 2011 with 88k on it(55k miles).
    brand new michellin destiny touring tires and nokian winter tires with seperate rims.
    its a black btw.
     
    #1 DinaPrius, Jun 3, 2008
  2. Optimus

    Optimus Member

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    2010 Prius
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    IV
    FYI--It would help if we knew the year and a few more details about the car (what package does it have, any damage, other recent maintenance). I woula also make double sure the extended warranty will transfer to you.
     
    #2 Optimus, Jun 3, 2008
  3. DinaPrius

    DinaPrius New Member

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    2005
    dont know the package but it has navi
    smart key
    the jbl radio

    all the maintenance done with toyota.
    warranty is transferable.
     
    #3 DinaPrius, Jun 3, 2008
  4. Brodie

    Brodie New Member

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    I thought this was the understatement of the month until I realized you were talking kilometers....still not shabby, though!
     
    #4 Brodie, Jun 3, 2008
  5. hschuck

    hschuck Member

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    That is package 6. The highest package available in 2005.
     
    #5 hschuck, Jun 3, 2008
  6. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    I can't say much about the price, you'll have to compare this against the price for other Prius of similar age and odometer readings available in your local area.

    Regarding the gasoline engine shutting off while you are driving around in the city, this will happen only when you are very gentle with the accelerator pedal. When the battery SOC indicator shows eight green bars, the engine may spin to burn off some of the excess battery charge.

    Since you have the protection of the extended warranty, that is helpful. (I suggest you verify that this is a Toyota warranty, not a third party warranty - the latter would be useless.) If you have carefully inspected the car for accident damage (you should be able to see VIN stickers on all doors, the hatch, the hood, fenders, etc.) and see no warning lights on the dashboard, then you should be good to go subject to confirmation that the asking price is reasonable.
     
    #6 Patrick Wong, Jun 3, 2008
  7. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    Hello and :welcome:!

    Yours is "Package C" or "Premium Package w/ Navigation". Basically it's like my 2005 but with navigation and bluetooth. It's the top package in Canada for 2005. MSRP when new was about $37k. A 2004 with 80,000kms will fetch about $16k-$20k if I remember correctly so $20k for a 2005 isn't too bad esp. since it's the top-of-the-line model.

    A few things to check out:

    - has the ECU update been done? (there should be a sticker with the date and a signature stating it's been done)

    - has the steering wheel recall been done? (check service history for that)

    otherwise it's been trouble-free.


    About the engine shutting off. It's probably because you were using the heater but it'll depend when you test drove it cause we've had some pretty hot days where the A/C is needed.
     
    #7 Tideland Prius, Jun 3, 2008
  8. DinaPrius

    DinaPrius New Member

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    ye i think the ac was running.

    also the warranty is toyota ecp warranty.
    i will ask about the recalls and ecu stuff.

    car is one owner, 0 accidents according to carproof and all vins match.
    no check engine lights but there is a slight squeel high pitched noice when u brake at like 10kmh.
     
    #8 DinaPrius, Jun 4, 2008
  9. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    ahh ok. Well that's just the basic warranty that's been extended IIRC. The Hybrid warranty is 8yrs/160,000km anyway.


    Get the brakes checked out. Because we rarely used ours (mine's still 90%+ brake pad life left after 80,000km+), there maybe have been areas of rust or just something that's caught in the pads/rotors (small pebble?)
     
    #9 Tideland Prius, Jun 4, 2008
  10. DinaPrius

    DinaPrius New Member

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    wow great, thx.

    i'm still considering just buying a new prius outright and using my current money saved up as a very large downpayment.
     
    #10 DinaPrius, Jun 5, 2008
  11. Tideland Prius

    Tideland Prius Moderator of the North
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    And with the rebates, that'll save you $4k of your savings!

    Good luck with the purchase!
     
    #11 Tideland Prius, Jun 5, 2008
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