I'm looking at a used 2005 prius, should I get it?

Since your post includes "I don't have much money" I strongly suggest you find yourself a used Civic, Corolla, or Mazda 3 and go with that. Maybe a Fit. The reason is that hybrids, all hybrids, are prone to "you need a $2-3K piece if you want to keep driving" issues. With a Prius that is usually the HV battery and the ABS unit. If you live in a state where cars rust out it might be worth a trip to the nearest part of the country where cars don't have that problem. (My wife has a 1998 Accord. The paint is failing now from the sunlight, but there isn't a spec of rust on the bottom. We could probably drive that car for another 24 years, if we repaint it. Finding a car of that age without lethal rust rot in, let's say Pennsylvania, is really unlikely.)

 

I don't think you'll get a good running Prius out of this for under $3,000, but prove me wrong.

I second pasadena_commut's recommendation to get a Corolla or Civic instead

 

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This is excellent advice!

 

Offer $500

 

Yes.
So far, it's a unanimous NO.

 

why not, he's mechanically capable and is expecting $2000 in expected repairs. I myself will take the $1,000 gamble. I took the risk of getting a $1000 prius but I did make sure that it its running once jump started. Once it's running the $1000 gamble is much better, don't buy if it's totally dead, you'll get into a lot of surprises later (money gone) In my case I was able to fix it for less than $500, making it a $1500 prius.

 

"no start with red triangle of death" - it's not running

If the OP has time and space AND doesn't immediately need the car to be reliable, then it can make sense to buy an unknown "beater" as a learning experience.

That's how I got my 06. Worked great for me, but I ain't like most.

This 05 has too many unknowns to be a good choice for someone on a budget.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

$3,000 budget...so $1200 for the car and assuming he can't haggle the price down any (are OEM cats still worth 600-700 by the way?), that leaves $1,800 to replace both batteries and deal with any other issues that might crop up or even just buying tires and brakes.

I don't think from reading their post that they're looking for a gamble but I may have misread it.

Yes, you probably will. I've got no doubt

 

I agree- if it were a slam dunk that $3k would buy the car and the parts needed to make it useful for 3-4 years, I'd offer encouragement.

But there's a strong-enough chance that $3k just buys the tip of the iceberg and more will be needed before long.

 

$$$= MONEY PIT

 

It might be easy fixes or it might not. Plenty of parts that cost big money to replace in a Prius and not the easiest to diagnose. They're not unreliable by any means but when they start nearing end of life they can cost a lot to maintain.

If you find with high miles but no CEL and a replaced battery, it might be worth getting to keep fuel costs down but those repairs will catch up. There's a time and a place to buy this type of Prius, but if maximum cost saving is the plan, stick to simple. A well maintained high-mileage matrix/corolla that doesn't have any CELs is probably what you're after.

 

My 2003 Prius has about 78,000 miles. It has been as perfect a car as anyone ever wanted. The hybrid battery was replaced years ago, maybe 2005? Not sure. It was due to a recall. The inverter was replaced years ago too, and I don't remember when. But other than brakes a couple times there have been no problems. I decided long ago that if the high voltage hybrid battery goes I am going to replace it. Buying another car is out of the question and if it costs me $3000 or $4000 to keep mine, then that is what I am doing. A lot of great advice was given above. I am here just to say, take it all to heart but, also give a very serious look to replacing the HV battery if nothing else major seems wrong before giving up and getting different car.

 

I wonder if a used Fit, Yaris, or even a Mazda CX 3 should be added to the suggestions? Personally I don't have any experience with those cars, but they come from manufacturers who build reliable machines, and they cost less than the Civic, Corolla, and Mazda 3.

 

Sure, if you can get it started, I’m guessing since you are getting the RTD, you ought to try to pull codes, which you can if the 12v is working, which it seems it is. I would look into it sure,

 

I'll nominate MC series Hyundai Accent 2006-2010 maybe? anyway it's known as the MC chassis, hatchback and sedan versions.

We had a 2007 model until 2021. What a car!

Ultra basic. Just enough features to get by. Very reliable, and it was cheap and easy to fix it when anything went wrong.

That car allowed me to see Hyundai in a whole new light. Prior to that I didn't have the most positive impression of their cars. After a few years with that car I hold them in a high regard.

That car was tight, frugal, reasonably fun-to-drive, not too small for 6'4" me, not too big for city parking. Plenty of heat in winter and ice cold a/c in summer. We put most of 200k on it and sold it in good working order to somebody who is likely to get another 40k out of it. Great fuel economy- not much worse than a Prius, anyway.

If you find one of those that has not been killed by timing belt neglect, you can probably keep it going forever on pocket change assuming you can do minor mechanical yourself.

 

deals like this usually don't last in FB marketplace (gone in 60 seconds), there are lots of people out there who are willing to take the risk/gamble on a $1k Prius with that mileage. I've bought a lot of cheap cars (within $1-2k range) in FB marketplace and was able to turn them around with minimal expense. Got to act fast because there are some deals on marketplace that are really worth it, have to check it out personally and make the deal. A non-running car is not worth $1k but I bought some just by trusting the seller. Some sellers just want to get rid of the car not knowing how much it's worth..but be wary of some scammers too.

 

You are talking about one of the most complex cars ever made with many potential $2,000-$5,000 failures. Even getting a scanner that works on a Prius is expensive.

No way a jump will get it going. The 12v jump does not turn it over, it just powers up the computers. If it would jump start the seller would throw a $200 12v battery in it and sell it for $3k or more depending on the rest of the car's condition.

 

#1 Check if it still has the original cat.
#2 Check if it still had the original cat.

If yes, then you basically get the car for free. Sell the cat, buy a $120 aftermarket version and tool around with the car. Just make sure you're not in California or any other state that that forbids the use of cheap aftermarket cats. I'd never choose to own a Gen 2 Prius in California - just not worth the hassle.

If time and money are an issue, skip it. Odds are that you're buying a money pit.

 

I cant speak for anyone else, but I was offered a 2005 to get it out of the PO driveway. No 12v, triangle of death, covered inside and out with yuck. I have never worked on hybrids, but I am charitably classified as an advanced DIY auto tech. (British car ownership will make a electrical troubleshooting PHD)
So i towed it out, came home and dived in. Charge the 12v to see what it said on the dash, Bad lights everywhere. opened the HV battery, and saw obvious troubles, as the smoke had escaped from many wires. Read a good bit of this forum, and a little other 'research' before posting my findings. The replies were quick, accurate and extremely helpful.
I bought a used HV battery assembly through facebook marketplace for $500, cleaned and installed it. The ICE oil was new so I did 4 plugs, and checked /filled all fluids. 5 days worth of extensive cleaning and a new key/fob later she was rolling to work at 44 mpg over 575 miles so far. The car shows 245k miles, and will need tires and probably other service before long, but it is solid now. My wife even prefers to go shopping in it over her MDX since the MPG and parking is better.
I am interested in learning about these things, and would rather claim to fix a dead prius over watching the latest Netflix series anyday, but I say if you are interested in working on it and learning things and want to get great service, you can do worse. My thought is that the voodoo mythology and noise about costs scares may folks away from any Prius project, but objectively it is no more difficult than most other Toyotas I have worked on. Try changing the starter in a 4runner v8 for fun. ( hint, its under the intake manifold.
If they are asking $1300 and it has been for sale for a couple weeks, you can always try offering say $250. they can take it, negotiate, or get mad, but that doesn't sell their car. You have nothing to lose, and if you like to mech and learn, it can be quite cool.