Just picked up a 2007 Prius Touring for my 16 year old daughter - a few questions...

I also recently purchased a 2007 Touring model with 143k miles (back in Feb/March time frame). I had to repair the battery and the windshield, as it had a crack. Personally, I've seen many Prii advertised as touring models that truly are not. Mine had the original window sticker and all paperwork/documentation included. To me, it handles like it's on rails. Not as well as the Hyundai Veloster turbo my wife previously owned, but it's impressive to me for a Prius. Maybe my standards just aren't that high....lol. The touring model was OEM with 16" wheels instead of 15" and different suspension/sway bar than the standard prius. You can check the shocks, as they have different color coding rings on them than the standard Prius. Don't remember what they are, but a quick search should find them. If yours is a touring model, idk that you can make much improvement to the swaybar. If the shocks are worn out, then anything would be an improvement. If the suspension is standard, you can always go to touring specs. I make no claim to be a prius suspension expert. Just my musings of the experience I have from sometimes being overly adventurous with my stock 2007.

 

If you're going to give it to a 16 year old girl, you should do a full maintenance on the car. So you'll know the car's in good shape.

Check and replace the following.

Shocks
Brakes & tires
Inverter pump (fails approximately 100k miles)
Water pump & belt
Transaxle fluid
Coolant

Show her how to check the oil, as these cars will burn oil and you'll need to add.

 

I bought a 2007 for my daughter two years ago and it's been a great car for her. I followed suggestions from Priuschat members and changed the transaxle fluid and replaced the original 12v battery with OEM. Apparently when these batteries start failing it can cause problems. I am surprised the Drive battery was replaced at 160k. I also checked the battery air cooling system which can get clogged with pet fur etc. hers was clean. It has been a very reliable car and she can afford to drive it everywhere. I think the handeling is solid for a small car. Hers is not the touring model

Checking the oil is a must and not something the younger generation is used to. It does burn oil, also oil changes are quite simple on this car, much easier than our newer Toyotas

 

Yes change the both front/rear struts. Over the years, I've only use monroe products twice and both times they weren't an improvement in ride quality and felt like they used generic damping rates and varied the shock body lengths to meet individual models. I'll never buy another set.

I have an 06 with only 50k miles (yes not a typo) that I bought for my kids and it still rides like a new car but the steering has a loose and darty feeling which is a common complaint. The brace mentioned above is the supposed fix.

So far I've replaced the transaxle fluid, oil, air filter, cabin filter, one headlight bulb, cleaned the throttle body/MAF, and... drum roll please....... the traction battery for a new toyota pack. It's had the inverter pump replaced during the original recall.

You can enter the VIN into the owners site to see what Toyota dealers have done to it through the years: Log into Your Toyota Owners Account | Toyota Owners

 

Oem Toyota shocks are really affordable at online Toyota dealer shops, priced similar to Monroe. I get mine at Camelback Toyota online store

 

Monroe vs Toyota is not a fair comparison. Monroe quality is similar to the stuff you get at the 99 cents store vs. Toyota OEM is engineered to a certain specification and quality.

 

The Prius 12v is small and not a lot of options available from other battery manufacturers. Advice on this forum convinced me of the reliability of the OEM battery and it has a great warranty. I ordered an Optima from Amazon then cancelled it. Since this battery doesn't start the engine it hard to tell if it's declining. I would inspect it and see how old it is. I believe there are two sizes with those cars with keyless entry having the bigger battery.

 

I'd ask to see the invoice on that. It seems highly unlikey they replaced a functioning traction battery with a brand new $3000+ part as preventive maintenance in preparation for resale.

Regarding struts: Monroe is junk. I wouldn't put them on my car if they were giving them away -- literally. It's not worth the labor -- DIY or paid. KYB are excellent, and I believe your only quality aftermarket option. Unfortunately, Bilstein doesn't make strut for the Prius (that I'm aware of).

 

FYI: The SKS system can quickly run down the battery if not driven for a while (like parked at the airport while on a trip or a dealers lot) so Toyota installed a button near the bottom of the dash beneath the steering wheel to turn it off in those situations. Since it doesn't crank start the gasoline engine, the 12v battery is smaller than conventional vehicles.

 

batteries don't get replaced at a time or mileage they get replaced when needed.. there is no internal clock when they die, they die

 

That's awesome! Sounds like you got an excellent car!