Looking at a 2008 - does this MPG look ok?

Yea that sounds about right.. it's a combination of miles and age that does that. My two 2007's get 37 and 39 now.. when i first got them they would get 43 or so a few years back.

 

There's several different measures of mpg. 37 would be normal if the tire pressure is really low... People who never work on their Prius usually roll around in the mid to low 40's as far as MPG. People who work on maxxing MPG with the best tires, driving technique, higher tire pressure get around 50 mpg. If I owned a Prius with MPG in the 30's I'd consider it broken.

 

welcome!

depends on speed. to me, 37 seems low. especially since that means 34 or so at the pump.

you can reset the trip odo and take her for a good long drive under varied conditions, obeying the speed limit. if she doesn't return close to 50, i would pass.

 

What's mileage and price? From a private owner, or a business? You can message that privately if you want... As for getting MPG back to normal, your mechanic will likely identify that... Non Low Rolling Resistance tires can lower MPG, as well as under-inflated, as well as 12volt battery at the end of it's like, dirty air intake filter and the most expensive engine wear or a hybrid battery that needs a Prolong battery reconditioning system or worse replacement of modules or for more long-term worry-free, the whole hybrid battery pack replaced: $2-$3k The first signs of hybrid battery's demise is rapid fluctuation on dashboard screen of the battery's state of charge... If it goes from all green bars, to blue, to two bars of purple all in just a short drive, the battery pack needs some work...

 

That guy is full of dookey. the car should get great mileage on the highway and crappy mileage around town so he's bullshitting you from the get go. Which is easy to do because you have no idea how this car works.

Bench mark it before you buy it. Find 2 miles long straight away no hills no traffic. Get the car up to 60 miles an hour and set cruise control. Zero out reset button on the mfd. That resets mpg's to zero. On CC not touching the gas with ac on at 60 miles an hour my 2007 gets 52 mgs.
If its much worse than that its got a tired hybrid battery like thousands of other posters here.

Before you bid on this car use the search forum button up top and search

hybrid battery

and see what everyone is going through now with a G2 Prius.

So many people buy a used high mileage G2 hearing about its great mileage. Then real soon after buying it because thats the reason it was sold the hybrid battery fails and that expensive. Like $3000 for a new toyota battery installed or a drive you nuts rebuilt battery form Craigslist idiots that is a constant headache either way or your perceived gas savings go up in smoke so be aware of the short comings of this car.

 

Your mechanic will likely identity that?

Who's mechanic the Op's? He's got a hybrid mechanic in the wings? And a hybrid battery's demise starts way before the things you list most notably terrible 30 mpg mileage?

 

While I mostly agree with what you're saying, I submit that once a Prius gets below 40MPG with no warning lights, most ASE-certified mechanics doing a pre-purchase inspection are going to find some fairly obvious red flags.

 

I have an 07. Mostly highway miles. Average mileage is constantly 45.5 mpg. Daughter's 09 gets 46.5 mpg. Yours seems low unless he drives it like a sports car.

 

The only way 37-38 mpg is normal for highway driving is if he's averaging 90+mph. I typically average 85+ on many trips between Columbia, SC and Atlanta, Ga with some significant excursions to the max allowed. Even those trips are 38-40mpg.

 

Yes but a ASE mechanic will miss the ticking time bomb in the back of the car the hybrid battery. Look at the op's post. He does not ask the
most important question the one that's going to knock him out the $3000 hybrid battery which given the cars age is almost 100% guaranteed to be on its last legs.

Everything else is pretty tough on a G2.

 

Wow, I think the hyperbole you apply to hybrid battery packs is over-the-top and not honest... Toyota sold 20 thousand Prius a month for years and a decade later the majority of those vehicle are still on the road and still holding their resale value. Clearly you've had some personal hybrid battery trauma you're working on?

 

great!

there are a lot of things you can do to improve mpg's. some easy, some hard, some cheap, some expensive.

no way to know until you own it and start going through all the systems.

you can plug the vin into the toyota owners site, and get all the dealer service history, plus recalls.

 

I just want to clarify a thing or two, @Steelerfan2018.
Short trips kill your mileage and so do high speeds. It takes a good five minutes to warm up the engine and then you start getting good efficiency. Similar to regular cars, but the Prius warms up quicker and is more efficient once warm. Still, short drives won't get you as much benefit as 10 minute or longer ones.

37 mpg is not good at all, but doesn't necessarily mean there's something wrong with the car. High speeds, short drives, and late heavy braking are major gas burners. Hard acceleration, too.

What the dealer said about batteries rarely failing is true in a way. A 2008 is approaching the age where battery failure is just starting to become something to be ready for. But lots of batteries last way longer.

If you're on the Interstate a lot and up and down those western PA hills, you won't get the best mileage possible, but you'll do better than almost anything else on the road since the hills and speed affect all cars that way.

 

The prius gets it best mileage on the highway. my wife drove from here to Carolina and averaged 52 mpgs. But Ii have a external hybrid battery charger which i recommend. Lots of Prius guys have one.I f you have a G2 that has not thrown any codes yet it can really help wake the battery back up..

hybridautomotive.com

 

Have you done any top end balancing recently?

 

It is low. Maybe the display is off. What is hand calculation?

I am a fast driver. Fast acceleration. Last thing on my mind is MPG. I stopped calculating a long time ago but my dash and hand calculations were always 41/42.

For what it's worth. I sold my prius to an uber driver one time. About 2 weeks later I called for an Uber and he happened to be my driver in the car I just sold him a couple weeks prior. He told me he gets about 55mpg and his dash showed 55mpg all across the screen. So I believe a lot has to do with who is behind the wheel.

PS - Your Toyota dealership is wrong on mpg. In the dead of winter you will notice horrific gas mileage and the worst of the year. If you had posted this thread in February I would say 38 is normal...They are absolutely right that it is extremely rare for the main battery to go bad.