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Looking to buy 2010+ (Gen III) Prius! Need opinions!

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by Morisato, Feb 5, 2015.

  1. Morisato

    Morisato Junior Member

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    Hey guys. I lurk on this forum quite a bit, and have posted in the past. Love the community!
    My girlfriend and I were in an accident recently so we are interesting in getting a used Gen III Prius!
    [​IMG]
    It was a 65mpg collision, and we walked away with bruises. People I know talk crap on the car saying "Your fault for getting a prius"... but it saved us. I trust them with my life way more than I have before.

    ANYWAY to the question. I know Prius' in general last a LONG time. This one was at 108K miles and perfectly fine. Just regular oil changes and such. We were wondering what is the HIGHEST recommended mileage you would get on a 3rd gen, if you only planned on having the car for about 5 to 6 years? We wouldn't be racking up the mileage since we drive primarily in the city.

    Thanks in advance!!!

    EDIT: WHOOPS! Just noticed that said MPG and not MPH :p Thanks for pointing that out.
     
    #1 Morisato, Feb 5, 2015
    Last edited: Feb 6, 2015
  2. Munpot42

    Munpot42 Senior Member

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    I my reading of this site, it seems to me that the general agreement (if there is one) is that the car was designed for a useful life of 150k miles. Not to say that there are not owners who have made it to 200, 250, even 300+ thousand miles, so how lucky are you feeling?
     
    #2 Munpot42, Feb 5, 2015
  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    ouch! glad you guys are okay. agree with mun, ^^^ i would look for something in the low hundreds. all the best!(y)
     
    #3 bisco, Feb 5, 2015
  4. Morisato

    Morisato Junior Member

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    Thanks, and yes we're okay. :) Thank goodness.

    And how lucky do we feel because of the accident? Considering we were hit twice, once in the rear from an 18 wheeler, and once in the front from being pushed into an SUV in front... I'd say extremely lucky.

    Did you mean something else by me feeling lucky? haha
     
    #4 Morisato, Feb 5, 2015
  5. tv4fish

    tv4fish Member

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    Oh - I think he was referring more to your luck with buying a higher mileage Prius.
    IMO - the "history" of any used vehicle is very important - are the high miles on a used vehicle due to "highway miles" or just short trips? The maintenance history of the used vehicle should be factored in also. Was proper/required maintenance done when it was supposed to have been done? We are on our second used Prius and we bought both of them with over 100,000 miles on them. Personally, I would not be afraid of buying a 3rd Gen. Prius with 100,000 -150,000 miles -- PROVIDED it has a good maintenance record.
     
    #5 tv4fish, Feb 5, 2015
    Morisato likes this.
  6. Robert Holt

    Robert Holt Senior Member

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    Also extremely glad you are both OK!
    Did rear of car also look that bad?
    IMHO the design life is more like 200,000 miles with +-50,000 miles depending on quality of care, style of driving, etc.
    I wish I had hard data from the recorded mileage of cars that have been junked, but so far I have not found a link to such information on the web, and do not know if any agency is recording such data. Anyone else have a clue where to get that data? Most valuable would be "junked without being totaled in an accident" cases, which could,possibly be discerned from the junkyard notes.
     
    #6 Robert Holt, Feb 5, 2015
  7. Blizzard_Persona

    Blizzard_Persona Senior Member

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    You wrecked while getting 65 mpg? Impressive.:confused:



    All the best. Glad your ok.
     
    #7 Blizzard_Persona, Feb 5, 2015
  8. Munpot42

    Munpot42 Senior Member

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    In your response to the question, at my age I did not mean anything else.
    That accident sounds extremely scary, so glad you got out OK.
     
    #8 Munpot42, Feb 5, 2015
  9. css28

    css28 Senior Member

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    In my opinion the years are more significant than the miles for the battery.

    I'd sooner buy a 2012 with 100,000 miles than a 2010 with 40,000 miles, assuming similar options, etc.
     
    #9 css28, Feb 5, 2015
  10. Morisato

    Morisato Junior Member

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    Thanks for all the replies! The rear was pretty bad, but only on the right side. The 18 wheeler swerved at last second. He shouldn't have even been that close. Then he tried to blame me for damaging his tank. (the small ones on either side of cabin). Hate being without my own vehicle. nice having a rental... but nothing like having your own vehicle. :p

    I feel the safety ratings Prius receives are VERY well deserved after what my girlfriend and I went through.
     
    #10 Morisato, Feb 6, 2015
  11. Morisato

    Morisato Junior Member

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    Yeah, we were in the hospital for a little over 8 hours... but it was worth it to make sure we were okay. Specifically my significant other. She had MAJOR bruising. But she was able to walk fine. I feel like it made me a bit more paranoid... but I'm not going to let that stop me from enjoying driving.
     
    #11 Morisato, Feb 6, 2015
    Robert Holt likes this.
  12. exstudent

    exstudent Senior Member

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    Glad you are ok.

    Consider getting a dash mounted camera system. Assuming police were there, bastard would be caught lying on the police report, if video shows him swerving into you. This is the camera system I plan to get.
    BlackVue - Full HD 1080p Dash Cameras with GPS

    You search on amazon for other two camera, or one camera systems.
     
    #12 exstudent, Feb 6, 2015
  13. sewspclprius

    sewspclprius New Member

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    I have had mine for 4 years and I get about 47 to 52 mpg when driving 35 and under. on the freeway it's more like 45. Excellent car
     
    #13 sewspclprius, Mar 19, 2015
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