My Search For A Used Prius...

Alright so I have been prowling Craigslist and OfferUp for a used Prius. I found one for sale from a dealership/guy in North Miami for $5,500. So today after work I went to the location to look at it. It was a big empty lot with a tiny two cubicle office and 6 vehicles in the corner. The one I was interested in was a 2010 with 108K miles on it for a reasonably cheap price. However, he told me that there was something wrong with the brakes/ABS booster/computer codes need flushing? He said he has a mechanic and that it would be fixed by the end of the week. I wish I knew exactly but he was Russian or something and didn't speak great English and was difficult to understand him. To make matters worse it was night time with no lights nearby so it was hard to get a comprehensive look.

Knowing this I asked him to turn on the car and something seemed off about it because there were multiple beeps but I don't own a Prius so I don't know what the startup sequence looks or sounds like. I say this because he had to start it up again. So I took it for a test drive and as soon as I got in the drivers seat and pressed the brake while in Park there was a grinding metal noise and I could slightly feel it in the brake (the issue he informed me about he said). But when I put it into drive the grinding disappeared and it drove really good. I also put the AC blasting on ice cold to see how fast the battery lost its charge and it seemed ok I guess. The car drove really smooth and I liked it. Way better than my Corolla. However, one odd thing I noticed was that when I turned the radio volume up using the dial the volume indication numbers were kind of sporadic rather than smooth seamless up/down count and was difficult to get the volume where you wanted. Possibly radio was going bad - small potatoes maybe? My g/f said the same symptoms appeared on her dads radio a while back so seems common.

When we got back I asked him to attach my bluetooth car scanner with the Torque free app so I could look for error codes. He said no problemo and even helped me to put it on. I asked him for the VIN and he pointed me to the door frame which I snapped a pic of as well as the VIN on the dashboard. I asked him if I could have an outside mechanic look at it before purchase and he said sure no problem. I asked for the vehicle history report and he said he would print me an AutoCheck one, if I would buy the car which I obviously turned down. It seems he didn't want to pay $10 for the report but he said I could get it myself and see for myself. But he showed me some of it on his smartphone and said there were 3 previous owners who took care of the car very well. It has a clean title from what I've been told.

Apologies for the long post but I think aside from the brake problem the car seems good. I'm not sure whether to trust him or not. He seems legit and was more or less upfront. Can anyone shed some light on what that brake issue is and how serious is it?

Thanks guys.

 

Oops my bad. $5,500.

 

I tried responding to you earlier but the PriusChat app wouldn't allow me. But yes if I have to I will DIY on all the issues. I am good about maintenance and keeping things in check and have the elbow grease to do so. As far as this brake issue, the guys says hes going to get it fixed soon. Do you know anything about that ABS booster issue? You ever heard of that grinding sound/feel.

I am not aware of that I will look into it. Is that all Gen3's or just the 2010 model?

 

What is this 2010 oil burning head gasket issue? I replaced the head gasket on my Corolla like 6 months ago - no big deal. Simply take the top engine cover off, replace the gasket with a new one, some seal grease and BOOM! - no more leaking oil on the driveway.

 

Damnit. Yes you are right Bisco. I changed the valve cover gasket on my Corolla. Not the head gasket.

Ugh. I am told a seller I was going to go look at it tomorrow but now I'm freaked out. I will read up on this. I found a guy selling one in Fort Meyers for 7K and it only has 78Kmiles on it. It looks like a great deal but I didn't know about this head gasket issue.

 

I'm at my wits end. I can't do this anymore. I've spent countless hours reading this that and the other thing and I just accidentally pressed back button while replying.

 

Well the guy that was selling it for $5,500 was very shady and I don't trust him or anything that he is selling.

I found another guy though that is selling a 2010 with only 78K miles for $7000 and he seems very upfront and trustworthy. He says he is the only owner and selling because he owns another Prius and doesn't need that one. He buys and sells cars for a living but he says this was his personal car and he's taken very good care of it. Guy sounds legit.

Anyway I am at my wits end. I'm texting him to cancelling our appointment and opening a bottle of mccormick's vodka.

 

True. The answer to all my problems is a the bottom of this bottle.