Newbie here with a question about a 2010 Prius for sale

There are alot of 2010's for sale due to them approaching the end of the 10yr battery life. If you truly need a hybrid, I would suggest a newer one (2012-2015) with less miles and more years ahead on main battery. No matter the brand, it is my humble opinion that when it comes to buying a hybrid, the newer, the better.

 

PRI6080, which state are you located in? This way we can see if you're in a CARB state, which comes with a longer hybrid warranty.

Is $7k your budget for the next car, or can you go higher?

 

welcome!
stay away. currently, we are seeing a ton of 2010's burning oil, blowing head gaskets and dying batteries.

 

Just because the warranty term for the battery has expired doesn't mean the battery is at the end of its useful life. It may die tomorrow or it may die several years from now, there just isn't any way of knowing. In 2024 Montgomery will be in the same position.

However, the advice is sound. A newer car with fewer miles should last the next owner longer than the older car with more miles.

Is an 8 year old car with 201000 miles worth $7000? Only you can answer that question. What else can you buy for $7000?

 

Go with 2012 and up. Read too many thread with 2010 issues like @bisco mentioned.

 

In my opinion, you should have enough money put aside to be able to afford a new traction battery. Or, you should look for a Prius that still has some warranty left on the traction battery. You will get a 10 year/150k mile warranty being in California (make sure it's a California car).

When I started searching for a Prius, I had the same budget as you have. After reading the info here, I decided to increase my budget and get a Prius with a newer model year with lower miles.

 

I would be concerned about oil burning and possible head gasket failure.

 

I would go 2012 (facelift model) or newer
Because of what bisco said.

 

the hybrid battery. 10/150 in carb states, and 8/100 in non carb states.

 

Some of those 2010 threads are mine.... my car just went over 215K and is becoming unreliable. Just replaced engine (213K after burning oil for
the last 120K miles.) Currently have a P0A08 DC/DC converter issue which could be thousands more to fix.... I would go with a newer car or pay only half that price for a 2010. Based on my experience you will need the cash for repairs.

Update... was at the dealer about to get a Gen4. Found out the fault code was tripped by a loose connection from the engine swap...

Now not sure what to do next... at least now it has trade in value...

ETC(SS) not to distract from the conversation but nice emergency blow photo... fellow ex-bubble head!

 

You guys can't all be wrong, but ours is leading a charmed life, so far: no oil usage, champion battery, nothing untoward. Low mileage though: only just past 70K km's.

What do they say though, waiting for the other shoe to drop?

 

and it may all be due to how you drive it and take good care. buying used, it's an unknown.

 

For $7k, I would not get into any hybrid that's already 60-75-percent through it's service life.....especially if you're thinking about financing this car, and especially especially if you do not do all of the maintenance and many of the repairs on your cars at present.
Even over on the left coast.

Also....if 7k represents your "all in" budget, I'd steer away from up-optioned cars (pun almost unintended.)
You need to be spending more money on reliability and less on things like seating surfaces and electronics.
$7,000 can buy a car with a lot fewer miles on the odometer, and without multi-thousand-dollar items like inverters, regenerative braking systems, and traction batteries that Priuses cannot be driven without.

Add to all of this:
California has weird things like emissions testing, and laws concerning which catalytic converters can and cannot be put into a car.
It's not unheard of that a car with nearly lunar mileage can have difficulty passing these tests......in addition to remaining reliable.
Since, I'm not thusly encumbered I cannot say for sure, but I'm thinking that since hybrids are yesterday's green cars, that they will soon be or already are subject to being sniff-tested.
More $$$ for the uninitiated.

Good Luck!

 

If I were to step back and plug those parameters into ANY used car vehicle purchase, and I came back with $7000 for a 7+ year old vehicle with over 200,000 miles on it? I'd probably conclude I'm paying too much.

It's not so much either the age, or even necessarily the miles, but if I'm dishing out 7 grand for a vehicle of that age and mileage, I want the description to be "excellent condition" for it's age and mileage, not just "good" condition.

I don't know what the OP's budget is, but I think if you have the time and patience a better deal could probably be found.

And a baseline I give as a recommendation for anyone investing into an older Prius, is have the "budget" or money available to replace the Hybrid Battery if it becomes necessary.
You never know....but obviously a failed or dead Hybrid Battery transforms The Prius into a nice driveway ornament. I'd want the money available or set aside for that "possible" eventuality, even if you go years without needing it.

 

Kinda like when buying an used Acura/Honda vehicle at 165k miles, no matter how much the price is, set aside $3000+ for an automatic transmission replacement if the previous owner hasnt replace the tranny yet.

 

To be blunt about it, no car with that many miles should be purchased as a daily driver...especially a hybrid. If $7,000 is your budget, buy a low/er miles Corolla or Civic without requiring all the buzzers and whistles. Reliable transportation is the goal with limited funds and both of those fit the bill.

 

You should get a 2012 or 2013 for this price with 200k miles. Ask if and when EV battery was replaced. Very few cars reach 200K with original battery. Prius is more reliable than most non-hybrid cars. That said, you should be prepared for any maintenance if needed.