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Nords here to plan a used Prius purchase on Oahu

Discussion in 'Newbie Forum' started by Nords, May 1, 2008.

  1. Nords

    Nords Member

    Joined:
    May 1, 2008
    101
    9
    0
    Location:
    Oahu
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Model:
    II
    OK, OK, I got it the first dozen times!

    I was pointed to this board from HawaiiThreads. Hopefully I'm not the first Oahu poster here... any other locals on the board?

    In the next few months we're planning to buy a used Prius. I'll start a separate thread on that.

    We see cars as a necessary tool, not prized possessions or lifestyles. We prefer to buy used, maintain instead of detail, and drive 'em into the ground. (I have owned a 1989 Yugo so I am not easily intimidated.) We don't really care about high performance, style, color, or dings-- just reliability, endurance, and longboard hauling.

    We're retired so there's no commuting. We drive 3000-4000 miles/year with most of that as cold short local trips and very little above 45 mph. OTOH we rarely drive more than 50 miles/day and could easily handle an electric vehicle as our only car.

    I'm a do-it-yourselfer with no fear of tackling mechanical or electrical projects. I'm also lazy-- I'd prefer to stick to the simple tasks but I can check codes and troubleshoot. I don't have special equipment (other than a code reader) and I'd rather go surfing than spend the day in the garage.

    I think a Prius would be a great plug-in conversion, but I'll put more on that in another post.
     
    #1 Nords, May 1, 2008
  2. richard schumacher

    richard schumacher shortbus driver

    Joined:
    Mar 27, 2004
    7,663
    1,038
    0
    Location:
    United States
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Greeting! Jeez, do new registrants get that annoying email now?

    Anyway, you've been around the block and probably know this stuff, but if not: research the VIN to confirm that it is not a salvage. A Prius is complicated; so much can go wrong and then be un-fixed in a salvage situation that it'll give you the willies.

    For the same reason, assuming that it is not a salvage you should then pay a Prius certified tech (most of them are at dealers) to thoroughly inspect the car before buying, to confirm that everything is in order and to confirm that all applicable recall items and TSBs have been installed. The Prius (or is it Toyota generally?) scan system has proprietary features that only Toyota's tools can completely read and interpret.
     
    #2 richard schumacher, May 2, 2008
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