Opinion-What year built Prius are the Best to buy and what are the Worse year not to buy?

Again some do have oil loss and some don’t. It all about how it’s been driven and how often oil has been changed (5K miles) and what oil and filter used. Plus cleaning the EGR.

 

i have just seen more good reports about high mileage 2008's. maybe more people skipped 2009, waiting for gen3.

 

Here's a general rule that I've heard many auto manufacturers follow. For a specific generation of a model, the manufacturer will first focus on ironing out any mechanical/functional issues. Then once these have been addressed, it's all about cost cutting like using cheaper materials for the interior. I would guess that the 2009 is just as reliable as the 2008.

The 2010s on the other hand had multiple documented issues - when I was considering buying a late model gen 2, I recall also looking at a few 2010 models as they were really cheap. Someone on the Gen 3 forums suggested looking at the drivers floor mat to make sure that there was no brake fluid dripping down - well the first 2010 I checked out had fluid on the mat (from what I remember the cause was a bad brake actuator which is a ridiculously expensive repair). I ended up buying a 2009 instead!

 

gen 2 best prius built imo

 

My 2008 Gen 2 is still going, but off the road at the moment waiting for me to find the cause of a vibration under load in the L/H/F.
The new traction battery I bought for it ended up going in the 2006 iTech Gen 2, I feel the iTech was definitely worth the extra $$, although, here in Australia, they are demanding big money still at 18 yrs old, more than the later models half their age

T1 Terry