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Potential New Prius Owner?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by ksimmonsnj, Jan 26, 2011.

  1. ksimmonsnj

    ksimmonsnj New Member

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    Hello, I am new to the site but have always been very interested in owning a Prius since the first came out. I put off buying one because I always said that I wouldn't buy a new car until my 94 Toyota corolla kicked the bucket. Well needless to say after 280,000 miles my transmission is beginning to slip. So finally I have begun searching for a used prius (I do not have enough $ to buy new) and I was hoping for some advise and pointers when buying a used prius.

    A local Toyota dealer is selling a 2008, package #6, one owner for $11,800. It sounds great but the only thing that scares me is that is has 112,000 miles already. I have not taken it for a test drive yet but I am assuming they do not have all the service records for it. But I was wondering if that is to high of mileage to take on for a first time prius owner and also are they asking to much.

    Thanks in advance and sorry for the long post
     
  2. justlurkin

    justlurkin Señor Member

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    Be very careful. That car has been driven HARD. 112,000 miles in the space of 3 years = well over 37,000 miles a year. That's compared to an average of 10,000 miles a year in normal private use.

    Unless that car has a complete set of maintenance records to show that it has been taken care of properly (5000 mile oil changes, and other services done such as a transaxle fluid change at 60,000 miles and the inverter coolant change at 90,000 miles), I wouldn't touch it.
     
  3. usbseawolf2000

    usbseawolf2000 HSD PhD

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    Well, those are probably mostly highway miles, near constant speed under normal operating temperature. They are much better than short trips with warm up cycles. As long as it has done the normal maintenances, it is barely broken in. ;)
     
  4. ksimmonsnj

    ksimmonsnj New Member

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    Thanks for the quick replies

    I am going to stop by the dealership tomorrow for a test drive and see about service records. It is a Toyota dealership so hopefully it was serviced there and if not maybe they can get hold of them. Is there any other major routine service besides the 60,000 and 90,000 that I should be aware of.

    Also any comments on what they are asking for and would I be low balling them if I offered $10,000 (cash).

    Thanks again
     
  5. seilerts

    seilerts Battery Curmudgeon

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    That's a great result on the Corolla. Congratulations! You can expect similar longevity from a Gen II Prius. 08-09 are the best years to look for.

    Pricing also depends on installed options. Look for smart key, HID, backup camera.
     
  6. ksimmonsnj

    ksimmonsnj New Member

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    This one I am looking at sounds pretty loaded , it has all of the above options you noted and more. Leather interior, JBL sound system, navigation and a whole lot more.

    I am still just very cautious about buying a used 2008 with almost 113,000 miles already, but I guess if it was well cared for its not even close to its half life.

    Thanks again
     
  7. JimN

    JimN Let the games begin!

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    www.aaa.com is showing 54 used Prius with 3 under $13000 within 75 miles of 08077.

    Without knowing the packages that price seems high as cars with ~100,000 miles + are being offered under $10,000.

    I bought a 2010 V-AT to get the gizmos I wanted. When I bought my 2006 I originally "ordered" the top of the line. How much of the option package do you really want/need/use? When the Package 3 was offered to me about a month later I took it and was thrilled.

    There are enough aftermarket accessories at lower cost to compensate for whatever is missing.

    Registering the VIN at Toyota Owners - Official Toyota Owners Website will bring up the dealer service history.

    Happy hunting.
     
  8. Susanne101

    Susanne101 New Member

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    I personally would not buy this car without proper maintenance being done on the car. AND I would think twice about this price for the mileage on this car. Even though Prius is great after 100,000 miles.....there will be another Prius with less miles for a good price. Even me wanting to upgrade to a newer Prius may sell my car. It is a 2007 with almost 19,000 miles on it.
     
  9. ksimmonsnj

    ksimmonsnj New Member

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    Thanks for the great advise, I checked out the Toyota service website and sure enough I was able to access the complete service history. The previous owners was good about getting the routine 5k (sometimes was closer to 6k) but besides that there does not seem to be any history of major maintenance like at the 60,000k or 90,000k. So I am guessing I should use that as my say no to this one and keep looking or would it be worth trying to see if the current dealer would perform these services and or add an extended warranty

    Thanks again to everyone for all the great advise


     
  10. ksimmonsnj

    ksimmonsnj New Member

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    I had a few questions about the service history,

    01/08/2011 TECH DRAINED AND PRESSURE TESTED COOLING SYSTEM. ADDED 1 GALLON OF ANTIFREEZE CO TECH DRAINED AND PRESSURE TESTED COOLING SYSTEM. ADDED 1 GALLON OF ANTIFREEZE CO ~|~OK TO PERFORM COOLANT SERVIE ~|~ ~|~112340 PERFORM

    Is that the same as the scheduled maintenance for the inverter coolant,

    Also I did not see any note of the tansaxel fluid being changed, could that be under a different title and if not changed is that really bad.

    I noticed a lot of scheduled maintenance of the brakes for the past few years, is this common ir was there a problem

    At 105k the did a throttle body cleaning, changed spark plugs, and all the routine as well as checked the battery (green), brakes, and tires and all noted to be okay

    Thanks again for any advise
     
  11. usbseawolf2000

    usbseawolf2000 HSD PhD

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    If the brakes were changed often, it may have been used as a taxi. That throws off my previous highway miles comment.
     
  12. seilerts

    seilerts Battery Curmudgeon

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    Or used by a rural mail carrier. Or the prior owners just let themselves get ripped off by the dealer, believing that brakes on this car were just like those on a regular car.

    Still, test this one and a few others. Buy the one that feels right -- trust your intuition. Transaxle fluid is spec'd for lifetime fill, making it unlikely to have been serviced on most cars that you look at, so get it changed right away for piece of mind.