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Prebuy Inspection of a 2nd Gen Prius? What to Look for?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by Michaelmiller85, Jan 28, 2013.

  1. Michaelmiller85

    Michaelmiller85 New Member

    Joined:
    Jan 28, 2013
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    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    Model:
    Two
    I would like to buy a 2nd Generation Prius, which will have most likely around 100K miles on it. In terms of car inspections, what to look for, simple test to make sure everything is working properly.

    What are some Prius specific things I can check for? What to look for on the CVT? How to test the Battery? Anything pointers will be much appreciated. I called some Prius shops with not much of any help.

    Thanks!
     
    #1 Michaelmiller85, Jan 28, 2013
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

    Joined:
    May 11, 2005
    109,346
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    Location:
    boston
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    reset your avg mpg and take a nice long ride simulating your typical drives. are you happy with mpg's displayed? watch the battery meter. should be around the middle most of the time. sometimes high, sometimes low, but usually around the middle. check all the different controls to make sure they work. get a record of service and make sure all recalls were done. if it rides and feels good, go for it!
     
    #2 bisco, Jan 28, 2013
    HaroldW likes this.
  3. maestro8

    maestro8 Nouveau Member

    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2012
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    Location:
    nor cal
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    Sorry to say, pre-buy inspections can only tell you what's wrong with the car now, and not what will go wrong with the car in the future. There is no crystal ball in the mechanic's tool box.

    Bisco's advice is as far as you can get... an extended test drive to test efficiency will give you the best results. That, and a good crawl in and around the car to look for dangling connectors, missing bolts, leaking seals, etc...
     
    #3 maestro8, Jan 29, 2013
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