Purchasing 2012 Prius 4. Advise please!

You should get written paperwork on that "unlimited mile warranty" for the battery. There may be stipulations that you can only get warranty work done at the particular shop that did the job, which is 2.5 hours away.

If you're serious, get the seller to tell you the VIN so you can run a history report on the car. If they won't do that, then no sale.

You neglected to post the drivers' side photo from the ad (here, for anyone that is wondering), which shows a sizable dent in the drivers' side front quarter. If that doesn't bother you, then no worries, I know some ride-share customers are sticklers and might rate you down for having an un-fixed dent. Generally it looks clean though.

Good luck!

 

This would be an easy pass for me, if I was shopping for a Prius.

1. As lostinheadguy wrote, there is a noticeable dent, which means it's not "like new inside and out". They'll be other things that would also be exaggerated.

2. Who replaces the hybrid battery on the 8th and sells it the next week? The hybrid battery was probably given a band aid type of temporary fix, like replacing a cell or two, and you'll have problems moving ahead. That means down time, which you don't want as an uber driver.

3. If the battery is not OEM, which it probably is not, that means you may not have the option of an OEM battery in the future for a reasonable cost. That's because Toyota will want your untampered with OEM battery core in exchange for a $1,300 deposit, which you don't have.

4. There's no such thing as an unlimited mile warranty on the battery. The brand new Prius has a 150k mile warranty. That car's battery might have an unlimited warranty for a year.

5. You are in a CARB state, which means you can have a warranty of 10 year/150k miles on the hybrid battery. Take advantage of that. If you buy a 2012, try to get one where the miles can last until close to 2022. And make sure you buy a California car or it won't qualify for the extended warranty.

6. This might be a salvage car that was purchased for cheap and the car is being flipped. If you insist on moving ahead on this one, make sure you get a carfax report. That will cost money, so skip this if you decide to pass.

7. The good news is that Southern California is the Prius capital of the country, IMO. There is a large inventory for sale on the preowned market. Be patient and wait for the right deal to come along.

Good luck and keep in touch if you see another car that you're interested in.

 

Yeah, that's a good point, thinking about it, it does seem like a quick clean and flip (the interior materials look way too shiny, it's like they had Armor All wiped all over them). I'd stay away from it. The lack of any photos of the front and rear is a red flag as well.