Purchasing a 10yo Aqua

Yes, you can charge the battery by flooring the brake and accelerator at the same time. Just put the shifter to drive "D" when you do that. I believe the car will go to power mode automatically when you floor the accelerator, no matter what mode you select.

My Prius C had 110k miles 2.5 years ago. It has been parked in the garage since. The battery is fine. When I check it once every 3 - 4 months, the battery level bar doesn't change. So I would expect at 65k miles your Aqua should be in very good condition unless it has been abused.

 

dr. prius should be able to give the battery a health check.

 

Hi Fellow Kiwi.
There is an outfit in Auckland that rebuilds Aqua batteries for NZD $980 [USD $600] so I wouldn't sweat it too much.

The Aqua uses the same drivetrain as the old Prius [Have a look on "Trade-Me" at all the cheap Prius's for sale, They ALL have 600,000 km's on the clock "ex Taxi's]
This reason alone is a good enough endorsement for buying a Toyota Hybrid.
Except the Aqua / Prius C doesn't look like a Taxi

They are a bit of a "learning curve" and some of the things they do will scare the shit out of a DIY Mechanic.
eg: I was coasting down a large hill and the engine started screaming. Toyota programmed it to do that IF the battery is too full [to discharge and not cook the batteries.]
If you use the brake and accelerator at the same time, there is a warning light that comes up on the dash [I'm a left foot brake driver from racing cars, so I soon learned not to do this]
The battery still charges without your foot on the brake, so learn to drive it fast but with a light foot.
The same goes for EV mode.....Don't bother , because you still need to use the gas engine to recharge it.

Mine is an Aqua "L" which doesn't have a transponder key, so they are now targeted by thieves for Ram Raids.
But the "L" doesn't have other shit to go wrong.
All I wanted in a car was Central Lock, Power Steer, and Auto for my wife. [all the small Auto's around this era are those awful belt drive CVT's which cannot be repaired]

All I've done on mine is hook up a reversing camera to the sound system that came with the car. Added a USB charger to one of the blanks in the dash.
And As I'm writing this, I'm fitting a cheap motorcycle alarm and flashing LED to it. This should deter some thieves, but If they actually steal it.....I don't want it back.

I live in Tauranga but was down your way 2 months ago in our Aqua. We got off the Ferry and drove out to Cape Palliser, then up to Masterton, and out to Castle Point and back, then over the Paihiatua Track to "Palmy" and then back to Tauranga.
The Aqua is great on the open road BUT the Japanese high mileage tyres on it, soon wear you down with road noise.