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Thinking about taking the plunge with a vehicle with not great maintenance documentation

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by guycalleddave, Dec 10, 2015.

  1. guycalleddave

    guycalleddave Junior Member

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    I'm looking at a 2010 prius with 120K miles for under 10K.

    It's a package IV I believe...leather, JBL, navigation, etc.

    The guy doesn't seem to know much about the internal workings of the car, but said normal maintenance has been done at the dealership and he could get me that information probably.

    What should I be looking for as I look it over/drive it?

    you can find it on grand rapids craigslist buy searching "prius" and "leather" if you want to see the pictures.

    i apologize if this is the wrong area to post this question.

    your knowledge is appreciated.

    Regards,

    Dave
     
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    welcome! one thing to consider is whether you have an 8/100 or 10/150 warranty on the hybrid system. but even the 10/150 only leaves you with 30k left on the battery.
     
  3. guycalleddave

    guycalleddave Junior Member

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    i'm thinking no because i'm in michigan
     
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    so that's one thing to consider. you can get all the dealer maintenance records by plugging in the vin at the toyota owners website.
     
  5. guycalleddave

    guycalleddave Junior Member

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    good tip. if toyota says that the trans fluid is good for the life of the vehicle, and he didn't change it at 60K like what this forum has found, how terrible is that for the next owner going forward? I've been trying to do alot of reading, but not being the owner it'd difficult for me at least to connect a lot of the dots to this specific vehicle.
     
  6. ETC(SS)

    ETC(SS) The OTHER One Percenter.....

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    It's 6-5 and pickem.

    Personally I place not much weight in whether or not a vehicle has dealer-documented maintenance. This is because I see a lot of posts on this forum where people have a closed-hood maintenance philosophy, where they take their car into the dealership every 10,000 miles for an oil change and call it good.
    In other words, they confuse a 10,000 oil change interval with a 10,000 mile oil CHECK interval, and that's only if the dealer actually checks the oil level before they change it.
    In fact.....it's been my experience that many "Gen-U-whine" mechanics don't even properly check the oil level AFTER they've done the maintenance.

    My work car (a 2010 G3) had NO dealer recorded maintenance, but my beloved company at least changes the oil every 5K, and the loudmouth that drives the car checks the oil level every 1K or about every other tank---but this is only one data point.
    If you look at the schedule of maintenance for a Pruis, there are a lot of inspections that are sometimes not properly performed by the wrench in the dealer who is much more interested in selling you stuff that's NOT on the maintenance schedule.

    OK....
    So if the owner gets you paperwork, you can still glean some valuable insights on how the vehicle was driven, and these observations can always be buttressed by paying a mechanic a few hours of labor to inspect the vehicle.

    Things I would look for:
    Number of owners.
    Whether or not the car has ever been used commercially.
    How many sets of tires were replaced on the car, and when.
    Brakes. Are they still OEM----evenh at 120K they should be for an adult driven car, or if they've been replaced find out when. Also be advised that at 120K the OEM brakes might need new pads. Prius owners sometimes over pay for this.

    Excessive aftermarket additions indicating a non-adult previous owner.

    New catalytic converter or other emissions device indicating excessive oil use.

    Anything in the engine compartment that's newer than anything else in the engine compartment....or an engine compartment on a 120,000 mile vehicle that's very clean...indicating that it's been recently cleaned......like to hide something.

    Signs that the hood, hatch, or doors aren't aligned properly indicating a previous visit to the Beat and Bang Body Shop. (It's not always on CarFax........trust me.....I know!)

    Plastic headlamps that are bright, shiny, and new looking on a 6-year-old car with 120,000 miles.

    Itty-bitty cubes of glass in the spare wheel well or in out of the way places when you look for discoloration on the underneath side of the carpet from previous flood damage.




    Good Luck!
     
    #6 ETC(SS), Dec 10, 2015
    Last edited: Dec 10, 2015
    xliderider likes this.
  7. Dion Kraft

    Dion Kraft Member

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    I see three for sale but one is a rebuilt status, another is lien and last one is clear.
     
  8. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    how many miles do you hope to put on her before moving on?
     
  9. guycalleddave

    guycalleddave Junior Member

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    i'd probably drive it until it falls apart. the car i'm looking at is the grey on grey, not the lien or rebuilt.
     
  10. JimN

    JimN Let the games begin!

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    The car is either a IV-Nav (unless the leather is aftermarket) or a V-AT. If it has the Advanced Tech Package there is a button on the steering wheel to toggle through the following distances. Get two key fobs.

    Keep us posted.
     
  11. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    even though many members here recommend an early tranny oil change and then every so many miles, we have no documentation of reduced longevity for those cars who haven't had it done. and that's a lot of cars, seeing how small a percentage priuschat members make up of all prius on the road.

    more importantly, you're buying a car with 130k on it. it's already due for fluid changes, spark plugs and etc., so, you're well into the more intense maintenance mileage. many of these cars go 300,000 plus, but not without major repairs in many cases. the value of the vehicle quickly drops below the cost of a hybrid battery, a/c compressor or brake actuator, leaving owners in a quandary.
     
  12. frodoz737

    frodoz737 Top Wrench

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    The 2010 Prius V (Five) model also has the LED headlights.
     
  13. guycalleddave

    guycalleddave Junior Member

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    he said it's a prius 4. I just paid for a vin report and it looks like it was owned by a salvage company in 2012 at about 62K. I'm thinking this might now be a great idea after all.
     
  14. frodoz737

    frodoz737 Top Wrench

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    Salvage Company? Walk away...fast!
     
  15. guycalleddave

    guycalleddave Junior Member

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    09/29/2009 NICB Vehicle manufactured and shipped to original dealer

    10/16/2009 Pre-delivery inspection completed
    10/24/2009 Vehicle sold

    10/27/2009 Title or registration issued First owner reported Titled or registered as personal vehicle

    01/15/2010 Registration issued or renewed

    02/04/2010 5,552 Dunning Toyota Scion Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI 734-997-7600 tires rotated Fluids checked Oil and filter changed

    04/14/2010 8,867 Dunning Toyota Scion Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, MI 734-997-7600 Vehicle serviced

    12/01/2010 24,063 Dunning Toyota Scion Ann Arbor 15,000 mile service performed Rear brakes serviced/adjusted Maintenance reminder reset
    Tire condition and pressure checked

    01/13/2011 Registration issued or renewed

    09/13/2011 41,440 Dunning Toyota Scion Ann Arbor 30,000 mile service performed Drivability/ performance checked Wipers/washers checked

    02/23/2012 50,102 Steering/suspension checked

    03/22/2012 51,635 Oil and filter changed Steering/suspension checked

    06/18/2012 56,365 Oil and filter changed Steering/suspension checked

    09/03/2012 Registration issued or renewed

    11/28/2012 62,193 Dealer Inventory
    Hudsonville, MI Vehicle offered for sale
    Maintenance inspection completed

    06/27/2013 Registration issued or renewed

    03/10/2014 Registration issued or renewed

    05/06/2014 93,325 Maintenance inspection completed

    12/09/2014 Michigan Damage Report Accident reported Involving front impact It hit an animal Minor to moderate damage reported

    01/13/2015 104,439 Toyota of Grand Rapids Grand Rapids, MI 616-942-5290 Cooling system checked

    01/14/2015 Exterior lights checked A/C system serviced A/C thermistor replaced Brake pads replaced Wing/spoiler installed

    02/02/2015 Steering/suspension checked

    03/23/2015 Michigan Motor Vehicle Dept. Jenison, MI Registration issued or renewed

    03/24/2015 ehicle serviced

    04/27/2015 109,511 Toyota of Grand Rapids Maintenance inspection completed A/C and heating system checked

    06/23/2015 109,512 A/C and heating system checked

    07/13/2015 Michigan Motor Vehicle Dept. Jenison, MI Registration issued or renewed

    07/18/2015 vehicle service
     
  16. guycalleddave

    guycalleddave Junior Member

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    i ended up splurging for the car fax, if i had to guess it was purchased by the salvage yard at 60K in an auction and sold through another dealership? also he said that he hit a deer but the insurance covered it and it had Toyota Dealer fix it.
     
  17. guycalleddave

    guycalleddave Junior Member

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    this was the vinhistoryreport (tried to save a 30 bucks)

    12/21/2012 Michigan (MI)
    Motor Vehicle Dept. Odometer reading. 62,196 miles

    09/18/2012 PERK AUTO PARTS & SALVAGE, INC.
    Location: PLAINWELL, MI
    Phone: 2696859835
    Junk And Salvage
    Intended for export: N

    09/18/2012 PERK AUTO PARTS & SALVAGE, INC.
    Location: PLAINWELL, MI
    Phone: 2696859835
    Junk And Salvage
    Intended for export: N
     
  18. mrbigh

    mrbigh Prius Absolutum Dominium

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    To expensive for a rebuilt (titled) vehicle. With that quantity on miles.....($7,000.00)
     
  19. guycalleddave

    guycalleddave Junior Member

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    kbb has it worth 9.5K
     
  20. frodoz737

    frodoz737 Top Wrench

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    I still say walk away from this one. Best wishes on your search.