This is my introduction, looking to buy a Prius soon.

This is my first post, I shall be lurking, learning, waiting... until I have saved enough to buy a Prius. I want to be as educated as possible before looking at some in person, also I will be buying used. I also plan on brining a checklist of things to check when inspecting the car. This will be my first car so if anyone has any tips to throw at me while I research, feel free. This had potential to be a used buyer's guide.

~THIS CHECKLIST IS A WORK IN PROGRESS~​

Inspection​

Exterior​

body condition
☐ Check each body panel and the roof, looking for scratches, dents, and rust. Examine the lines of the fenders and doors.

Misaligned panels or large gaps can indicate either sloppy assembly at the factory or shoddy repair. The paint color and finish should be the same on every body panel. If you think a dent may have been patched with body filler, put a small magnet on it; it won’t stick to an area with body filler. If other parts of the car have been repainted, there may be paint adhering to the rubber seals around the hood and trunk lid. Also inspect the wheel wells, the rocker panels beneath the doors, and the door bottoms. Bring a flashlight for looking inside the wheel wells for rust.
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☐ Open and close each door, the hood, and the trunk. Gently lift and let go of each door, particularly the driver’s door. If it seems loose on its hinges, the car has seen hard or long use. Inspect any rubber seal for tearing or rot.

☐ Look carefully at the vehicle glass to make sure there are no cracks or large, pocked areas. A small stone chip may not be cause for alarm, though you should bring it up as a bargaining point in negotiations. But cracks in the windshield will worsen and lead to a costly repair.

☐ Walk around the car to see if it’s standing level. Bounce each corner up and down. If the shock absorbers are in good shape, the car should rebound just once; it shouldn’t keep moving up and down. Grab the top of each front tire and tug it back and forth. If you feel play in it or hear a clunking or ticking sound, the wheel bearings or suspension joints may be shot.

☐ Have a friend confirm that all lights are working. Make sure all light lenses and reflectors are intact and not cracked, fogged with moisture, or missing.
☐ You can tell a lot from the tires. A car with less than, say, 20,000 miles on the odometer should probably still have its original tires. Be wary of a low-mileage car with new tires; the vehicle’s odometer may have been rolled back. Also check that all four tires are the same. Any different tires may show that they have been replaced.

Tread wear should be even across the width of the tread and the same on the left and right sides of the car. Ask if the tires have been regularly rotated. If not, the wear is usually more severe on the drive wheels.

Aggressive drivers tend to put heavy wear on the outside shoulder of the front tires, at the edge of the sidewall. Assume that the car has been driven hard if that area shows heavier wear.

Tires that have been driven while overinflated tend to wear more in the middle than on the sides. Chronically underinflated tires show more wear on the sides. Cupped tires, those that are worn unevenly along the tread’s circumference, may be a sign of a problem with the steering, suspension, or brakes.

Tires must have at least 1/16 inch of tread to be legal. Check the tread depth with a tread-depth tool (available at auto-parts stores) or a quarter. Insert the quarter into the tread groove, with Washington’s head down. If you can see the top of his head, the tire should be replaced.

Examine the sidewalls for scuffing, cracks, or bulges, and look on the edge of each rim for dents or cracks. And be sure to check that the spare is in good shape and that the proper jack and lug wrench are present.

Interior​

☐ When you first open the car door, sniff the interior. A musty, moldy, or mildewy smell could indicate water leaks. Remove the floor mats and check for wet spots on the carpet. An acrid smell may indicate that the car was used by a smoker. Check the lighter and ashtray for evidence. Some odors, such as mold or smoke, can be very hard to get rid of. If you don’t like what you smell, find another car.

☐ Try out all the seats even though you may not plan to sit in the rear. Upholstery shouldn’t be ripped or badly worn, particularly in a car with low mileage. Try all the seat adjustments to make sure they work properly and that you can find a good driving position.

☐ The rubber on the brake, clutch, and gas pedals gives an indication of use. A car with low miles shouldn’t show much wear. Pedal rubber that’s worn through in spots—or brand-new—indicates that the car has been driven a lot.

☐ Turn the ignition switch, but without starting the engine. All the warning lights—including the “Check engine” light—should illuminate for a few seconds and go off when you start the engine. Note if the engine is hard to start when cold and if it idles smoothly. Then try out every switch, button, and lever. With the engine running, turn on the heater full blast to see how hot it gets, and how quickly. Switch on the air conditioning and make sure it quickly blows cold.

☐ Check radio reception on AM and FM. If there is a CD player, try loading and ejecting a disc. If you plan on using an MP3 player or an iPod in the car, bring that along and test out the connection if there is one.

☐ Check the headliner and roof trim for stains or sags to see if water is leaking through the sunroof, ill-fitting doors, or windows. If equipped with a sunroof or moonroof, check to see if it opens and closes properly and seals well when shut. Inspect the convertible top for tears by shining a flashlight up into it.

☐ Use your nose as well as your eyes. Sniff and look for signs of water entry. See if the carpeting feels wet or smells musty, and check the spare-tire well for water or rust.

☐

Pulled from

 

I decided on a prius because I really like the look for as one reason, and I plan on moving from Arizona to Washington, I am pretty sure I can fit all my stuff in the back, and if not I'll just sell some stuff. And I hate paying for gas in low mpg vehicles, like my families cars/truck

 

Wow you guys are too welcoming, I've got a few questions, (and so many more later) about car stuff you guys are talking about.
1. CARB? what is that short/stand for?
2. what does having a zero-pound tow rating entail? Would it affect the car using a hitch and pulling to heavy a load? or would the car itself prove to be not powerful enough?

Edit: UPDATE, STARTED WORKING ON THE CHECKLIST

 

I'm pretty slow to get this done, but let me know what you think of the checklist, I need to shorten it and expand it.

 

Dang! some time has passed, and I'm nearing purchase. I've saved up 4,500 and have been checking out the listings on CL for the past couple months. Today I test drove some from some sellers, but the only viable candidate for purchase happens to be from a local seller who buys and sells prii regularly. He seems very knowledgeable in Prius and Toyota in general. Here are the specs that i know for the one I'm thinking of buying.

• 2005
• base model
• clean title
• 150,000 mileage
• gold
• interior quite clean upon first inspection
• HV battery is currently an aftermarket battery that has degraded after only 1 year, and the seller , i believe, rebuilds batteries himself.(he showed me the easy way to tell a battery cover from after market to oem battery cover, and some batteries that he currently has at his work area)
• Windshield is cracked, but scheduled to be repaired tomorrow

what am i missing...

 

from what i know, it's not his packs that last a year, it just happened to be the prius he bought had a degraded after market battery. He buys priuses and checks batteries and if they need work, he fixes them before putting a listing on craigslist