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Which Prius? Choices Inside

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by lilryan, Dec 18, 2011.

  1. lilryan

    lilryan Junior Member

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    2007 Prius
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    II
    Hey guys. im lookin at two different cars. both are the same year and have the same options, but different colors and different miles. here is a link to both of them.

    so i cant post links yet. go to pricedriteauto.com and look at the two prius' they have for sale.

    id like to know which would be the better car. is it worth the extra money for the lower mile car? are the miles not as important than other things? just want to know what to look for when i go up to look at them to help make my decision easier.

    thanks
    ryan
     
    #1 lilryan, Dec 18, 2011
  2. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    I haven't looked at them carefully, but I'm annoyed that they decided to choose the old method EPA ratings and pick the highest number (60 city). The EPA method changed after model year 08 and you can look up the adjusted figures at Compare Cars Side-by-Side.

    It's most likely wrong about them both having 16 inch wheels, esp. the one that says P185/65R15 tires.

    I think the links at http://priuschat.com/forums/newbie-forum/100759-buying-first-prius.html#post1427516 should help.

    Ordinarily, I'd pick the lower mileage one, but I'm not sure if the extra $3K is worth it. Do keep in mind that in your state, the HV battery is warranted for only 8 years/100K miles. It's too bad the blue one left CA as if it'd stayed (or gone to another CARB state), it'd would still be eligible for its 10 year/150K mile HV battery warranty.
     
    #2 cwerdna, Dec 18, 2011
    1 person likes this.
  3. lilryan

    lilryan Junior Member

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    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
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    II
    so i checked both vin numbers on both of them and they both qualify to have the hv water pump replaced. and the lower mile one had that floor mat safety recall. not sure what they would do to fix that. i read all the links you suggested. i guess i will see which car is better cared for. the lower mile car has more service records on the car fax, but that doesnt mean that service wasnt performed on the other one. just not at the dealer. would i run into more problems with a prius that had 110xxx miles vs 81xxx miles. how long do the hv batteries last. i havent really seen a good number for replacement cost.

    ryan
     
    #3 lilryan, Dec 18, 2011
  4. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    The floor mat safety recall involved replacing the Toyota mat w/another one to reduce the changes of accelerator pedal entrapment. I specifically didn't want the mats and don't have them so there were none to replace on mine.

    Toyota's said that the HV batteries last the life of the car. These links might help:
    Lifespan/Operating costs - Prius Wiki
    Failed traction (HV) battery, what to do? - Prius Wiki
    http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...5-prius-gen2-traction-battery-experience.html
    http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...rius-dead-traction-battery-120-000-miles.html

    Interestingly, I don't see much chatter (here or from Toyota) about the clause in the brochures at http://priuschat.com/forums/knowled...al-equipment-some-countries-2.html#post612688. For example, in the 07_prius.pdf brochure, on the last page it says "[14] Hybrid vehicle battery expected life is 150,000 miles based on laboratory bench testing."

    http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-prius-main-forum/90624-would-you-buy-prius-100-000-miles.html might be interesting, for opinions. Ignore tpfun, he's was a very annoying troll and I think he was finally banished awhile ago. Patrick Wong and seilerts are two examples of folks w/plenty of repair knowledge.

    Not having looked at those ads some more, I'm leaning towards you going for the lower mileage. If neither has had its transaxle fluid changed, get it done ASAP, as a precautionary measure. Ignore the dealers claiming it's "lifetime" fluid. It should cost you $100 or so... we chat about that all the time here. http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...21-another-potential-problem.html#post1429873 was a recent time when it came up.
     
    #4 cwerdna, Dec 18, 2011
    1 person likes this.
  5. lilryan

    lilryan Junior Member

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    II
    thank you for taking the time to post the links. they were a good read. as long as the lower mileage one is not ragged out, i will probably lean toward that one. i wish it was silver instead of blue, but cant win them all.
     
    #5 lilryan, Dec 19, 2011
  6. lilryan

    lilryan Junior Member

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    II
    so i called the dealer and told him i will be up tomorrow. i wish the silver had the lower miles. dont really like the blue that much. in the end, ill probably just get the nicer of the two regaurdless of the miles. i dont think they will impact the car too much. and the extra 3k i save by buying the higher mileage car would pay for a new hv battery or another transmission if it were to go bad.
     
    #6 lilryan, Dec 19, 2011
  7. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

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    I'm surprised that nobody else has chimed in about these cars and the prices. I'm the wrong guy to ask about used Prius pricing and I unfortunately have some higher priority items on my plate so I don't have time to go over these that carefully..

    Hoping someone else can look over these...
     
    #7 cwerdna, Dec 19, 2011
  8. lilryan

    lilryan Junior Member

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    Vehicle:
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    II
    it would be nice to have another opinion. it looks like he has the higher mile one priced better than the lower mile one.
     
    #8 lilryan, Dec 20, 2011
  9. lilryan

    lilryan Junior Member

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    II
    #9 lilryan, Dec 20, 2011
  10. lilryan

    lilryan Junior Member

    Joined:
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    Location:
    Burlington, KS
    Vehicle:
    2007 Prius
    Model:
    II
    i ended up getting the one with higher miles. it was a nicer car. the car said i averaged 43mpg on the way home. hope i can figure out how to do better.
     
    #10 lilryan, Dec 21, 2011
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