Whining sound @ idle: normal??

Howdy folks,

I am an about-to-be Prius owner: today I was car shopping and looked at a 2012 Prius III with 83k miles that is in very good condition.

When I lifted the hood and started the engine, there was a pronounced whine/high-pitched noise during idle from the driver's side of the engine compartment. It sounded more like an electrical whine than mechanical/bearing noise. I did not have time to testdrive the vehicle.

Is that noise normal? I have driven many Prius's before (friends, relatives) but never noticed it.

I apologize in advance for the naive/subjective question. I have worked on cars for a few decades but have no experience with hybrids.

Thanks!!!

 

thanks for reading & responding!!

thanks for the reassurance! Owning a Ford for 8 years taught me that a paranoid sense of hearing & touch can head-off a problem before it turns into a full blown breakdown.

I turned the ICE on with no accessories. We've had a rainy spring, and judging from the rust on the brake rotors, this car hadn't been driven in a few weeks - and maybe not started either.