Prius as a used car purchase? Any Prius owners here? ( NGC)

[bigbikerrick]

Hello Folks, our family car is a 99 Toyota Camry that has 240K miles on it. It still runs perfect, and I have maintained it well through the years. Timing belt x2, water pump, radiator, struts, brakes, and a couple of window regulators is all its needed through the years. Its been an incredible car, I am just concerned that with that many miles, something is going to go, and we travel frequently at night , many miles through very rural areas, where there is no cell coverage. My wife who is the primary user of the car, has shown interest in the Prius. We are big time Toyota fans, but  I am wondering what the group thinks about a Prius as a used car? Anything special to watch out for? Are there any years to avoid, or preferred years? I am looking for some real world experience of what its like to own/drive a Prius. I remember when they first came out, a co worker got one, and after a couple of years he had a big"battery related" expense, and got rid of it by trading it in at that point.
If a used Prius is not a good idea, what other car do you folks recommend as a solid used family car that gets at least 30 mpg? All suggestions, and comments much appreciated.
Thanks
Rick.

[Lannis]

Hello Folks, our family car is a 99 Toyota Camry that has 240K miles on it. It still runs perfect, and I have maintained it well through the years. Timing belt x2, water pump, radiator, struts, brakes, and a couple of window regulators is all its needed through the years. Its been an incredible car, I am just concerned that with that many miles, something is going to go, and we travel frequently at night , many miles through very rural areas, where there is no cell coverage. My wife who is the primary user of the car, has shown interest in the Prius. We are big time Toyota fans, but  I am wondering what the group thinks about a Prius as a used car? Anything special to watch out for? Are there any years to avoid, or preferred years? I am looking for some real world experience of what its like to own/drive a Prius. I remember when they first came out, a co worker got one, and after a couple of years he had a big"battery related" expense, and got rid of it by trading it in at that point.
If a used Prius is not a good idea, what other car do you folks recommend as a solid used family car that gets at least 30 mpg? All suggestions, and comments much appreciated.
Thanks
Rick.

Can't speak to a Prius (might not admit it even if I could  ), but we're planning on getting at least 240,000 out of our 2012 Subaru Outback.   32 MPG overall since we got it, no real trouble with it at 120,000.

The same could probably be said of cars from almost any Japanese maker, though ....

Lannis

[John Ulrich]

My sister and a neighbor both had them until "battery life" came into play.....then it was trade it off time vs the expense of new batteries.

[fotoguzzi]

probably won't matter to you being next to Ol mexico but the Prius is a terrible winter car, my brother has one.
My Forester only gets 25-27 mpg but I like it a lot and it goes in snow!.  Most Subaru owners love them.. you say used but just note that new Subi's scored 5 of the top 15 safest cars for 2018 in crash tests.

[PeteS]

Stick with Camry's. Our 2003 is still running well at 177K miles. No longer gets 30 mpg though. Our 2013 Hybrid has averaged 40 mpg since new and now has 52K on it. The new non hybrid Camry's get over 35 mpg. Our experience is they get better MPG than the sticker says.

Pete

[bigbikerrick]

Subarus are sweet, but expensive, and  seem to really hold their resale value here in Arizona, just like Jeeps.  I bet in snow country, they are really in demand.Where we drive, like Fotoguzzi stated  there is no concern with snow, or other situations where we would need all wheel drive.
What John U. mentioned with the batteries is one of my concerns.
I wish Toyota would make a TDI diesel  sedan comparable to a passat. I would buy one in a heartbeat.
A turbo diesel camry, or Avalon would be ideal !
Rick.

[bigbikerrick]

Stick with Camry's. Our 2003 is still running well at 177K miles. No longer gets 30 mpg though. Our 2013 Hybrid has averaged 40 mpg since new and now has 52K on it. The new non hybrid Camry's get over 35 mpg. Our experience is they get better MPG than the sticker says.

Pete

Say, Pete, does the Camry hybrid  you own,have the same or similar drivetrain as the prius?
Rick.

[PeteS]

I think the drivetrain is similar to the Priuses of the same vintage. It has a standard electric motor siamesed to opposite side of the transmission from the gas motor, unlike Honda where the (smaller) electric motor is where a conventional clutch would be.
The newest versions of each may be different. BTW I just checked and the 2018 Camry Hybrid is rated at 51 city 53 highway. Diesel territory.

Pete

[Matteo]

A friend in Anchorage bought one of the first Prius�s available, he still owns it and bought a second for his wife. I bought one in 2010 in Anchorage and the only issue I had was it couldn�t plow through deep snow like my Outback so we kept the Outback for dealing with major snowstorms. The Outback has cost more in maintenance over the years and as you might guess uses twice the gas, we kept both when we moved south a few years back. Still no battery issues with mine or my friend’s.

[Chuck in Indiana]

Dorcia's son Jim has a first gen Prius. He had a battery issue at I think around 80000 miles 5 or 6 years ago. They gave him a new one. It has more miles than that, now..
Dorcia's sister has 240000 miles on her hybrid Camry. (!) No issues, and they haven't even replaced the brakes. This is highly unusual, because she has two pedals on the floor, and makes maximum utilization of both.
We have a Prius 4 with 80000 miles. Fairly luxurious. Heated seats, HUD, etc. Fluids, filters, and one set of tires so far. It's the first vehicle that I haven't maintained.. I looked under the hood, and didn't see any "user serviceable parts.." 
It used to average over 50 mpg, but sticky tires brought it down to 45. I'd buy another one..

[jas67]

A former (now retired) coworker of mine has a 2003 Prius with well in excess of 300k miles on it.    I think that last I heard, it was more like 350k miles.     He's still on the original battery, and said that MPG is still in the mid-to-upper 40's.    I don't know if this is an outlier, or typical, but, the battery has far exceeded what I thought it would do.

What John U. mentioned with the batteries is one of my concerns.
I wish Toyota would make a TDI diesel  sedan comparable to a passat. I would buy one in a heartbeat.
A turbo diesel camry, or Avalon would be ideal !
Rick.

Chevrolet  has a new 1.6L turbo diesel engine in the 2017 and newer Cruze, and for 2018 in the new Cruze hatchback, and Equinox small SUV/crossover.    It's actually available with manual transmission in the Cruze, automatic only in the Equinox.

They're claiming 52/30/37 MPG in the Cruze sedan, slightly less in in the hatchback, and 39/27/?? (can't remember the composite number) in the Equinox.

HP and torque numbers are almost identical to the 2009-2014 VW 2.0L TDI motor, at 240 ft*lb and 137HP.

[Bisbonian]

Rick,
I have a 2012 Prius Plug-in and my mom has a 2013 Prius. Mom puts a ton of miles on hers, we are just getting ready to turn 40k.

I believe that most of the people who get rid of their car prior to a "major battery event" are worried about a problem that will likely not happen. Sure, there are cars that can suffer from a battery related issue but those are going to be in the minority. Is there a car out there that doesn't have some that are troublesome?

The one battery problem that the Prius (and probably all Toyota hybrids) has is with the small, 12 volt, battery that is used to boot up the computers before the large traction battery is turned on. When this battery starts to go it does create some odd symptoms that freak people out.

Otherwise, the Hybrid Synergy Drive has proved to be very robust and batteries are lasting much longer than was originally predicted.

If I were to suggest a generation to purchase, it would be the 3rd gen which I think started in 2010. This gen has a larger engine than the previous generation but still got better mileage. I find the new generation to be horrible to look at, but looks are subjective so maybe you like them. The new gen is supposed to handle better than previous generations.

I'd expect the Camry hybrid, and any other Toyota hybrid that shares the Synergy Drive, to be similar except that the Prius will probably be the gas mileage star. We did check the Prius C (mini Prius) prior to buying ours however the price and gas mileage were not different enough to deal with the downsides of that car.

I would easily expect a Prius to last hundreds of thousands of miles. A Prius with that number of miles may still be on its original brakes as the regen braking allows you to slow without engaging the pads with the rotors.

Our previous hybrid experience was a bit different as we had a 2000 Honda Insight. This was an excellent car if gas mileage is your goal as we averaged better than 70mpg during our ownership. Unfortunately, the original Insights did have battery issues and after buying a reconditioned battery and having to have it warrantied a couple of times we decided to part ways.

With gas prices being low, Prius prices may also be low. I would not worry about buying one used.

[ITSec]

I haven't owned a Prius but I have spoken with several owners including a close friend.

Battery replacement is a big thing, and it's not really easy to predict when it will be needed since it varies so much based on how and where the car is used. It probably isn't as big a concern as some believe but it is something to be considered.

One friend had a Prius where the transmission went out. In this case, the transmission is more than non-trivial, since it acts as part of the energy recovery system and is very complex. His experience was very (very!) expensive, and convinces me I'd want a check on the drivetrain and the battery condition from a very good hybrid technician before buying a used hybrid.

[Kiwi_Roy]

At least 95% of the cabs in Vancouver are Prius, very low maintenance according to the drivers I have asked, never wear the brakes out.

[bigbikerrick]

Lots of great info , I had no idea GM was making some small diesel cars. I am not a big fan of GM products, although they have gotten better in fit and finish than they used to be. Some of the GM interiors were really cheap quality( S-10 pickup I owned).
 
Bisbonian, (Adam) yours and your Mom's experience with the toyota hybrid drive sounds very encouraging! I as well am a little put off by the futuristic styling of the newest priuses...kinda funky, especially the rear end!

The camry hybrid sounds like a good option, and hopefully with the low gas prices these days, I can find a nice Camry or prius at a good price.

I know gas prices will go up again, just a matter of time. The way people are buying up all the huge  super duty pickups, all the Mopar stuff with huge hemis you see running around, etc.  when gas is $2.14 /gal  it seems fuel economy is not on the general publics mind these days.
Rick.

[bigbikerrick]

Hey Roy,  Man,I didnt think of that.....but you are 100%correct, most of the cabs I see in Arizona are bright green or yellow Priuses.  If cab companies use them, they must be tough workhorses! I also noticed a few police departments are using them.
Rick.

[Yeahoo Whoyah]

You might check the forum called Priuschat. Lots of good info there.  Postings on common problems, model year differences, etc. 

[rider33]

107 thousand miles into Prius C. In the nearly 6 Year�s I�ve owned it�s needed tires (every 60 thousand miles) and an oil change (every 10 thousand miles).  Other than that you feed it 8 or nine gallons of regular gas every 300 or 400 hundred miles and that is it, no problems of any kind. Before I bought it I spoke with the service manager of a major dealership about the batteries. He said in the 11 years he had worked there they had never had to replace a Prius battery,  ever. The fleet usage suggests he�s likely right about that. I�m not into cars, I just want them to work.  This one is set and forget.

[alanp]

I had a 2004.  Hands down the best car I ever owned.  150,000 miles, 50 mpg the whole time, 0 repairs even under warranty, never even a burned out light bulb.  Still had the original brake pads when I sold it.  Don't drive as much now so have a Highlander Hybrid instead, but would buy a Prius without hesitation. 

[bad Chad]

A lot of cabs in Chicago are Pirus!

[alanp]

I haven't owned a Prius but I have spoken with several owners including a close friend.

Battery replacement is a big thing, and it's not really easy to predict when it will be needed since it varies so much based on how and where the car is used. It probably isn't as big a concern as some believe but it is something to be considered.

One friend had a Prius where the transmission went out. In this case, the transmission is more than non-trivial, since it acts as part of the energy recovery system and is very complex. His experience was very (very!) expensive, and convinces me I'd want a check on the drivetrain and the battery condition from a very good hybrid technician before buying a used hybrid.

Sorry IT, but I just have to totally disagree with this.  By almost any reference source, the Prius is one of the most if not the most reliable car made, and the batteries are such a non-issue.  The last for hundreds of thousands of miles and salvaged batteries are plentiful and pretty cheap in the rare occasion that you should ever need one. 

[JACoH]

Yep, I have had 2, never a mechanical issue on either. Have a friend also with one of the originals, over 200,000 miles and not yet a battery pack. It is a non-issue. I averaged 40-45 mpg on both (one was the V wagon).  Now I have the RAV4 Hybrid, cause we needed a 4wd model, getting 35 average with it. Consumer Reports says it is one of the most reliable cars, hybrid or not.

[stonelover]

My 2008 Prius has given me nine years of reliable service with no maintenance issues.  Average 48 mpg and believe that it is the only car that I have owned that I would buy again.

[Murray]

With the prius consider where you drive they are geared towards stop start city driving, on the highway you end up running a very small motor pretty hard and it starts to drink. I don't even know if Suzuki are available in the US they screw together a pretty solid car might be worth a look at least.

[Chuck in Indiana]

With the prius consider where you drive they are geared towards stop start city driving, on the highway you end up running a very small motor pretty hard and it starts to drink. I don't even know if Suzuki are available in the US they screw together a pretty solid car might be worth a look at least.

My Prius 4 isn't a drinker on the highway.. it'll get 50mpg running 70-75. The only time it will get down in the 30s is a cold startup and a two mile or so trip.

[blackcat]

We have an 04 Prius (purchased new) with 130K miles on the clock. Just changed the front brake pads about a month ago, the main battery went just north of 100,000 miles and we replaced it as it was cheaper than buying a new car and there was nothing wrong with the car. I attribute the loss of the battery to the heat of Florida but that is just a guess. The car gets better mileage in the hills than flat land as the ride down hill is basically for free and we get better mileage on the freeway than in stop and go traffic. I would recommend getting either a low mileage car or one that is over 100K with a battery change.

[bigbikerrick]

It sounds like the Prius, or other Toyota vehicles with the hybrid drivetrain are pretty solid, and reliable, and a good choice as a used car purchase.
I do all my own maintenance on all my vehicles, Is the prius a car that the average guy can maintain himself? I mean oil changes, valve adjustment checks, coolant change, brake pad replacement, timing belt ( if it has one) I hate the thought of having to take it to the dealer for regular maintenance.
Rick.
 

[Chuck in Indiana]

It sounds like the Prius, or other Toyota vehicles with the hybrid drivetrain are pretty solid, and reliable, and a good choice as a used car purchase.
I do all my own maintenance on all my vehicles, Is the prius a car that the average guy can maintain himself? I mean oil changes, valve adjustment checks, coolant change, brake pad replacement, timing belt ( if it has one) I hate the thought of having to take it to the dealer for regular maintenance.
Rick.

People have been electrocuted trying to change out brake pads.  No, don't bother. The da  mn things are bullet proof. Service at the Toyota dealer has been cheap. Seriously.
My 80000 service included 0-20 syn, filter, tire rotation, and topped up fluids, etc. 44 bux. Like I said above, this is the first vehicle that I haven't maintained.

[bigbikerrick]

 Chuck,The thought of getting electrocuted while changing brake pads, is enough for me to take it to the dealer for that  service ! 
Thanks for letting me know that,
Rick.

[Chuck in Indiana]

Chuck,The thought of getting electrocuted while changing brake pads, is enough for me to take it to the dealer for that  service ! 
Thanks for letting me know that,
Rick.

Oh, forgot.. that $44 bill included washing it, too.. and free coffee and chocolate chip cookies.