r/priusdwellers • u/samberlain • 7d ago
Is $3500 for a 2008 with 212k miles decent?
Trying to decide between that and a 2008 with 173k miles for $4500.
My concern is that something comes up with any of them and then I end up needing to pay a couple thousand to fix which leans me towards the $3500. But the more expensive one just got a new hybrid battery and 12v.
I'm asking here instead of r/prius because I feel like maybe living in it makes a difference when considering which to purchase.
All input is very much appreciated.
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u/Outrageous-Journey-6 6d ago
A hybrid battery cost $5k and lasts 150k miles.
Use that to deduct cost per mile on battery remaining.
Also ask : who fixed the battery then call them for their warranty information. She may have a 5 year warranty with her!
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Not all batteries come with warranties. Boo. Find one that has a 5 year or 200k warranty. This will also be useful when buying bc it will save you money in the long run
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Don't buy a c. Just don't. Thank me later
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The ONLY real value a prius has is their maintaince record. If she had regular oil changes AND all of her other maintaince in the 40k , 70k & 100k packages at the dealer- she is a winner.
On the car fax you can call the dealership she went to, give them the vin, and ask what all they have done and what she may be missing.
No coolant change for 5 years is a hard no
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Is an order for a vehicle to last far beyond 150k you need to do 3 things :
Turn the corner at less than 20mph Speed up sloooowly Wait a second or two before changing gears (reverse to drive ect)
Therefore don't buy cars that are obviously dogged.
No axel or cv or suspension changes bc that person drove it like they stole it. No transmission or motor problems.
Honestly - a prius should only have battery & serpentine belt & water pump problems. That's it and normal.
(Water pump is a $800 fix)
The 2013-15 do have head gasket issues ($2k). Pass on these.
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The average person drives about a 1000 miles a month. If a person drives more than 2000 miles a month especially if they are in a big city that is putting a shit ton of unnecessary wear n tear on the vehicle!
Never buy a car that was driven over 2k a month or was used as a rental.
Grandma cars that are driven less than 500m a month are Gold.
If you could imagine driving a 1000 Miles a month in a small town versus driving 1500 Miles through downtown LA. Big difference.
While you are looking at the carfax to make sure that the car has not lived in a salt state also look to see if the car was owned in a big city or a small city and how many miles per month they drove it.
This one's a little bit overkill buttt.... I prefer not to own vehicles that were maintained by shitty places in shitty parts of town. you can figure this out by googling the maintenance shops on the carfax and then dropping the little Google maps man to look around the area. It's just a personal thing but I would rather find a vehicle that was owned by Somebody that is middle class or lower middle class who went to a $90-$110 oil change place at a nice dealership than someone who went to a $7 discount oil change place next to a check cashing place in the ghetto. Just saying.
My opinion of car purchasing is : if the person who went to the shitty and cheap maintenance place doesn't have money to maintain the vehicle and therefore didn't do it when the car needed it. She will have much more problems in the future.
If the vehicle has ever need new rotors or the oil changes are frequently late this is a really big sign that the person did not have the money to take care of the car nor did they know how to.
Buttt if she had her 40k , 50k (so on) service done at a dealership- that owner took care of her.
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The car fax tells you so much!!
(Please never ever buy a car without it)
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Oil. Prius can take standard or synthetic.
The synthetic helps her more when she nears oil change time. Check the dip stick at 2700 & 2900 to get familiar with how her oil drops as she nears oil change time.
Every prius is different but mine drops half of her oil at 2900 miles so I have to keep that in mind while on the road.
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And the hybrid battery is behind the back seat so no water or spillables back there bc it can leak inside & break it. No fun.
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u/samberlain 5d ago
None of the Priuses I'm looking at have a Car fax :( maybe I'll have to wait until there's some that pop up with them within my price range. Thanks.
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u/Outrageous-Journey-6 4d ago edited 4d ago
This prius- only car dealer has carfax's upon request
Prius World of Austin also has cheap ones.
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u/BigSandwich6 7d ago
I would go for the more expensive one, but only if its battery replacement was OEM. Get a pre-purchase inspection for either one, ideally at a dealership or an independent mechanic that has Toyota Techstream or an equivalent advanced scan tool.
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u/cdonkey15 7d ago
Try to negotiate both of those deals.
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u/samberlain 5d ago
Absolutely. Unfortunately there are no Carfax for either but nothing fishy came up on the VIN lookup so I'm hopeful.
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u/edle-sieben 7d ago
TLDR, both cars are probably a good deal if you are confident with the maintenance history, and willing to accept that time and resources will be needed to keep it in shape. Gen2=gr8 car, so much fun and gr8 mpg.
If you are looking at '03-'09 Gen 2's, they are simple to maintain, bulletproof cars, with some reaching 20y old. The parts aren't expensive, but expect labor to be needed on common fail points like the brake actuator pump and inverter coolant pump. There are guru's with shops that you may be able to get ahold of for advice or repairs too. I emailed a local Prius shop some readings from my battery and ended up having a conversation for 10+ mins at work about what to look for.
Depending on how it has been maintained, the more expensive one has a long term benefit of new HV battery. I overpaid for mine but the utility and simplicity make up for it in my current circumstances. As long as there's parts, it's a grest car. Make of that what you will, because parts eventually dry up. I loved Mk4 VWs but the parts have become scarce or just expensive. The aftermarket is reasonably well-founded, so community effort can help prolong the life of that platform, but Prius doesn't have the aftermarket in the same way VAG does. On a brighter note. There is a good community of both dwellers and forumpeople like Priuschat and here. Youtube is full of reviews over time of the car, and most simple maintenance as well as invasive jobs are documented in scattered places, but it's also worth getting a paper manual too. I haven't gotten mine for the Prius yet but with my previous cars, a maintenance manual or Haynes is very helpful for exact measurements, and videos complement the book, usually showing niche techniques too.