OT: Purchasing a used Prius

[p nut]

A family member is looking for a commuter vehicle to replace his Nissan Sentra (CVT is going out). Empty nester and no need to haul passengers or cargo (he has a truck for that). Just himself. Main goal is max MPG and reliability.

One of the cars he’s looking at with lots of interest is a Prius. Particularly a 2015 Prius 2 with 80k miles for $11.5k. But looking at others as well (other options include a Corolla, Camry, Civic). He wants to spend ~$15k max.

How are these, reliability wise? I’ve heard a good rule of thumb is the batteries last around 10-12 years on the average. I don’t know much about the longevity of Toyota CVT’s either.

Any input from past, current owners or enthusiasts?

[vav]

11.5 k with 80k miles? Sounds like a deal to me. A quick search and I couldn't find a '15 Prius 2 with same mileage for less than 15k. Almost too good to be true I'd say. Is it private sale / neighbor / family / friend?

As for reliability, Toyota is second to none whn it comes to transmissions/engines, etc. I'd buy with confidence.

[rnhood]

The Prius is a Toyota which is good but, some have had oil burning issues. It will run fine, just that the higher mileage ones (100k+) might use oil - maybe a quart every thousand miles or so. I would be very careful about buying any higher mileage car but, that doesn’t mean they are prone to problems. It’s just that there is more risk.

My recommendation is a Toyota Corolla. The value here, in general, just can’t be beat. Buy the lowest mileage used one that you can find, preferably a demo model from a dealer, and you will have years of reliable transportation not to mention a warranty. Treat it well and when you do decide to sell or trade it, you’ll likely have people standing in line to buy it.

[vav]

Originally Posted by rnhood

T

My recommendation is a Toyota Corolla. The value here, in general, just can’t be beat.

Just to add to my ^ post, my daily driver is an '06 Corolla with almost 150k miles on the clock. Regular maintenance is all I do and so far no issues of any kind.

[Spaghetti Legs]

Prii are probably the most reliable cars I’ve ever owned. I drove a 2006 for several years, zero problems and my wife still has her 2012 Plug In - doesn’t see a lot of use, but likewise no problems. An old friend of mine drove an ‘05 for 10+ years before replacing it with another. He replaced the battery at one point and I asked him why he did that, lower mileage, other problems, etc and he just said the mechanic at the dealership told him it needed replacement.

[.RJ]

As an alternative, a VW TDI (golf/jetta/golf wagon) would be a great choice, too.

[dgauthier]

Originally Posted by p nut

(...) I’ve heard a good rule of thumb is the batteries last around 10-12 years on the average.(...)

That's the issue right there. In five years give or take your family member will be faced with replacing the batteries for thousands of dollars or buying another car.

I see plenty of old Camry's, Corolla's, Tacoma's, Forerunner's, etc. on the roads. Where are all the old Prius's, if they're supposed to be so great?

[C40_guy]

Originally Posted by .RJ

As an alternative, a VW TDI (golf/jetta/golf wagon) would be a great choice, too.

That would be my vote. 50+ miles per gallon, fun to drive, easy to maintain, inexpensive.

I drove a Prius once or twice. Rental fleet. Felt like I was being punished, automotively, for something bad I had done (and probably deserved). Car has zero soul, completely gutless and boring. Only saving grace was the video game on the console (which shouldn't be there as it *is* distracting.)

My brother just traded an early Prius on a plug in Honda hybrid. He put 150K on his, relatively hard miles, no issues. But boring as ****.

[buddybikes]

We have had Priuses since 2004. Our 2007 daughter finally traded in 2020, with the batteries probably needing replacement. 2015 you have plenty. It is on a corolla chassis, so much similar. Drive (and get 45mpg when gas is closing on 4.00) and basically forget. Least our history.

We will always have a toyota hybrid in our family.

[paredown]

Originally Posted by C40_guy

That would be my vote. 50+ miles per gallon, fun to drive, easy to maintain, inexpensive.

I drove a Prius once or twice. Rental fleet. Felt like I was being punished, automotively, for something bad I had done (and probably deserved). Car has zero soul, completely gutless and boring. Only saving grace was the video game on the console (which shouldn't be there as it *is* distracting.)

My brother just traded an early Prius on a plug in Honda hybrid. He put 150K on his, relatively hard miles, no issues. But boring as ****.

Agree--Pri-i are like mobile toasters-- A to B without a fuss, but OMG they are so nondescript to drive. We'd get them occasionally with our ZIP car membership when we were still in Brooklyn, and of all the econo boxes we could rent they were my least favorite.

The battery problem (expense of swap) does seem to be a bit overblown--a thriving secondary market emerged pretty quickly, with salvage batteries from wrecks providing a lower cost alternative to dealer swaps...

[p nut]

Thanks everyone. Just a note, he’s an individual who honestly couldn’t care less of driving dynamics. He’s a drive at or below speed limit, 10-2 type of guy. MPG and reliability are top priorities.

Corolla is high on the list as well. I think they went to CVT in 2017. Am I to assume Toyota CVT’s are superior to Nissan? My wife had a 2004 with a 4-speed auto that ran really well. Loved that car but family outgrew it.

TDI’s are nice. Unfortunately, he’s opposed to anything euro as he’s had a bad experience with his daughter’s Audi that essentially gave up the ghost at 125k miles. That’s after putting in some major $$$. So he is staying clear of Vw/Audi/BMW/etc.

Originally Posted by vav

11.5 k with 80k miles? Sounds like a deal to me. A quick search and I couldn't find a '15 Prius 2 with same mileage for less than 15k. Almost too good to be true I'd say. Is it private sale / neighbor / family / friend?

As for reliability, Toyota is second to none whn it comes to transmissions/engines, etc. I'd buy with confidence.

It was a private seller but as it turns out, it’s a R&R title. Pass.
I see 2015-2016’s going for $14-16k or so. I think that is what we’ll continue to search for. Also, he doesn’t care much about amenities, so probably a 2 trim level will suffice.

[RFC]

I have A 2008. It is the most reasonable and practical car I have driven. I had to replace the battery at 150k miles and it was no big deal. When they first came out, Toyota was charging $5k. When I replaced it, Toyota was quoting $3k. I found a better solution for $1,400.

https://greenbeanbattery.com/prius-h...xoCaKUQAvD_BwE

[robt57]

When I got one for my Kid, and I suggest this for a used Prius purchase strongly.

I Got a Bluetooth OBD-II Port reader and an app on my droid that the add-ins available showed me this:

[robt57]

BTW, a Late Model Honda Fit may be good choice for a few reasons.

Non complicated systems for repair cost potential. Our 2018 [just traded in on a 2020 Bolt] got 39-41MPG always. the CVT is better than the manual shift by a good margin. We looked at the stick first. My kids Prius get 49-52 in optimum areas of use, but can also do 35 MPG most if you lead foot it, about same as the Fit lead footed?, my guesstimate.

IMO bang for the buck ride.

Fit is Tardis big on the inside, More room folded deck to ceiling than my CRV was. The 2008 Prius isn't bad either in this regard.

I'll mention I had a 8x4.6' aluminum trailer and a hitch on the Fit. The Fit can tow 2000lb, had 500lb more tow capacity than the AWD/CRV surprisingly. Alloy trailer weighed 400 lb, so I could carry 1500 lb with the 1.5 Fit. I usually only carried 1000-1200 [gross] when I did use our trailer on with Fit.

[carpediemracing]

We have a 2017 Civic, 1.5 liter engine, and it's been great. Around town it's 38mpg driven not-cautiously, and on the highway it's typically 42-45 at 70-75 mph cruising speed, sometimes 80+, and having to push hard to maintain fast cruising speed on the longer hills (typically few minutes long around here). I even put wider (less fuel efficient) tires on it, 245 vs 215.

We have a stick.

No worries about batteries etc. For the simplicity of maintenance, no worries about the EV portion of a hybrid, it's nice.

For a hybrid I'd want to get some substantial amount better mileage, like 60-80 mpg.

We had TDIs before, Jetta Wagon and Golf, the kind that VW had to buy back. They were great but the Civic is a great replacement. Cheaper fuel, more readily available, no waiting for a particular pump.

MIL had a Prius, grandmother (lives elsewhere) a Civic Hybrid. Brother has a new Civic hybrid (Insight, 2020?) but I haven't talked to him about it yet.