Buying a used 01 prius with over 100K
 

Should I ever consider? The car is selling half of its MSRP and I'm tempted if everything in the car is in working order. Toyota says the battery should last as long as the car so I should expect the great same milage at 100,000 km +? What should I look out for as I go to check the car out? If a battery dies in 8 years and its a 01 then it should expire in 08! ;(

What you guys think ?:P

Re: Buying a used 01 prius with over 100K
 

My personal opinion is that these batteries will be fine. But can you trust that feeling? I don't know.

If it were me in your shoes, I'd pay extra for an extended warranty that will cover the
battery. That shouldn't cost more than $1200 I'd bet (bargain them down at purchase time before you agree to buy it) and that's like paying for a "battery insurance policy."

I buy extended warranties on every car because I have been hit with some incredible "out of warranty" car repairs in the last 10 years. $1400 for a compressor, $700 for a fuel injector, etc etc. I play it safe from now on.

Re: Buying a used 01 prius with over 100K
 

I would certainly consider it; I have 128 thousand km on a 2001 Prius. The subject vehicle should be inspected by a toyota hybrid mechanic.

Confirm that all scheduled and specific preventative maintenance has been done. Just last night I became aware that an extensive listing of the latter are in the files section of the Yahoo Canada-Prius group. One must join the group to view the files, but it is a painless procedure.

If treated well, they are among the best used car options, in my opinion.

DAS

Re: Buying a used 01 prius with over 100K
 

Hi Philmcneal:

___$10K for an 01 rated at 52/45 City/Highway w/ 100K on the clock? I can think of much better value at far less then 100K miles. A used 03 Toyota Echo with maybe 70K on her for a touch over ½ that price comes to mind? Similar size, much higher performance, highway FE is about equal but ~ 40% less in the city. And a lot less cash for a similar sized car if you can get past its styling? Neither are a looker by any means ;)

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net

Re: Buying a used 01 prius with over 100K
 

Wayne, I have no doubt that you in an Echo could out-mpg me in a Prius anytime!

So, may I qualify my recommendation for used Prius. In the states where low sulfur fuel is available (CA, MA, ME, NY, VT, and perhaps elsewhere, I do not know about Canadian fuel), the 03 Echo will emit 15-28 times more smog-forming pollutants than the classic Prius. Using the high-sulfur fuel available elsewhere, this advantage essentially disappears, and I must fault Toyota for not making this distinction clearer.

I refer to

www.epa.gov/greenvehicles/

For this info.

Comparison made with other excellent used compacts (e.g. Corolla and Civic) give very similar results. So how about this: a used Classic Prius costs more than other high-mpg compacts, but it remains the best choice for low pollution, if you can get low-sulfur fuel.

All states are supposed to be getting low-S fuel "soon", but I have found the schedule hard to pin down.

Finally, in ways I don't entirely understand, the 2004 etc. Prius has managed to work the low pollution miracle in all states. But their prices have yet to decline.

DAS

Re: Buying a used 01 prius with over 100K
 

Hi Tochatihu:

___Remember, the Prius I and II were built off the Echo’s block. Toyota decided it was not going to make the Echo an SULEV, not you or I. That does not change the fact that the Echo is a LEV but it was Toyota’s mistake, not the owners for this misstep.

___There are any number of used PZEV’s you can purchase with ok FE. A 2001 Nissan Sentra PZEV is just one of maybe 20 examples. Even a used PZEV based Ford Focus w/ the 2.3 or the 2.0e but I am not so sure about its reliability nor its TCO at 70 + K miles … Either way, 100K miles on an 01 Prius I for $10K is a lot of $’s and I would be looking elsewhere myself. Personally, a brand new 06 PZEV Accord LX for ~ $18K would be the best value. It is even cleaner then the Prius II. For $10K or under, you have to look at fruit that is hanging a bit lower on the tree :(

___Good Luck

___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net

Re: Buying a used 01 prius with over 100K
 

i'm a fan of ethanol blended fuel (in canada stations like mohawk and husky they offer midgrade fuel (octane 90) for the price of regular) so if I were to get that prius I'd fill it up with mothernature's fuel all the time!

This sale, I think its private so I'm not sure about an extended warrenty :S

Saving the enviroment is fun but that's not my priority (sorry green guys :P) but I'm a huge sucker for efficency and everytime I'm stuck in traffic I blow my head off because I"m wasting valuable gas. With the prius that can change, its just I'm really worried about the car dying on me three years from now. And of course for the same price I can almost get a new subcompact car, instead of this used prius...

hard choices :cry:

Re: Buying a used 01 prius with over 100K
 

I would grab it, relatively affordable and great milage. Despite xcel's opinion of the Prius I being so similar to an Echo, I strongly disagree. The Prius is a much bigger feeling and far more 'luxury' feeling, and even more 'solid' than an Echo, you really have to compare them to see how different they are. Toyota made the Prius as a 'ground up' project, what it shares with the Echo is some of the body style, but really not even that is the same. They are very reliable, and probably can get quite a few more years out of it without having to put any money into it. The battery is under warranty for 8 years, so Toyota knows they will last at least that long on average, but they are saying up to 15 years because of the performance results seen on their Rav4 EVs that are still running on original packs without much deterioration. Even if you consider the couple thousand or less for an eventual brand new battery pack it's other systems are so reliable it would be worth it. Manuals need clutches, normal CVTs and automatics usually need expensive rebuild-repairs after a while, it's pretty much a constant theme in any car when it gets closer to 150-200k miles. You'll replace brake pads and shoes in a Prius WAY less often too.

Re: Buying a used 01 prius with over 100K
 

hm its posts like that ^ where making a hard decision just turned easier. Thank you! Gonna try my best to check it out and see if I get rid of my "hybrid dreamer" title!!!

Re: Buying a used 01 prius with over 100K
 

Some posters here are confusing miles with kilometers.

You are in Canada, and said 100,000 km. That's 60,000 miles, which makes it look pretty good.