Buying a used Prius - advice

[Dina]

I'm hoping to buy a secondhand Prius soon, as my first car, and I wondered if any knowledgeable people here could offer any advice to me. For my budget, around £4-5000, I'm looking at the 3rd generation models, but the problem is that they all have a high mileage. My question is, for a Prius, is it okay to buy a car that has around 190,000 mileage? Thanks.

 

[Semple]

but the problem is that they all have a high mileage

That's certainly not surprising considering every taxi out there is pretty much driving a Prius.

 

[sovietspybob]

I'd be wary of buying a high mileage 2nd hand prius as they'll most likely have been used as a taxi so will have had a hard life.

High mileage isn't necessarily a bad thing but you really do need to know what you're doing when buying high mileage cars and generally be handy with the spanners yourself as there will be things that need fixing and break.

 

[gc123]

id be more worried about how much life the battery has and has it been replaced? seems to be expected life around 150 thousand miles and a replacement cost 2grand upwards

 

[gailjon]

Why are you determined to get a Prius? Almost 200k on a hybrid sounds like a very dangerous situation to me. Surely there must be something else you could get?

 

[b0rn2sk8]

It will have been a taxi, avoid like the plague.

For a car in that price bracket, get a standard petrol car. It will be cheaper to buy and the amount fuel savings from a hybrid is unlikely to offset that cost unless you are driving around town all day every day like a taxi.

 

[Dina]

Thanks for all of your replies. I'm trying to get a car that's less harming to the environment but also reliable and big enough for my family of 5, that is how I arrived at the Prius. Surely some people own them who aren't cabbies?? I'll see if I can find a lower mileage one, otherwise I will have to think again.

 

[b0rn2sk8]

Probably but they’ll have considerably less miles on them and cost considerably more. The U.K. average is about 8k/year for perspective.

Any old car with 190k miles is more than likely going to be a dog, particularly a Prius. The Prius isn’t a particularly big car either for a family of 5, you’d probably be better off looking at full size estates.

To be honest, at this end of the market, the environment should be the lease of your concerns and all cars are pretty bad for the environment regardless of drivetrain.

 

[Lmg80]

Terrible idea

 

[teenwolf]

Yes go for it keep us posted

 

[geekman]

Thanks for all of your replies. I'm trying to get a car that's less harming to the environment but also reliable and big enough for my family of 5, that is how I arrived at the Prius. Surely some people own them who aren't cabbies?? I'll see if I can find a lower mileage one, otherwise I will have to think again.

Be aware that even one with lower mileage could easily have had the mileage changed - it’s incredibly easy to do these days. I’ve seen plenty of cars that have had 100k taken off them and you’d honestly never know, particularly on a Toyota where the interiors hold up pretty well.

While the Prius is probably one of the most reliable hybrids ever made, at that mileage a battery failure is still a distinct possibility as well.

 

[nlel1975]

My Smarts got 3375 genuine miles...



I bought it new registered 21/02/19

 

[Dina]

Speaking to people, it does seem highly likely that a Prius that is around 10 years or so old will have a high mileage, possibly even higher than they are stating, and is likely to have been used as a cab. I'm looking at cars selling on Facebook Marketplace and wondering if that's a better way to go because you can get an idea of the owner from their profile and can tell if they've used it as a cab. Although that does seem horribly snoopy. I'm also reluctantly considering the idea that Hybrids are just too expensive for me to pay for, considering that I need a decent size one and won't actually be using it all that often.

 

[Dyson]

Family of 5, presuming at least one car seat, for occasional use? The old forum favourite, the Ford Mondeo, sounds ideal.

 

[Vita]

Most of the Priuses in that price bracket are or will have been used as taxis. You might get the ocassional one owner car with highish miles, but I'm talking around 100-120k at the most.

Why are you wanting a hybrid in the first place?

 

[Dina]

Mostly so that they are more environmentally friendly, I believe that the Prius has low Co2 emissions. Saving on fuel would also be good and I'm told Hybrids hold their value better.

I'll take a look at the Ford Mondeo, thanks. It would be three booster seats in the back, hopefully.

 

[Vita]

Mostly so that they are more environmentally friendly, I believe that the Prius has low Co2 emissions. Saving on fuel would also be good and I'm told Hybrids hold their value better.

I'll take a look at the Ford Mondeo, thanks. It would be three booster seats in the back, hopefully.

The Mondeo will be a better bet.

I'm on my second hybrid, I really like them for what they are. I looked at purchasing the newer Prius but ended up with the new corolla instead.

 

[phil675]

With the Prius' they are generally reliable but there can be big bills with the electric stuff. Batteries can have individual cells diagnosed and changed with reconditioned ones, so there is no need to go to Toyota and get an entirely new battery for thousands should anything go wrong. The inverter can be over a grand to replace as well, but it's rare they go. They hold their price well because they are so reliable basically.

 

[[TW]Fox]

My Smarts got 3375 genuine miles...



I bought it new registered 21/02/19

I'm struggling to understand how this is at all relevant to the OPs quest to buy a car to seat 5 for 5k.

 

[Bug One]

If it's no longer profitable to be run as a taxi, then surely it's going to be an absolute money pit for you.