Used Prius - am I getting a bad deal?

I am about to buy a used 2004 Prius with 69,554 miles on it for $14000. Is this price too low? I checked the carfax report and it was clean but I am nervous still that there might be something wrong with the car. Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions? I'm going to pick it up in two days so any feedback would help.

Thanks!

Reply to
als
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Have a competent shop ck it out before you lay out your money. Good bodywork can be hard to spot. As can small leaks etc etc.

Reply to
Bob H

It could be a great deal or the owner may know something you don't. In that vein, two things come to mind. A good look at the undercarriage - especially the catalytic and muffler - for damage is a good idea. It isn't hard to hit either of those on a road hazard or even a large speed bump and do damage that costs a couple thousand to fix.

The other area of concern is the transaxle. Failures are rare but are very costly; I understand the part itself is $6000 US. Listen for whines or howls and pass it up if you hear any. It may not be the transaxle but that isn't a chance I'd take unnecessarily. There are other transaxle failure symptoms but those are hard to miss and hard to hide; serious loss of power (like just enough to get off the road) and big warning lights on the speedometer area.

Beyond that, the Prius has fewer trouble areas than most cars. I don't think I've ever heard of head gasket trouble. Do check the coolants (there are two) for traces of rust and walk away if you see any - that's my advice for any car. The radiator is normal but there is also a translucent reservoir at the top of the engine near the firewall for the inverter coolant. Both should be pink and clean.

There is a service record booklet called "Passport to Performance" that comes with the car. It should be up to date and I would hope the 60K mile service was done. The 30K mile intervals are extensive checkups and deeper maintenance. (There is no timing belt to be concerned about as there is on many other cars.)

Mike

Reply to
Michael Pardee

a used 2004 Prius with 69,554 miles on it for

Thank you so much! I am going to pick it up tomorrow and I am going to print out your message and take it with me. The carfax has showed no problems but you never know. The dealership that has the car is in Knoxville and I am in Atlanta. The guy that is helping me said that it is their policy to lower the price on cars if the have been on the lot for more than 25 days. The car was listed at

16k but now its 14k. He said that there is not a huge demand for the Prius in Knoxville like there is in other cities (esp. Atlanta). If you would like to take a look and let me know what you think here is a link to where I found it.
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"3390270&dealer_id0007440&default_sort=priceDESC&model3=&end_year 08&address0316&make2=&start_year 03&fuel=&certified=&keywordsrep=&color2=&search_type=both&max_mileage=&drive=&min_price=&distance00&engine=&transmission=&make=TOYOTA&model2=&keywordsfyc=&color3=&doors=&style_flag=1&max_price=&advanced=&make3=&model=PRIUS&colorThanks again for your comments! I really appreciate it!!!alison
Reply to
als

Since you are buying from a dealership, ask about a warranty. They probably offer one on used vehicles.

Good luck. Looks like a good deal.

- Piper

Reply to
Piper

I'm getting a 4 year unlimited mile warranty (for extra of course). Does anyone know of any Prius specific questions I should ask about the warranty? Thanks!!!!

Reply to
als

No one has mentioned it yet, but Tennessee is a state that allows car titles to be washed. If your car was a flood car, this information can be removed by selling a car through a Tennessee dealer. You may want to check for obvious signs of flooding...look underneath the carpeting and and/or see if any sand or grit is trapped in various nooks and crannies.

Bill in Cary '04 Prius package 9 + XM + GPS override

Reply to
Bill

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