# Hey Prius Owners



## Coyotex (Feb 10, 2019)

I'm looking at buying a used Prius to use for rideshare (and travel back and forth a few hundred miles every few weeks).
I'm asking Prius owners, the ones who purchased their Prius used, what they think?
A mechanic friend of mine said to stay away from any used hybrids as the battery will most likely be shot and getting a new one cost a ton of money.
What's your thoughts?

Also, Prius is still eligible for rideshare, yes?


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## 1.5xorbust (Nov 22, 2017)

I’ve owned a used Prius for three years and highly recommend it. The battery issue I think is exaggerated. The individual cells can be replaced at a significantly less expense than replacing the entire battery. There are several threads regarding this.


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## observer (Dec 11, 2014)

You can buy the individual cells for about forty bux or the whole battery pack for around six hundred bux.

It takes a youtube video, simple hand tools and about an hour and half to replace.

Or you can have a guy come out to your house and change it in your driveway.

It's less complicated than changing brake pads.


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## Polomarko (Dec 20, 2016)

Coyotex said:


> I'm looking at buying a used Prius to use for rideshare (and travel back and forth a few hundred miles every few weeks).
> I'm asking Prius owners, the ones who purchased their Prius used, what they think?
> A mechanic friend of mine said to stay away from any used hybrids as the battery will most likely be shot and getting a new one cost a ton of money.
> What's your thoughts?
> ...


Yes buy it. It is good car. Go to Airport waiting lot and count you will se how many Toyota Prius is in there.


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## mbd (Aug 27, 2018)

You can replace individual cells or get the whole battery for 700$ , used .


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## AzAppDriver (Feb 27, 2017)

I would say it's a good buy. If you're worried about battery replacement, you can always get a Corolla, just as reliable.


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## SFOspeedracer (Jun 25, 2019)

Or a Camry bro ???? they are spacious and last forever, as Toyota does


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## AzAppDriver (Feb 27, 2017)

SFOspeedracer said:


> Or a Camry bro ???? they are spacious and last forever, as Toyota does


Yup. I have a Camry and Prius. Both are excellent vehicles.


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## SFOspeedracer (Jun 25, 2019)

AzAppDriver said:


> Yup. I have a Camry and Prius. Both are excellent vehicles.


They are .. I think I will shift over to electric when the miles between charges come to 400+ miles .. but a Prius is perfect for rideshare


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## doyousensehumor (Apr 13, 2015)

Some sellers have replaced the batt before, it is worth something when you negotiate.
If you are in a warmer climate battery longevity is more of an issue.
You might want to be prepared in case you do have to replace it, whether it says repair, buy used, or buy new... potentially if you keep the Prius long enough you will need to deal with it .
Prius's tend to be more reliable than the average car but higher than average repair cost

You might want to test out uber driving for a week BEFORE you buy a vehicle for it BTW. 95% of drivers quit before a year and average driver has somewhere around 3 months experience... there is a reason why...?


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## BCS DRIVER (Oct 25, 2018)

It is a great ride share car. Mine is an '07 with 186K miles on it. But there is the battery issue so bear that in mind. All batteries have a finite life span. I had to replace mine at 120K miles. I first did the replace the bad module thing. Another went bad a few weeks later. Bought a supposedly new pack ($2500) that turned out to have all used reconditioned modules. Returned it for my money back. Wound up buying a new pack from Toyota ($2100) self installed. Then there's an added maintenance step. That is the fan that cools the batteries. There is no filter for this fan so the blades will cake up with dust and hair which affects the cooling which affects the battery life. Ask me how I know this. Cleaning it is easy but it does take an hour or so to get out and another to put back in.

There is a company out there that sells a new pack ($1600) which uses the same battery technology but the modules are a bit different. I'm not sure I can post a link to their site so if you want more info you can message me here.


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## observer (Dec 11, 2014)

BCS DRIVER said:


> It is a great ride share car. Mine is an '07 with 186K miles on it. But there is the battery issue so bear that in mind. All batteries have a finite life span. I had to replace mine at 120K miles. I first did the replace the bad module thing. Another went bad a few weeks later. Bought a supposedly new pack ($2500) that turned out to have all used reconditioned modules. Returned it for my money back. Wound up buying a new pack from Toyota ($2100) self installed. Then there's an added maintenance step. That is the fan that cools the batteries. There is no filter for this fan so the blades will cake up with dust and hair which affects the cooling which affects the battery life. Ask me how I know this. Cleaning it is easy but it does take an hour or so to get out and another to put back in.
> 
> There is a company out there that sells a new pack ($1600) which uses the same battery technology but the modules are a bit different. I'm not sure I can post a link to their site so if you want more info you can message me here.


As long as you aren't the owner or a salesman for that company it's ok to post.


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## BCS DRIVER (Oct 25, 2018)

No I'm neither

http://store.newpriusbatteries.com/new-prius-battery-kit-gen2-2004-2009/


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## Coyotex (Feb 10, 2019)

Thanks! 

So how does one charge these batteries/cars? Does it require a certain plug in? A certain place to go?


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## peteyvavs (Nov 18, 2015)

Coyotex said:


> I'm looking at buying a used Prius to use for rideshare (and travel back and forth a few hundred miles every few weeks).
> I'm asking Prius owners, the ones who purchased their Prius used, what they think?
> A mechanic friend of mine said to stay away from any used hybrids as the battery will most likely be shot and getting a new one cost a ton of money.
> What's your thoughts?
> ...


The Prius has a 10 year warranty on its batteries, if you get one just don't get the Prius C, they are to small.



Coyotex said:


> Thanks!
> 
> So how does one charge these batteries/cars? Does it require a certain plug in? A certain place to go?


The Prius self charges, it's runs on gas and electricity.



peteyvavs said:


> The Prius has a 10 year warranty on its batteries, if you get one just don't get the Prius C, they are to small.
> 
> 
> The Prius self charges, it's runs on gas and electricity.


Yes the Prius is eligible for rideshare, with the exception of the Prius C which is really small.


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## observer (Dec 11, 2014)

Also avoid the 2010, I've heard they have piston or cylinder problems.


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## E30addixt (Dec 4, 2016)

Prius has been perfect for rideshare. The battery "issue" is scare tactics. The fuel bill is half of what is was in my Camry. 

It doesn't take long to save enough to replace the battery in a worst case scenario anyway.

The cars are boring to drive but their operating costs are stupid low.


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## BCS DRIVER (Oct 25, 2018)

peteyvavs said:


> The Prius has a 10 year warranty on its batteries,


"Toyota *Prius Battery Warranty*
In the state of *California*, the *warranty* for a Toyota *Prius* is good for 10 years or 150,000 miles, whichever comes first. In other states, the hybrid *battery warranty* is good for 8 years or 100,000 miles."

Buying used you would want to check if the warranty carries over to the second owner.


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## peteyvavs (Nov 18, 2015)

BCS DRIVER said:


> "Toyota *Prius Battery Warranty*
> In the state of *California*, the *warranty* for a Toyota *Prius* is good for 10 years or 150,000 miles, whichever comes first. In other states, the hybrid *battery warranty* is good for 8 years or 100,000 miles."
> 
> Buying used you would want to check if the warranty carries over to the second owner.


The battery warranty is good here in Florida for 10 years, the warranty stays with the vehicle not the original owner.


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## BCS DRIVER (Oct 25, 2018)

peteyvavs said:


> The battery warranty is good here in Florida for 10 years, the warranty stays with the vehicle not the original owner.


Wish it was so in Texas. My replacement would have been $0. :frown:


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## Sal29 (Jul 27, 2014)

Coyotex said:


> I'm looking at buying a used Prius to use for rideshare (and travel back and forth a few hundred miles every few weeks).
> I'm asking Prius owners, the ones who purchased their Prius used, what they think?
> A mechanic friend of mine said to stay away from any used hybrids as the battery will most likely be shot and getting a new one cost a ton of money.
> What's your thoughts?
> ...


Batteries don't usually go bad till well over 200k miles. Clogged EGR systems, Oil burning issues and blown head gaskets, and inverter failures are somewhat more common in gen 3s after about 150k miles.

2015 gen 3s don't have oil burning issues or inverter problems because of redesigned pistons and piston rings, and inverters.
Good maintenance and timely coolant flushes, full egr system cleaning/replacement, and oil catch can installation should greatly reduce the chance of headgasket failure.
All this info is for Gen3(2010-2015)


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## lyft_rat (Jul 1, 2019)

It seems 200k is a place where many cars can have expensive failures if they make it that far. The shitty thing is to get nickeled and dimed to stay on the road thinking what else could possibly break, then you get the big one that puts her down for the count.


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## Nycmaster1997 (Jul 9, 2019)

Coyotex said:


> I'm looking at buying a used Prius to use for rideshare (and travel back and forth a few hundred miles every few weeks).
> I'm asking Prius owners, the ones who purchased their Prius used, what they think?
> A mechanic friend of mine said to stay away from any used hybrids as the battery will most likely be shot and getting a new one cost a ton of money.
> What's your thoughts?
> ...


Go for it. The amount of money you save on gas annually it's definitely worth the investments . Here in nyc about 80% of car service and taxi vehicles are Toyota hybrid 


Coyotex said:


> I'm looking at buying a used Prius to use for rideshare (and travel back and forth a few hundred miles every few weeks).
> I'm asking Prius owners, the ones who purchased their Prius used, what they think?
> A mechanic friend of mine said to stay away from any used hybrids as the battery will most likely be shot and getting a new one cost a ton of money.
> What's your thoughts?
> ...





Coyotex said:


> I'm looking at buying a used Prius to use for rideshare (and travel back and forth a few hundred miles every few weeks).
> I'm asking Prius owners, the ones who purchased their Prius used, what they think?
> A mechanic friend of mine said to stay away from any used hybrids as the battery will most likely be shot and getting a new one cost a ton of money.
> What's your thoughts?
> ...


Go for it! The amount of money you save on gas annually is definitely worth the investments . Here in nyc 80% of all car services and taxis are Toyota hybrids and most of them has average of 300k mileage and more and when the cells go bad they replace them separately for less than one thousand dollars with a one year warranty. But off curse stay a way from Toyota dealerships for maintenance!!


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## Ping.Me.More (Oct 27, 2018)

SFOspeedracer said:


> Or a Camry bro ???? they are spacious and last forever, as Toyota does


I saw a database dump by City of Chicago recently, on registered rideshare cars
for Chicago. (I think it listed about 20,000 car registrations, but my memory may be incorrect).
Sorting by car make and model, it showed the Toyota Camry as having
the largest number of registrations, vs all other cars.


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## SFOspeedracer (Jun 25, 2019)

Ping.Me.More said:


> I saw a database dump by City of Chicago recently, on registered rideshare cars
> for Chicago. (I think it listed about 20,000 car registrations, but my memory may be incorrect).
> Sorting by car make and model, it showed the Toyota Camry as having
> the largest number of registrations, vs all other cars.


They are now basically the mid size version of the corolla .. economical and the body style of 2018+ is gorgeous .. love all Toyota's but the Camry takes the gold for me, so that figure in Chicago makes sense

!!


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## WinterFlower (Jul 15, 2019)

SFOspeedracer said:


> Or a Camry bro ???? they are spacious and last forever, as Toyota does


I was planning arguing about your car, but then I noticed your avatar.... Go Camry, go!!!! :laugh:



Ping.Me.More said:


> I saw a database dump by City of Chicago recently, on registered rideshare cars
> for Chicago. (I think it listed about 20,000 car registrations, but my memory may be incorrect).
> Sorting by car make and model, it showed the Toyota Camry as having
> the largest number of registrations, vs all other cars.


People who know about cars (don't look at me) say they're very reliable


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## SFOspeedracer (Jun 25, 2019)

WinterFlower said:


> I was planning arguing about your car, but then I noticed your avatar.... Go Camry, go!!!! :laugh:
> 
> 
> People who know about cars (don't look at me) say they're very reliable


They are ... Toyota is one of those brands that actually live up to their hype


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## WinterFlower (Jul 15, 2019)

SFOspeedracer said:


> They are ... Toyota is one of those brands that actually live up to their hype


What's Camry MPG?


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## Uber_Yota_916 (May 1, 2017)

Find an aftermarket mechanic that specializes in hybrids. Using aftermarket parts, including battery, will save you a lot of money. 

Screw OEM and dealerships. This job does not pay enough to get taken advantage financially.


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## SFOspeedracer (Jun 25, 2019)

WinterFlower said:


> What's Camry MPG?


30 city 40 Hwy


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## WinterFlower (Jul 15, 2019)

SFOspeedracer said:


> 30 city 40 Hwy


? a true money-maker. And so spacious, I know


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## Coyotex (Feb 10, 2019)

The original Prius I was looking at was sold before I could get to it.  
Oh well, that's the way it goes.
I'm still looking for one. I like the color white, and I would prefer cloth interior than leather (or fake leather). Just personal preference.
Every Prius I'm looking at get at least 45mpg. Are most of your Prius owners getting that kind of mileage?


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## Illini (Mar 14, 2019)

I have a White 2013. It has the fake leather interior. I average between 55 and 60 mpg.
Several Pax tell me it's the first time they've been in one and asks me how it works.
Also, I get lots of comments on how roomy it is in back. With the front passenger seat all the way up, there is an absolute ton of leg room in back.


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## observer (Dec 11, 2014)

Illini said:


> I have a White 2013. It has the fake leather interior. I average between 55 and 60 mpg.
> Several Pax tell me it's the first time they've been in one and asks me how it works.
> Also, I get lots of comments on how roomy it is in back. With the front passenger seat all the way up, there is an absolute ton of leg room in back.


The Prius has a lot of room. My son has taken ours to Coachella and camped out in it.


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## Coyotex (Feb 10, 2019)

How many of your Prius owners had to replace your battery? If so, at what mileage did you do it?


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## lyft_rat (Jul 1, 2019)

Ping.Me.More said:


> I saw a database dump by City of Chicago recently, on registered rideshare cars
> for Chicago. (I think it listed about 20,000 car registrations, but my memory may be incorrect).
> Sorting by car make and model, it showed the Toyota Camry as having
> the largest number of registrations, vs all other cars.


Perhaps the greatest silent reaper of rideshare mania is corporate Japan.

If it was UberEats delivering sushi that would be really full circle.


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## BCS DRIVER (Oct 25, 2018)

Coyotex said:


> How many of your Prius owners had to replace your battery? If so, at what mileage did you do it?


At 120K miles


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## Coyotex (Feb 10, 2019)

BCS DRIVER said:


> At 120K miles


Really? Was the 120k miles you drove, or on the odometer? What year is your Prius?


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## BCS DRIVER (Oct 25, 2018)

Coyotex said:


> Really? Was the 120k miles you drove, or on the odometer? What year is your Prius?


Yes me and the wife drove them. 07' purchased new in May of 07' When that dash lit up like a Christmas tree I'm thinking WTF!! Just my luck


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## E30addixt (Dec 4, 2016)

Time is more an issue then mileage with batteries. An old battery that's rarely driven on a car with low miles is a bigger time bomb then a newer one with higher miles.

At some point with much higher mileage the cycles on the battery become the bigger issue vs time, but you can't definitively put a mileage or time limit on them. Usage is pretty key in that equation.


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## dryverjohn (Jun 3, 2018)

Coyotex said:


> The original Prius I was looking at was sold before I could get to it. :frown:
> Oh well, that's the way it goes.
> I'm still looking for one. I like the color white, and I would prefer cloth interior than leather (or fake leather). Just personal preference.
> Every Prius I'm looking at get at least 45mpg. Are most of your Prius owners getting that kind of mileage?


I own a 2008 and a 2010, the 2008 is 46.9mpg and the 2010 gets 50 mpg. I never get to drive the 2010 as it's on turo for $37 a day and rents out frequently. Battery has been replaced on 2008 twice, guy i bought it from used mobile service, they did a shit job and it failed. I went to a local guy that does unlimited mileage 12 month warranty for $850. 2008 Car was $4500 with 140k miles. I recently replaced the a/c blower fan for $34. Shop owner has Prius that has 750k miles on it and was repairing one that had 800k miles, pilot car for over size loads. Both are original engines, batteries have been reconditioned, cars are tanks if you follow the minimal, check oil, use synthetic every 10k, do the 100k service. Around me that is $650, local non toyota prius only shop.


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