# Finally found a Prius!



## upyouruber (Jul 24, 2017)

So after weeks of searching, found a really sweet deal on a Toyota Prius.
Love it, Love it, Love it is all I can say. First couple nights of Ubering I averaged
51+ mpg. Awesome!


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## Plato (Sep 25, 2017)

How much did it run you?


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## upyouruber (Jul 24, 2017)

$2300 -$1000 (sale price of previous clunker) = $1300!!! Yup, I stole it.
200k


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## MadTownUberD (Mar 11, 2017)

Good job. I hope the repairs don't kill ya!


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## upyouruber (Jul 24, 2017)

MadTownUberD said:


> Good job. I hope the repairs don't kill ya!


Cant be more than the lemon escape i have


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## backcountryrez (Aug 24, 2017)

Was the battery recently replaced?


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## upyouruber (Jul 24, 2017)

backcountryrez said:


> Was the battery recently replaced?


Nope! Original and performing just fine.


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## Rakos (Sep 2, 2014)

Does that have the latch....

That allows you to...

Take the body off and...

Change the important parts...

Rakos


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## AllGold (Sep 16, 2016)

That is a really good deal. I bet you can get at least another 200K miles out of it. How are the tires?


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## Trafficat (Dec 19, 2016)

That is a great deal. If I could find a Prius for that price I'd probably get one. 

Thankfully for me Lyft decided to allow older vehicles in my market so I can drive my 28 MPG clunker around for another year or so.


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## AllGold (Sep 16, 2016)

Prius main battery paranoia is really overblown. Other than if they're damaged from a crash, they hardly ever fail and need to be replaced.

A full replacement costs $3K, not $5K and (unless they're damaged in a crash) the individual cells can be serviced for a lot less than the full replacement cost.


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## Rakos (Sep 2, 2014)

PeterNorth said:


> Good point, those batteries are $5k. So many Prius drivers don't realize there is an expensive ass batter powering their little weapon.


Isn't that the same kind of batteries...

That power flashlights...

And other FUN toys...?

Rakos


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## backcountryrez (Aug 24, 2017)

Rakos said:


> Isn't that the same kind of batteries...
> 
> That power flashlights...
> 
> ...


I believe it's a battery of them.

No pun intended.


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## UberDez (Mar 28, 2017)

I've heard most of those batteries last 250k so for $2k if he can get 50k miles off it and the battery dies he's golden plus even with a dead battery he'd be able to get $500 for it
I think it's a great deal if I saw that I would buy it in a second


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## upyouruber (Jul 24, 2017)

AllGold said:


> That is a really good deal. I bet you can get at least another 200K miles out of it. How are the tires?


New. Have the receipt. Only three months old with 2k miles on them.



UberDezNutz said:


> I've heard most of those batteries last 250k so for $2k if he can get 50k miles off it and the battery dies he's golden plus even with a dead battery he'd be able to get $500 for it
> I think it's a great deal if I saw that I would buy it in a second


Exactly the rationale I used as well. Thank you



PeterNorth said:


> Good point, those batteries are $5k. So many Prius drivers don't realize there is an expensive ass batter powering their little weapon.


Wrong!!!


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## upyouruber (Jul 24, 2017)

Yeah sure, a fool who gets 50+ mpg. Ha!


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## AllGold (Sep 16, 2016)

PeterNorth said:


> That was a quote given to a caller on a car talk radio show I listen to.


Car show or not, it's still wrong.


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## upyouruber (Jul 24, 2017)

PeterNorth said:


> Comes with a cost with a care that old, son.


Not if you know what to look for. I have always purchased used cars and done well with them. If my vehicle parameters irritate you, too bad, deal with it and your car payments!


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## AllGold (Sep 16, 2016)

PeterNorth said:


> Glad you pointed the that out... why don't you do us a favor and call a Toyota mechanic and give the price of the replacement of a cell? I'll wait.


Call? No thanks. We've got this nifty thing called the internet now. It even lets me add it right into this thread:

https://www.torquenews.com/1083/wha...rius-battery-replacement-and-what-are-options


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## upyouruber (Jul 24, 2017)

PeterNorth said:


> Good point, those batteries are $5k. So many Prius drivers don't realize there is an expensive ass batter powering their little weapon.


So very wrong! Hybrid batteries are now approx. $500 installed!


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## RynoHawk (Mar 15, 2017)

They are fun cars to drive. The first gen Priuses had batteries that would not last much longer than 150k miles. The second gen and beyond they upgraded the battery and not unheard of to get 300k miles on original.

The con is hard to find anyone outside of the dealership that will work on them. The pro is that they are very dependable and require infrequent visits to the shop. Oil is good 5k-7k miles and brakes are good for over 100k!

Only other con is horrible blind spots and that rear window(s) takes some getting used to. Oh, and the wimpy little horn. I really wanted to replace mine with an air horn.


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## peteyvavs (Nov 18, 2015)

RynoHawk said:


> They are fun cars to drive. The first gen Priuses had batteries that would not last much longer than 150k miles. The second gen and beyond they upgraded the battery and not unheard of to get 300k miles on original.
> 
> The con is hard to find anyone outside of the dealership that will work on them. The pro is that they are very dependable and require infrequent visits to the shop. Oil is good 5k-7k miles and brakes are good for over 100k!
> 
> Only other con is horrible blind spots and that rear window(s) takes some getting used to. Oh, and the wimpy little horn. I really wanted to replace mine with an air horn.


They also depreciate rapidly and cost a fortune to repair.


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## RynoHawk (Mar 15, 2017)

peteyvavs said:


> They also depreciate rapidly and cost a fortune to repair.


When you spend around $1300 after trade in on a 2008, you really don't have to worry much of depreciation.


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## upyouruber (Jul 24, 2017)

AllGold said:


> That is a really good deal. I bet you can get at least another 200K miles out of it. How are the tires?


Practically new. Tons of tread left.



peteyvavs said:


> They also depreciate rapidly and cost a fortune to repair.


Wrong, wrong, wrong. Whats your source on this info anyway?



RynoHawk said:


> When you spend around $1300 after trade in on a 2008, you really don't have to worry much of depreciation.


Absolutely correct!



Trafficat said:


> That is a great deal. If I could find a Prius for that price I'd probably get one.
> 
> Thankfully for me Lyft decided to allow older vehicles in my market so I can drive my 28 MPG clunker around for another year or so.


Cool. In the meantime, shop for a Prius. When you find a good deal, grab it. You wont be sorry!


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## ebrain (Oct 3, 2016)

Owned 2005 Prius. Loved it all the way from 67k miles when I bought it in 2007 to 150k miles in 2010 .. (had been driving it between Dallas and Houston every weekend) .. Till one day I was going to local Target and noticed engine was not kicking in and battery was down to 3 (pink) bars. Pulled over, and called my mechanic. As expected there were generic codes so he could not figure out what was wrong.

Called the dealership, and they drained main battery completely saying it got drained as part of their testing (*BS* me thinks). They wanted me to buy new battery for $4300 installed. My argument was car had some other problem resulting in battery to drain so they need to find that issue first before selling me the battery but they wanted me to pay for the battery first so that they can diagnose. Can you believe that? They were saying no codes were coming so it was the battery that was at fault and needed to be replaced.

Anyway, got car towed back home and bought another vehicle for me. Forgot about it and 6 months later some friend reminded me about it saying he knew a guy who was interested in my Prius. This dude shows up, listens to my story and offers $500 for the car. I accepted. My friend later told me there was some oil pressure cap (or something like that) which caused engine to stop. So this due bought a used battery for around $1k, almost drained it during his R&D figuring out what the issue was, and fixed it for like $20. His battery got some hit as part of his testing and is not charging fully now but he is happily driving it till date. I see my car once in a while in town (there was hail damage I can recognize) and remind myself no matter how reliable hybrids get I wont buy any used hybrid in my life time ... paid good price to learn that lesson.


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## upyouruber (Jul 24, 2017)

ebrain said:


> Owned 2005 Prius. Loved it all the way from 67k miles when I bought it in 2007 to 150k miles in 2010 .. (had been driving it between Dallas and Houston every weekend) .. Till one day I was going to local Target and noticed engine was not kicking in and battery was down to 3 (pink) bars. Pulled over, and called my mechanic. As expected there were generic codes so he could not figure out what was wrong.
> 
> Called the dealership, and they drained main battery completely saying it got drained as part of their testing (*BS* me thinks). They wanted me to buy new battery for $4300 installed. My argument was car had some other problem resulting in battery to drain so they need to find that issue first before selling me the battery but they wanted me to pay for the battery first so that they can diagnose. Can you believe that? They were saying no codes were coming so it was the battery that was at fault and needed to be replaced.
> 
> Anyway, got car towed back home and bought another vehicle for me. Forgot about it and 6 months later some friend reminded me about it saying he knew a guy who was interested in my Prius. This dude shows up, listens to my story and offers $500 for the car. I accepted. My friend later told me there was some oil pressure cap (or something like that) which caused engine to stop. So this due bought a used battery for around $1k, almost drained it during his R&D figuring out what the issue was, and fixed it for like $20. His battery got some hit as part of his testing and is not charging fully now but he is happily driving it till date. I see my car once in a while in town (there was hail damage I can recognize) and remind myself no matter how reliable hybrids get I wont buy any used hybrid in my life time ... paid good price to learn that lesson.


Just like any car, its all about properly diagnosing any issue.


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## UberDez (Mar 28, 2017)

upyouruber said:


> Just like any car, its all about properly diagnosing any issue.


Really any car if you are planning on buying older used and high mileage vehicles you really need to be able to diagnosis and do a lot of your own work or it's not worth it .


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## AllGold (Sep 16, 2016)

ebrain said:


> Owned 2005 Prius...
> Called the dealership, and they drained main battery completely saying it got drained as part of their testing (*BS* me thinks). They wanted me to buy new battery for $4300 installed. My argument was car had some other problem resulting in battery to drain so they need to find that issue first before selling me the battery but they wanted me to pay for the battery first so that they can diagnose...


Your problem was not so much the car but mostly a lousy, greedy dealer.


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## Pit Stop (Nov 28, 2015)

Hi upyouruber you mentioned you had an escape. I'm looking at a 2008 escape hybrid (deciding between this, a Prius and a civic hybrid of the same year). Is the escape really bad? What year was your Ford?

Btw, great job on your Prius. It's an amazing price


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## UberDez (Mar 28, 2017)

Pit Stop said:


> Hi upyouruber you mentioned you had an escape. I'm looking at a 2008 escape hybrid (deciding between this, a Prius and a civic hybrid of the same year). Is the escape really bad? What year was your Ford?
> 
> Btw, great job on your Prius. It's an amazing price


I'd get the Escape Hybrid over either , they're built pretty darn tough for a small city crossover . You can abuse the Escape a little more than you can a Civic or Prius . You're not gonna get as good of gas mileage but you're gonna have more room & tougher suspensions


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## upyouruber (Jul 24, 2017)

Pit Stop said:


> Hi upyouruber you mentioned you had an escape. I'm looking at a escape hybrid (deciding between this, a Prius and a civic hybrid of the same year). Is the escape really bad? What year was your Ford?
> 
> Btw, great job on your Prius. It's an amazing price


My Ford Escape Poor MPG and reliability, stay away! As for a later model hybrid version, I would still advise against it, especially if you are also considering a Prius and Civic hybrid. With the later two, you will be at peace of mind with their reliable history and the outstanding MPG. For instance, I drove about 10 hours yesterday and averaged 49.6 MPG, which means less fuel consumed and more $$$ in your pocket, which is why we drive in the first place! Good luck with your search. 
PS: rideshare or not, the Prius is the best car I have ever driven. Smooth handling, comftorble interior, vast storage capabilities and MPG of course. Find one that you like and you won't be sorry!


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## Fritz Duval (Feb 4, 2017)

upyouruber said:


> Nope! Original and performing just fine.


Battery 2,000...not winning!


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## upyouruber (Jul 24, 2017)

Fritz Duval said:


> Battery 2,000...not winning!


Wrong. Batteries now at $400-$500 installed.


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## Skorpio (Oct 17, 2017)

Also you saving half in gas annually compared to most cars. The prius depreciate fast? I have been shopping for a prius, its one of the car that retain his value very well.


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## upyouruber (Jul 24, 2017)

Skorpio said:


> Also you saving half in gas annually compared to most cars. The prius depreciate fast? I have been shopping for a prius, its one of the car that retain his value very well.


Depends on mileage, condition, but yeah, they seem to hold their value quite well.


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## ShinyAndChrome (Aug 18, 2017)

AllGold said:


> Prius main battery paranoia is really overblown. Other than if they're damaged from a crash, they hardly ever fail and need to be replaced.
> 
> A full replacement costs $3K, not $5K and (unless they're damaged in a crash) the individual cells can be serviced for a lot less than the full replacement cost.


this. People not familiar with hybrids have an unfounded fear of them. Batteries last life of the vehicle mostly. OP should be able to get many more thousands of miles on this car.

OP has the perfect uberx car. Great on gas and so old depreciation is a non issue now. The car will have repairs as all do but it is a perfect rideshare vehicle. Haters gonna hate.


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## Skorpio (Oct 17, 2017)

I'm driving 3k km per week. $40 in gas daily with my current car. The prius im picking up this week gonna save me $5-6k in gas per year versus any other car. I read many review, the car can go well over 400k km and beyond.


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## upyouruber (Jul 24, 2017)

Rakos said:


> Does that have the latch....
> 
> That allows you to...
> 
> ...


No, but it does have an automatic, hands-free poo ejector!


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## Pit Stop (Nov 28, 2015)

At the end I got a Prius, 09 and 190k on the odo.


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## dirtylee (Sep 2, 2015)

UberDezNutz said:


> Really any car if you are planning on buying older used and high mileage vehicles you really need to be able to diagnosis and do a lot of your own work or it's not worth it .


Yup. Also the fact that the prius & most toyota hybrids won't run at all without the battery. That's a serious design flaw.


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## UberBastid (Oct 1, 2016)

AllGold said:


> Prius main battery paranoia is really overblown. Other than if they're damaged from a crash, they hardly ever fail and need to be replaced.
> 
> A full replacement costs $3K, not $5K and (unless they're damaged in a crash) the individual cells can be serviced for a lot less than the full replacement cost.


Toyota mechanic told me that an entire battery RARELY needs to be replaced. There are individual cells that may go bad. Replace two or three cells for under $200, depending on the year.


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## upyouruber (Jul 24, 2017)

dirtylee said:


> Yup. Also the fact that the prius & most toyota hybrids won't run at all without the battery. That's a serious design flaw.


Ummm, I would think Toyota engineers know what they're doing. BTW, the Prius will operate with a dead hybrid battery, but MPG will suffer greatly!


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## TN and NY driver (Nov 9, 2017)

If you do have to replace the battery pack, get the money for your core charge by giving them the old one, and pay the extra about $500 to get battery pack the Prius Eco has, lighter better battery pack and your gas mileage should go up.


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