Prius information request

[Bob Rufener]

Our daughter lives in San Diego and is in need of a different car. She saw a 2008 Prius with about 43k on it. Price is between 14 and 15k. It was a rental vehicle which bothers me a bit.

I know nothing about the Prius. Any "words of wisdom" would be appreciated as well as if this seems to be an ok car or not.

[Jim Becker]

Professor Dr SWMBO drives a 2008 Prius...it's at about $36K right now. It's a fine vehicle and much larger inside that you might first suspect. It's our second Prius. (I also drive a hybrid...a 2006 Highlander Hybrid Limited) If it is off-rental and has a reasonably warranty, I don't see any issue with considering it seriously. It's economical to drive, comfortable, roomy and since it "turns on a dime", easy to park, too.

[David Weaver]

I wouldn't worry too much about an off-rental prius. That wouldn't exactly be the car of choice for someone looking for a car to abuse.

Plus, rental places actually have documented and carried out maintenance regimes. I wouldn't be surprised to find that the average rental car was in better shape mechanically than the average single-owner car.

They do always seem to have a ding or two somewhere on the outside, though.

[Joe Pelonio]

I agree with David on buying a rental, don't go for a rental Camaro or Mustang, but a Prius should be fine. I have driven my sister-in-law's 2007 when down there visiting, and while the lack of key and startup takes getting used to, it seems quite comfortable and reliable. I think those years had only the floormat recall. Around here that price is right in the ballpark.

[Dan Duperron]

I have one of the original generation Priuses (Priii?), a 2002 with about 75K on it and it's been a rock. I live in the country and average 46MPG, sometimes more. If I lived in the city or spent more time in traffic I'd probably see higher.

The only problem I had with mine was a problem with the steering rack on cold mornings that was repaired under the powertrain warranty. Other than that it's just had standard maintenance, which I do myself. The only odd thing as far as maintenance on my model is changing the coolant in the inverter system now and then (it's separate from the engine coolant). That's not hard provided you can follow instructions, just a little different. The traction battery has a 10-yr warranty so I've still got 2 years left on that. I assume there is something similar on the new ones.

Obviously you are looking at the 2nd or third generation car so there are lots of differences and improvements compared to mine, but I figured I'd share my experience with an old one in case you, like me, keep your cars until the bitter end and were wondering about how they last. I'd buy another one.

As far as buying an ex-rental or any used car, that's all I've ever done. Never owned a new car in my life and likely won't. But don't go in blind - before you buy take the car to a local Toyota dealership and pay the few hundred bucks for a completely thorough pre-purchase inspection. You want them to document anything out of spec or out of the ordinary - along with the cost to make it right. You get two things from this - good data for bargaining and if you buy the car, you know it's solid. With any other car I'd say take it to your favorite independent mechanic, but with a hybrid I expect a good dealer mechanic is better qualified to judge the hybrid system condition. And if they won't let you take the car for a few hours to get checked out, buy somewhere else. There is no legitimate excuse not to let you get it inspected.

[Brian Elfert]

A co-worker of mine has two Priuses. A first gen 2000 or 2001 model and a 2009 model. He liked the first one so much he bought another one. For some reason he kept the old one even though he has three cars for two drivers.

I have another co-worker who also had a first gen Prius. He would drive the side streets instead of the freeway because he would get 5 MPG better, but it would cost him 30 minutes a day. He could have easily afforded the extra gas, but he was cheap. Me, I would rather have the extra 30 minutes a day.

[Jeff Monson]

I wouldn't worry too much about an off-rental prius. That wouldn't exactly be the car of choice for someone looking for a car to abuse.

Plus, rental places actually have documented and carried out maintenance regimes. I wouldn't be surprised to find that the average rental car was in better shape mechanically than the average single-owner car.

They do always seem to have a ding or two somewhere on the outside, though.


Thats very true, I have a good friend that works for Hertz, his job is keeping the fleet maint. up. Oil is changed regular and the scheduled services are also performed. I wouldnt be afraid to buy if the price is decent.

[Bob Rufener]

Thanks to everyone who replied. It makes me feel better about her choice and I will definitely pass the information on to her. I just don't want her to make a choice that she may regret (which can happen to anyone) but it seems to be a very reliable vehicle. She needs to get rid of her 2008 Malibu with about 148k miles on it before something major goes hay wire. I appreciate your input.

[Bryan Morgan]

We used a few for a delivery fleet so we can pretend to be "green'. The drivers hated them and they all fell apart, and I mean literally parts falling off. We always buy Toyota because of their durability (our drivers try to kill everything) but these just weren't standard Toyota vehicles. They also complained about the visibility (or lack thereof). If you want fuel mileage I'd look at something like a Cobalt or a Golf.

[Scott T Smith]

We've had an '08 Prius since new - it has around 50K miles on it now. No unscheduled maintenance whatsoever - just oil changes.

One thing to note... the wrong new tires can negatively impact your mileage by 10% or more. Even tires designed to provide higher MPG can backfire. Be sure to find out what brands and types work best.