Hi,

I'm considering buying a Prius and was looking around and found what initially appeared to be an ideal car. A Gen 2 Prius in great condition and low mileage. However I was then told it was a Japanese import having been imported into the UK last year.

Its unlikely I'd have shown any interest if I'd initially known it was an import but due to condition I am still tempted.

Does anyone have experience or knowledge of Prius imports. I am aware through some searching on intranet that with certain models of car there can be differences in spec and even some parts and for instance some Japanese model imports I believe may not have deadlocks and lower speced alarms (non Thatcham).

I believe the Prius has an 8 year 1000,000mile warranty on the Hybrid side of things and I'm presuming that this would not apply to a vehicle imported from outwith Europe after registration.

Does anyone know what differences there are (if any) or other things to look out for. I assume diagnostics etc would be fine at a local Toyota dealer.I did read one other user who imported his own and the HV batteries were faulty. This one is here already and registered in UK and I can have it inspected and there is an offer of an insurance warranty by the dealer although I would have to read small print re hybrid side of things if Toyotas warranty does not apply.

I am tempted due to condition and mileage but I'm not keen to be stung with a problem. I did pop into a Toyota dealer but they had no experience of an imported Prius although had dealt and serviced other imports without too much problem although did mention that they had occasionally difficulty with some parts if they were different from UK spec.

Thanks

Sorry not much help but you'd need to also consider your insurance as imports are often a lot more expensive as they can be more expensive to fix for the reasons you already recognise above.

I'm one of the imported Prius buyer. I imported myself. And yes , my HV battery need it to be replaced. It cost me a fortune to repair. It was done by TOYOTA but not under the warranty. The car was 7 years old at the time so their warranty should have applied. NOT FOR JAP(GREY) IMPORTS.
There are 2 models you should know about. NHW10 and NHW11(my model). The earlier was manufactured only for the jap market so the european diagnostic equipment apparentely does not work on this model. Also there are some electrical and mechanical differences even if to naked eye they look similar- to the people in the know there are imediate clues- front lower grill is smaller, the rear lights are different, the alloys are dark grey and instrument cluster is slightly different. There is different power output from the engine and the voltage of the battery is different.
The later model( is listed as first model in UK), as far as I know, is bog standard across the world but some of the spec is different from country to country. The japanese model has the displays in japanese mainly and some in english, but with time they are very intuitive. I have purchased a owner manual from canada(in english) and that made it easy to understand. There is NO alarm(not factory fitted anyway) and NO IMOBILISER.. The TOYOTA garage that fixed my car had no problem pluging into it. Servicing this is standard - v like any other car- but must pay attention to the oil level- more than need it is as bad as NO oil. The hybrid system doesn't need servicing. There are a number of potential causes for the hybrid system to fail but if can get a warranty for the entire hybrid system from the seller and he is reputable, than he should be worried about it and not you.
My Prius was in immaculate condition when it arrived with low milleage. But if you see any lights that stay on on your dash than walk away.
Hope that this info helps.
Good luck

Hi,

Thanks for help, I assume its the NW11 model you spoke of as its a 2005. Insurance is a consideration so I'll need to check on that as it doesn't have an alarm or immobiliser then that may cost more and may wipe out the VEL savings. Now that I know a bit more I may go back and have a closer look re displays etc. A lot too think about.

Thanks for advice and help so far.

The year doesn't sound right for a NHW11, if it's a 5-door hatchback then it's a NHW20 (years 2004-2009 (actually late 2003-early 2009). If it's a 4-door model then I think it has to have been manufactured before 2004.

Speak to the right insurer and it shouldn't make a difference

Sorry for the confusion: Yes , the 2005 model is the newer model(NHW20) is called GEN 2 in UK. I was refering to the previous model. I assume the same principles would apply for caution and repairs.