Buying a Gen2 Prius in 2019

[Didge33]

Hello,

My mother is set on buying a Prius and has wanted one for a long time. She currently has a 2010 iQ3 (has all the spec) 1.33 CVT. She likes it but needs something bigger but just as cheap to run! 

For some reason she is dead set on a Prius with a £5,000 budget. From looking around this seems to get you an 07/08 with FSH and 60-80,000 miles. 

I've found a 2007 with 73,000 miles from a independent Toyota dealer with FSH history, leather and parking assist (My Mum would benefit from the rear camera as she is very reliant on the reversing sensors on her iQ currently!).

Are gen2's still a good buy? I'm concerned about the age of the hybrid system, I know they're capable of big miles but I don't know the associated costs along the way. According to MOT history (which it hasn't failed once since 2009) its averaged 4-5000 miles a year, is low millage an issue for these cars, do they need a good run? My Mum will primarily use it for 10-15 mile journeys will every couple of months she'll do a 150-200 mile round trip over a weekend. 

Any help/tips appreciated.

[TonyHSD]

Hi, I think it’s a good buy. Gen 2 Prius are roomiest and most comfortable of all generations Priuses imo . If mileage is genuine ther is nothing to worry. Good if you buy from a dealer to get some kind of warranty just in case, but I think these are strong cars. More technical info from some owners would be of help to you too. 

Good luck with the purchase. 

[kithmo]

SWMBO has a Gen 2 and she loves it. To me the steering feels a bit vague, compared to the Gen 4, probably due to requiring more turns of the wheel lock to lock I think. The only thing that would put me off buying one is the recent theft of her catalytic converter and how easy and quick it was to remove.

 

[Tuggers]

I got my Gen2 new in Jan 2007, and 12 years & 107K virtually trouble-free miles later have just handed it on to my newly-married daughter. I say virtually as a couple of years ago the ABS warning lights came on, but this turned out to be a problem with the sensor and not an ABS fault. I've replaced the 12v Battery once and the exhaust system once.

There's no way I would give my daughter a car that I didn't think was totally reliable. No technical info to share, but for what it's worth in my view if you've got £5K to spend on a 2nd hand car, you could do a hell  of a lot worse than a Gen 2 Prius.

[Ancient Nerd]

I bought a Gen 2 new in 2008. The following year, after 40,000 miles, I replaced it with a Gen 3, but the Gen 2 stayed within the family until 2014, with a mileage of 185,000.

During that time, it needed:

• 3 new sets of tyres, all Michelin Energy Savers. The final set were far from needing replacement.
• 2 sets of brake pads and discs.
• 1 nearside front wheel bearing,replaced by a trusted local garage. 

It started using oil somewhere around 120,000. This came on suddenly, with around 2-3 litres needed between services. There was no sign of leakage, no smoke from the exhaust and no problems from the catalytic converter. I have no idea what was the cause - we just accepted the extra oil use.

After 6 1/2 years, the original 12v Battery was still OK.

There was no sign of any degradation of the traction Battery

I think the build quality of the Gen 2 was noticeably better than subsequent models.

This isn't really an answer to your original question, but I think that if you find a Gen 2 in good condition, then it is likely to give you good service. However, as with any car of that age, repair costs can be significant should they be needed.

[wass]

 The gen 2 is well engineered to be reliable. Certain aspects of later models aren't quite so battleship grade as the gen 2 ,however engine and software development makes the gen 2 less economic than the later models. We both loved our gen2 and found it to be ok for long journeys even though it often sounded a bit too frantic at 70mph...it didn't seem to do it any harm.

[PeteB]

Gen 2s seem to frequently support from braking rear suspension springs, which show no symptoms, but once an eagle eyed MOT tester spots them that's it.  It's less common on the post 2006 face-lift models, so this one may be ok.

Personally, while I thought the Gen 2 was a great car, it was my least favourite Prius because of it's firm seats and even firmer suspension.  Gen 1 Prius had the most comfortable ride of all generations, and I know of two owners who upgraded and disliked the comfort so much they sold them and re-purchased second hand Gen 1s!  That's not to say it's actually bad, and people who never experienced a Gen 1 had no complaints.  I did 46,000 miles in a single year in Gen 2s and was happy enough, but I also did 170,000 miles in Gen 1s (over 9 years) and did prefer the comfort (and the full size matching alloy spare wheel!).

73,000 miles is usually no problem for a Gen 2.  I managed a fleet of Prius minicabs (Gen 2s, then Gen 3s) in the last few years of my working life, and some of my former colleagues actually bought 3-year-old ones at end of lease with around 100k on the clock, and I'm not aware of anyone regretting it.  The fleet had grown to almost 300 when I left the firm, and last I heard they'd passed 600.

[UMM]

Hello everyone,
First time poster here 😊

Around two years ago, I bought a 2nd Gen with almost 100K from a private seller for £3300.
It had service history with Toyota so that helped with my decision.
I do a similar sort of miles as mentioned initially in the post, totalling 5000 a year.

Since then the costs that I've had are:

• 2 x Yearly Service and MOT (don't include parts, see offer): £99
• Front tyres: £144
• Battery [1]: £115
• Front and rear brake discs pads: £520
• Misc parts: £50

I normally fill up once a month and get around 500 miles out of it, around 50-55mpg.

Hope this helps 😎

[1] Didn't cold start if the car was parked for longer than one week although I still have the issue although I think it holds at least for one week but not two which is an issue when I travel)

[FROSTYBALLS]

9 minutes ago, UMM said:

Yearly Service and MOT (don't include parts, see offer😞 £99

The Essential Care programme has now been replaced by the 5+ Club, which provides 20% off services and MOT's -  https://www.snows.co.uk/toyota/aftersales-offers/toyota-5-club/

[UMM]

4 minutes ago, FROSTYBALLS said:

The Essential Care programme has now been replaced by the 5+ Club, which provides 20% off services and MOT's -  https://www.snows.co.uk/toyota/aftersales-offers/toyota-5-club/

Oh 😯

Thank you!

I just had it serviced late March and still used it the offer.
At a glance, the new 20% discount seems better for more than just your basic service right?

 

[PeteB]

10 minutes ago, UMM said:

...Didn't cold start if the car was parked for longer than one week although I still have the issue although I think it holds at least for one week but not two which is an issue when I travel)

All Prius have required care with the 12V Battery, especially the original Gen 1.

Gen 2 were slightly better, and a well charged Battery in good condition should last at least 4 weeks if everything is fine the the car's electrics.

If anything was left switched on I would expect it to be flat in much less than a week, so yours is a little puzzling.

Depending where you leave it when travelling, if it's secure then leaving the alarm off can help - you can do this by locking the car with the emergency key instead of the remote.

Is there anything permanently wired to a live feed such as a Dashcam or OBD (diagnostics) port adaptor?

[FROSTYBALLS]

8 minutes ago, UMM said:

Thank you!

I just had it serviced late March and still used it the offer.
At a glance, the new 20% discount seems better for more than just your basic service right?

Essential Care offered a reduced service. The 5+ Club is Toyota's standard service (Intermediate or Full) but offering 20% off the service and 20% off the MOT. So more expensive but supposedly a more comprehensive service. 

The 5+ Club was introduced from 1st April, so you just got the previous service and MOT offer in time before the change.

[UMM]

1 minute ago, PeteB said:

All Prius have required care with the 12V battery, especially the original Gen 1.

Gen 2 were slightly better, and a well charged battery in good condition should last at least 4 weeks if everything is fine the the car's electrics.

If anything was left switched on I would expect it to be flat in much less than a week, so yours is a little puzzling.

Depending where you leave it when travelling, if it's secure then leaving the alarm off can help - you can do this by locking the car with the emergency key instead of the remote.

Is there anything permanently wired to a live feed such as a dashcam or OBD (diagnostics) port adaptor?

Thanks.

No Dashcam or OBD but normally have a USB charger connected to the 12V.

So normally this happens when I leave it in the airport parking.
I normally use the valet service and has happened to me twice so when I go to pickup the car the Battery is just flat and I have to use the emergency key to open the door.
I then go to the valet service, normally the car is just parked nearby their "offices" and they get someone to jumpstart it and off I go.
What I don't understand is how their drivers can get the car out of their premises before I arrive and deliver to me without issues or at least no issues I'm aware of 🤔

 

[PeteB]

1 hour ago, UMM said:

... normally have a USB charger connected to the 12V.

...What I don't understand is how their drivers can get the car out of their premises before I arrive and deliver to me without issues or at least no issues I'm aware of 🤔

USB charger shouldn't be a problem as the 12V socket should only be live when in Accessory, On or READY mode.

Maybe they use a charger, or leave a door ajar for several hours...

Even since my first Gen 1 Prius in 2002, I've kept one of these in the seat-back pocket (not boot as if Battery is flat you can't open it from outside!):

https://www.amazon.co.uk/RAVPower-10000mAh-Intelligent-Protection-Flashlight/dp/B076LPNY2R/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_4?crid=2AS1KDQW32F6G&keywords=ravpower+jump+starter&qid=1555453890&s=gateway&sprefix=RAVPower+jum%2Caps%2C196&sr=8-4-fkmrnull

[UMM]

9 hours ago, PeteB said:

USB charger shouldn't be a problem as the 12V socket should only be live when in Accessory, On or READY mode.

Maybe they use a charger, or leave a door ajar for several hours...

Even since my first Gen 1 Prius in 2002, I've kept one of these in the seat-back pocket (not boot as if battery is flat you can't open it from outside!):

https://www.amazon.co.uk/RAVPower-10000mAh-Intelligent-Protection-Flashlight/dp/B076LPNY2R/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_4?crid=2AS1KDQW32F6G&keywords=ravpower+jump+starter&qid=1555453890&s=gateway&sprefix=RAVPower+jum%2Caps%2C196&sr=8-4-fkmrnull

Thank you.

I'll have a look at that. I've had mixed experiences with the people that jumpstart it ranging from "I've done this before" or "is this hybrid, oh must be careful with the battery"...😅