Friend looking for 2012-2014 Prius - what should they look for and what is good price?

[Bruce Lea]

Friend looking for 2012-2014 Prius - what should they look for and what is good price?

[Hybrid21]

I would say service history is very important Bruce along with reasonable mileage and overall condition 👍

[Bruce Lea]

14 minutes ago, Hybrid21 said:

I would say service history is very important Bruce along with reasonable mileage and overall condition 👍

100% true, autotrader has 2012-2014 cars with over 100k going for close to 10k-12k starting in price, lots of high mileage taxis

[TonyHSD]

Prius in general is more expensive than auris hybrid as it’s a bit larger with a bit larger boot and more sought after to the taxi trade. Prius is also a bit more efficient because of its more aerodynamic shape and weight reduction. The only Prius that worth it’s money currently is the plug in ones from 2017-2019 , the reason is because they are 4 seater only, two seats on the back not 3, taxis try to avoid them. Got 19k for a Toyota hybrid, this is the one to get. Plus if you use in town for short trips only you can drive it on electric like full electric car. 👌

[Duffryn]

Take it on a good test run on a road with a less-than-smooth surface to check for any annoying squeaks and rattles coming from the dashboard area. The 17" wheels have hard LRR tyres, go for 15" ones if possible, lower spec models more likely to have these.

Given a good service history reliability will not be a problem, but the 12v Battery (if still original) may/will need replacing.

According to WBAC my 2014 car with only 41300 miles on the clock is valued at £10825. Good luck.

 

[PeteB]

Much as it saddens me to point this out, it would only be fair to warn your friend that the Prius is a particular favourite with catalytic converter thieves, and the cost of fixing it if unlucky enough to be a victim can actually cause quite good cars to be written off.

At my last service in June, my dealer treated my cat with a special heat resistant Smar******er free of charge, and I now have a couple of stickers on the side windows.  That included three years on a register, which can then be extended for "a small fee".  Not sure how effective, but anything that might reduce the risk.

At least then, if a thief is caught, at least Police could track him to the cat, and likely he (or she, I guess) would have some on their skin or clothing.

[AisinW]

@Bruce Lea gets 2015 up for any gen3 hybrid 1.8L. Either Prius, auris, or Prius+. They fixed all kind of issues with oil consumptions, head gasket, and inverter in 2015.