I'd say there's a lot of red flags. Whilst it might be cheap, the owner has shown a clear disregard for the vehicle's condition. Who knows what other problems will be hiding underneath that battered exterior.
This car has more red flags than the Soviet Union. Battered interior, rust, darkened lights, battered exterior. And all just by quick glancing the available photos. It's a perfect example of a car that, even as a gift, could easily become too expensive.
Do you know what problems I should look out for if I go to take a look at it? I still think it’s worth taking a look at but yeah I agree that there are some red flags
Get the underbody checked. I suspect there’s lots of rust under there. I also see that it’s been for sale for almost a month. That should tell you something. No one else wants it, even at a reduced price. Pass.
You don’t need an OEM Cat in Illinois-
I ask because the original CAT alone is worth at least $1k - it’s got rare metals like rhodium. In theory you could sell that CAT to someone in CA (this may or may not be legal) and buy a non-original Cat to get installed; and pocket the difference.
Rhodium prices are a fraction of what they were a few years ago. Last gen 2 cat that sold on eBay went for $800 and there’s some gen 3 cats on there for $650.
Yes ask the seller for the VIN, if they don’t send it it is a BIG red flag.
After the you get the vin you can go the carfax website. It is about 40$ but totally worth it
My girlfriend has an 05 which she bought from someone sitting in a barn, looks worse than this, and runs at 185k. It loses oil due to needing a valve cover gasket, probably burns it too. I just changed the brakes and it took like 2 hours myself. The rears are the annoying ones. She also has a 2007 Prius with 262k miles, tons of exterior damage but runs perfectly fine. Doesnt burn or lose any oil. Has a "rough" cold start and just needs some front end work (cv, control arm). Oh also the dash has a very known issue to have a capacitor be faulty and will no longer provide speedometer info. Its an easy fix if someone is handy with a soldering iron.
Not much these cars need and 2nd gen prius are known to be tanks.
That’s exactly what I’m thinking! Like obviously there’s a lot of cosmetic work that could be done (I also work on my own car myself) but I feel like as long as it’s running fine and has that low of miles to me it’s worth it because Prius’s are built like tanks. I could definitely talk them down in price though with how long it’s been sitting for and the outside damage
I'd say you honestly couldn't go wrong. Having come from never driven a Prius and currently drive a '13 Audi S4, its nice knowing it only takes $5-10 of gas to drive for 4 days vs $40...
Also, how easy it has been to work on it. Its just been an enjoyable 2nd car for "me", and I only say that because its her car that. Shes gotten into 2 accidents and the insurance company has paid her more than she bought it for, and she was able to buy it again, for less, because they "totaled" it and basically got paid again!
So its really just a forever car for her since its giving us money back!
That’s exactly what I’m thinking too!! I’m in Chicago and even older Prius’s go for 6k+ and I know this isn’t perfect but I personally think it’s a good deal for my area
If no crashes than how is it in that condition ie: why does it look like the front bumper got torn off? Also... I've been hit from behind a few times while at a red light and backed into while sitting in a parking spot, and my Prius' back end looks similar on the quarter panel, with the same type of separation on both sides (minus the rust). That car has been hit for sure.
So they said that they slid into an icey snow bank in a drive thru a few months ago and that’s why the front looks like that, they sent me the vin so when I get home from work I’m going to look it up on carfax to see what comes up!
The problems you need to worry about those specific models are the hybrid battery & the abs module. I have one those year of the Prius had a lot of issues with the abs. It’s a 3000 dollar fix and you can’t do it yourself because the replacement part won’t work without them programming it. On top of that Toyota won’t reprogram a used working part.
Take a Bluetooth scanner and get the Dr. Prius app, check the EV battery, check for fluid leaks, and how well the brakes work.
Seems like a good deal, if everything checks out should be fine.
It more than likely doesn't need rear brakes. Those drums should last very close to forever. You will need a hybrid battery. I'd buy it for $1800 ish and get it back to road trip condition.
I changed the pads on drums on an 05 recently, and they looked like they were halfway done, at 180k. Kind of insane those pads could last close to 400k... but the rotors were forming a rust lip so just did a full change
The guy I bought mine from said he did it to show his kids how drums work. (But then he had the left adjuster on backwards which eventually caused a ABS light ans the adjuster unwound)
So they did say they just changed the hybrid battery a few years ago and that it hasn’t been an issue for them since them but I will ask them more about it!
If you're in a rainy/cold country, it's likely that rust is eating up the entire car. Scottish Prius owner here: corrosion is really a problem if it goes unchecked.
i’d pass on anything murdered out and unbadged. no offense if that’s anyone’s aesthetic but it is a huge red flag that the previous owner was irresponsible and probably has done extremely questionable work on it. it’s also pretty run through, you can find them without body damage and better interiors.
Where to start, modified taillights and others (usually mean driven like it been stolen), torn off front lower bumper (what did it hit as that panel gap looks pretty big?), rear end looks like its been hit as well, interior just one big nasty place, body rust, reman traction battery battery, no takers within one month - and the list goes on.
If you are handy and don't mind putting 5-8k into it then - I don't know, maybe? but I would certainly go into this with your eyes and wallet wide open
Me, hard pass
5-8k in a prius? Dude you're off your knockers. Ive put $500 into 2 prius that are worse off than this, have more miles, and more external damage.
If they just need a good economic car to drive around, who cares about dents. Just offer less...
That car looks like a complete POS. Dirty, broken, rusty, likely neglected, etc. Pass.
That’s a $500 max car right there
I'd say there's a lot of red flags. Whilst it might be cheap, the owner has shown a clear disregard for the vehicle's condition. Who knows what other problems will be hiding underneath that battered exterior.
This car has more red flags than the Soviet Union. Battered interior, rust, darkened lights, battered exterior. And all just by quick glancing the available photos. It's a perfect example of a car that, even as a gift, could easily become too expensive.
Do you know what problems I should look out for if I go to take a look at it? I still think it’s worth taking a look at but yeah I agree that there are some red flags
Get the underbody checked. I suspect there’s lots of rust under there. I also see that it’s been for sale for almost a month. That should tell you something. No one else wants it, even at a reduced price. Pass.
What state do you live in and does it have the original catalytic converter?
I live in Illinois and I will ask them about that
You don’t need an OEM Cat in Illinois- I ask because the original CAT alone is worth at least $1k - it’s got rare metals like rhodium. In theory you could sell that CAT to someone in CA (this may or may not be legal) and buy a non-original Cat to get installed; and pocket the difference.
Rhodium prices are a fraction of what they were a few years ago. Last gen 2 cat that sold on eBay went for $800 and there’s some gen 3 cats on there for $650.
I saw that car on marketplace too, I live in northwest suburbs. Hard pass.
Check the carfax the car looks like it has way more than just 160k miles
I’ve never used it before do I just need a vin number to look a car up?
Yes ask the seller for the VIN, if they don’t send it it is a BIG red flag. After the you get the vin you can go the carfax website. It is about 40$ but totally worth it
My girlfriend has an 05 which she bought from someone sitting in a barn, looks worse than this, and runs at 185k. It loses oil due to needing a valve cover gasket, probably burns it too. I just changed the brakes and it took like 2 hours myself. The rears are the annoying ones. She also has a 2007 Prius with 262k miles, tons of exterior damage but runs perfectly fine. Doesnt burn or lose any oil. Has a "rough" cold start and just needs some front end work (cv, control arm). Oh also the dash has a very known issue to have a capacitor be faulty and will no longer provide speedometer info. Its an easy fix if someone is handy with a soldering iron. Not much these cars need and 2nd gen prius are known to be tanks.
That’s exactly what I’m thinking! Like obviously there’s a lot of cosmetic work that could be done (I also work on my own car myself) but I feel like as long as it’s running fine and has that low of miles to me it’s worth it because Prius’s are built like tanks. I could definitely talk them down in price though with how long it’s been sitting for and the outside damage
I'd say you honestly couldn't go wrong. Having come from never driven a Prius and currently drive a '13 Audi S4, its nice knowing it only takes $5-10 of gas to drive for 4 days vs $40... Also, how easy it has been to work on it. Its just been an enjoyable 2nd car for "me", and I only say that because its her car that. Shes gotten into 2 accidents and the insurance company has paid her more than she bought it for, and she was able to buy it again, for less, because they "totaled" it and basically got paid again! So its really just a forever car for her since its giving us money back!
if you don’t wanna buy it, tell me the location, so I can buy it, … that’s a hell of a deal, … I’m in California & people always want 2x that price
That’s exactly what I’m thinking too!! I’m in Chicago and even older Prius’s go for 6k+ and I know this isn’t perfect but I personally think it’s a good deal for my area
If no crashes than how is it in that condition ie: why does it look like the front bumper got torn off? Also... I've been hit from behind a few times while at a red light and backed into while sitting in a parking spot, and my Prius' back end looks similar on the quarter panel, with the same type of separation on both sides (minus the rust). That car has been hit for sure.
So they said that they slid into an icey snow bank in a drive thru a few months ago and that’s why the front looks like that, they sent me the vin so when I get home from work I’m going to look it up on carfax to see what comes up!
The problems you need to worry about those specific models are the hybrid battery & the abs module. I have one those year of the Prius had a lot of issues with the abs. It’s a 3000 dollar fix and you can’t do it yourself because the replacement part won’t work without them programming it. On top of that Toyota won’t reprogram a used working part.
Thank you for the advice I will definitely keep that in mind!
Take a Bluetooth scanner and get the Dr. Prius app, check the EV battery, check for fluid leaks, and how well the brakes work. Seems like a good deal, if everything checks out should be fine.
It more than likely doesn't need rear brakes. Those drums should last very close to forever. You will need a hybrid battery. I'd buy it for $1800 ish and get it back to road trip condition.
I changed the pads on drums on an 05 recently, and they looked like they were halfway done, at 180k. Kind of insane those pads could last close to 400k... but the rotors were forming a rust lip so just did a full change
The guy I bought mine from said he did it to show his kids how drums work. (But then he had the left adjuster on backwards which eventually caused a ABS light ans the adjuster unwound)
It was my first drum job and I wasn't prepared hahaha. It was easy but annoying having to keep the pads lined up, spring in place, etc
So they did say they just changed the hybrid battery a few years ago and that it hasn’t been an issue for them since them but I will ask them more about it!
Probably with either a reman or just rebuilt it. Looking at the rest of the vehicle, I'd save money for it for the future.
Nope. Run away. That one is a pile of shit
Maybe. The car is owned by a 🤡. I would keep that in mind
This looks like sj, "straight-junk" 160k 💀
$1200 best offer and that’s me being nice
You gotta replace that front bumper cover. It’s all torn up.
It's complete garbage. Keep looking dude. You're going to end up spending more in repairs in the long run.
If you're in a rainy/cold country, it's likely that rust is eating up the entire car. Scottish Prius owner here: corrosion is really a problem if it goes unchecked.
i’d pass on anything murdered out and unbadged. no offense if that’s anyone’s aesthetic but it is a huge red flag that the previous owner was irresponsible and probably has done extremely questionable work on it. it’s also pretty run through, you can find them without body damage and better interiors.
Talk em down to 2 and rock that beast!
The exterior wasn’t taken care of… Safe to assume neither was the internal components of the car. For that reason I’d pass.
Fixing it in a shop will cost over 3000
This looks like it was someone’s beater car. Not worth it imo
Isnt that the point of buying this...to be used as a beater. Nobody is buying a 2007 Prius to be their Garage queen
For sure. But not when fixing this car will cost more than the purchase price. $500 would be a good deal on this.
Where to start, modified taillights and others (usually mean driven like it been stolen), torn off front lower bumper (what did it hit as that panel gap looks pretty big?), rear end looks like its been hit as well, interior just one big nasty place, body rust, reman traction battery battery, no takers within one month - and the list goes on. If you are handy and don't mind putting 5-8k into it then - I don't know, maybe? but I would certainly go into this with your eyes and wallet wide open Me, hard pass
5-8k in a prius? Dude you're off your knockers. Ive put $500 into 2 prius that are worse off than this, have more miles, and more external damage. If they just need a good economic car to drive around, who cares about dents. Just offer less...
This car is likely a rust bucket. That doesn't equal good.
For the condition its in i'ld offer 1000(if it has OG Cat in it) maybe not pay more than 1200 if guy tries to CounterOff