Thread: Mk2 Prius
View Single Post
Old 03-30-2011, 02:18 PM   #4 (permalink)
Daox
Administrator
 
Daox's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Germantown, WI
Posts: 11,203

CM400E - '81 Honda CM400E
90 day: 51.49 mpg (US)

Daox's Grey Prius - '04 Toyota Prius
Team Toyota
90 day: 49.53 mpg (US)

Daox's Insight - '00 Honda Insight
90 day: 64.33 mpg (US)

Swarthy - '14 Mitsubishi Mirage DE
Mitsubishi
90 day: 56.69 mpg (US)

Daox's Volt - '13 Chevrolet Volt
Thanks: 2,501
Thanked 2,587 Times in 1,554 Posts
Someone sounds a little bitter . I too have owned a few (5) Toyotas and have nothing but good things to say about them. The repairs are nearly nonexistant and the mileage is great. Of course, one of them is a 2nd gen Prius. Going with a 2007 aleviates some of the issues they had in the first couple years. There are a couple things to look for, but nothing really horrible if you miss it.

First the 12V lead acid battery tends to die pretty consistently after ~5 years. If you can, use your SG and check the voltage with the car off see what resting voltage it is at. It should be 12.6-12.7V. I just replaced the one in my 2004 before winter and it was down to 12.2 - 12.3V. It still started, but we all know winter takes its toll on batteries. However, if you're looking at the 07+ you shouldn't really have to worry about this.

Second, if it has HID lights, they added a sensor on the rear axle beam to aim the headlights down if you're carrying a heavy load in the trunk. This prevents you from blinding other drivers. This sensor was redesigned (not exactly sure when), but the first version had issues with water leaking into it and corroding the electrical bits. Its an OEM replacement that you need to buy, and it costs a fair amount for what is essentially a potentiometer. If you catch it early enough, you can manually repair the damage and seal the sensor up with some silicon.

Other than that all I can say is it is an amazing vehicle. I don't think I'd trade it for anything else on the road today (besides maybe an EV).
__________________
Current project: A better alternator delete
  Reply With Quote
The Following User Says Thank You to Daox For This Useful Post:
Arragonis (03-30-2011)