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Thank you! I'll pass that battery test description to the next mechanic I have look at a candidate.
At this point it seems I have a toss-up: a 2003 that has the extended (10 yr) warranty good for just over one more year, with a battery that was replaced 23K miles ago, and a 2005 with its original battery, under only the original warranty, expiring in one month.
Anyway, the CVT costs far more to replace than the IMA battery, and I've found only a little info on how to test the CVT before buying. One mechanic said it's a listen test on driving it through its paces, and he couldn't do that on one candidate because the engine vibrated too much due to broken engine mounts. Those must be fixed before he could judge the CVT. Another mechanic said there was a smell test of the transmission oil, and a "feel" test for any grit in it. But he didn't perform those tests. The shop I had do an inspection said all they could do was see if there were any warning lights. So I'm looking for another shop.
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