Looking at a "reconstructed title" Plug In Prius

[user removed]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

I'd certainly get a cable. That's the whole point of getting a PiP. I figure at $13,500 the car is worth it even if it doesn't take a full normal charge considering salvage title regular Prii go for that amount. The cable is a standard J1772, and those can be had for $100.

Would it be possible to get the local dealer to charge and check the condition of the battery as a condition of purchase? Might cost more than a cable and you would still have to buy one. Nissan dealers will charge a Leaf for free.

Regards
mech

[darcane]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

Not sure if the 3 digits below the main number are important. Can anyone tell me what history exists for this VIN?

This site is kinda cool:
Vehicle salvage history: VIN number - JTDKN3DP1C3013619
Often, it will include pictures of the car from the insurance settlement. Unfortunately, it doesn't for this Prius. It does show the public record for the damage from the accident and what the mileage was at the time.

The NICB is also useful:
https://www.nicb.org/theft_and_fraud_awareness/vincheck
It shows that the car was not stolen, but was totaled due to collision as of 2014-09-10

I haven't found any sites that provide any further history without paying. AutoCheck and CarFax are both decent for that.

[Cobb]

The carfax would tell the millage. When I take my cars to get inspected yearly the station reports the odo readings and it shows up as I got a car fax on my car. Funny the second accident didnt show, guessing cause the cops never showed up plus no police report.

+1 on a dealer inspection. Is it USA model or export since a Russian is selling it? Hell, you maybe able to get a reading through the cars diagnostic system like they do the hybrid battery.

[redpoint5]

The car was sold in Eugene Oregon from the research I've done. Last service at the dealership was performed in May of 2014 at 26,000 miles. It now has 9,000 more miles on the clock, so that sounds reasonable.

My question is, when did it get in a wreck, how long did it sit without the engine running to keep the battery charged up, and how likely is it that the battery sustained a little damage due to discharging too deeply? Only a charge and a drive would tell. Not sure a dealer would allow me to charge if I'm buying private party, but it's worth a shot.

EDIT: 2 dealerships in the area both say they don't have charging stations. The PiP must not be a hot commodity in these parts. I can see why; we don't have HOV benefits here, and 11 miles of EV range is nothing to brag about.

[Cobb]

I take it the pip battery is a separate battery from the one used with the synergy drive? So its only chargeable from the main vs regen braking?

Guess plan b is buy a cable and go to a charging station and see.

Plan C, make a CL add and see if someone has a cord and charger you can plug in?

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by Cobb

I take it the pip battery is a separate battery from the one used with the synergy drive? So its only chargeable from the main vs regen braking?

Guess plan b is buy a cable and go to a charging station and see.

Plan C, make a CL add and see if someone has a cord and charger you can plug in?

The PiP uses a single lithium ion battery for both EV and hybrid mode. The car reserves a portion of the battery for hybrid use so that it always functions at least as well as a normal Prius. I don't remember what fraction is reserved though.

In any case, all problems are now my responsibility. I traded 135 bills for the car and it's now registered to me. I've never carried so much money before, and I had some reservation about meeting the Russians alone. Best I can tell, they were good guys that didn't know much about the car and were just trying to make an honest buck.

I have a 300 mile round trip to Bend tomorrow, so we'll see if any gremlins shake loose.

[Xist]

Did you carry the money in a suitcase and meet them in an empty parking lot?

I sure hope this works out better than Ben's iMiev! Good luck!

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by Xist

Did you carry the money in a suitcase and meet them in an empty parking lot?

I sure hope this works out better than Ben's iMiev! Good luck!

It's surprising how little space money takes up. The whole $13,500 fit in an envelope and in my front pocket. Here is what $10k looks like:



What's really scary is this video that visualizes the US national debt.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jKpVlDSIz9o

[Cobb]

You know when you deposit or withdraw more than 10 g's the bank sends a note to the secret service. Some bankers will make you split the transaction so avoid that limit and paper work.

Hope it goes ok.

[War_Wagon]

The car was declared a total loss in Oregon, Sept.10 2014. Lots of Russians here buy salvage cars from the salvage auctions and put them back together as well, there is good money in it if you do it right. I've done it myself a few times, but always found it was way more work than just buying a non-write off for a good price and doing a decent job making it a nice car to resell. But none of that matters now as you own it! A hybrid car will get written off by an insurance company easier than a regular car, as they are concerned with liability if they repair it etc, and hybrids are still a mystery to most people so I find they tend to err on the side of caution and write them off where as the same damage on a regular car would have been fixed. Good luck!

As for the cash - when I sold my '55 Chev years ago the guy that bought it was, er, "alternatively employed", and paid $10k in rolled up $5s, $10s, and $20s! I literally ran out of pockets to put all the money into. To this day I don't think I've ever had a bigger smile on my face than I did driving home from that ha ha