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Old 01-02-2010, 12:02 PM   #1
Fordina
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Cool 2001 Prius/132K miles/what do I need to be asking before buying?

2001 Prius. 132k miles. Good buy or bad buy? What do I need to be asking about the batteries, etc. before buying?
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Old 01-03-2010, 11:13 AM   #2
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Re: 2001 Prius/132K miles/what do I need to be asking before buying?

Fordina,

There are people more knowledgeable than me on these forums but I would be somewhat wary of a 2001 Prius. That is a Gen 1 car, now over 8 years old. Some did have problems with transaxles and a few with batteries. I don't know that statistics but the most important things would be to find out how often the fluids have all been changed. Specifically the transaxle fluid should be changed no later than 60K miles based on what we know now. If it is the original factory fill still in there I would consider having it changed and send a sample of the old fluid out for testing. There are many threads on transaxle servicing over at PriusChat. A weak transaxle can fail and that is usually more expensive than the value of the car. The transaxles are basically not serviceable - replace as a whole unit is easier.

Traction batteries can last much longer than 200K miles but it depends on if they have been worked hard. Is there an EV switch on the car? Have there been battery issues already? If the car has had a lot of local driving the traction battery may be more weakened that highway driving. EV usage will put more wear and tear on the battery. Still, replacement batteries are coming down in price so that alone is not a train wreck.

Beyond this look at the rest of the mechanical stuff - brakes, suspension, struts, exhaust, etc. Make sure all the required chassis maintenance has been done. The Prius is an incredible car and overall has a low cost of ownership but the Gen 1 cars had some issues that were improved in Gen 2. Do some more research and get opinions from Gen 1 owners. I own a 2007 Gen 2 and its one of the best cars I have ever had.

Good luck.
Steve
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Old 01-04-2010, 04:48 PM   #3
Fordina
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Re: 2001 Prius/132K miles/what do I need to be asking before buying?

Well, thankfully, this '01 has new batteries -- both the main battery and the other one. That's the only reason we'd even be considering it. I'm trying to figure out if there's a warranty that comes with these batteries.

We were thinking about taking it into a mechanic to get the rest checked out. Thanks for all the tips. We will definitely have to look into the fluids and transaxles, and get the mechanics opinion on it all.
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Old 01-05-2010, 09:42 AM   #4
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Re: 2001 Prius/132K miles/what do I need to be asking before buying?

If the traction battery was replaced by a dealer, it may have some warranty. Else, probably not. The low power standby battery is inexpensive and easy to change so it's not a risk item. See if the car was dealer maintained and ask the dealer for a look at the service records.
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