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From: als on 24 Aug 2007 14:06
On Aug 24, 1:20 pm, Piper <piperettemysh...(a)hughes.net> wrote:
> On Fri, 24 Aug 2007 15:28:06 -0000, als <alisonsmith...(a)gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>
>
> >On Aug 24, 8:30 am, "Michael Pardee" <michaeltn...(a)cybertrails.com>
> >wrote:
> >> "als" <alisonsmith...(a)gmail.com> wrote in message
>
> >>news:1187904668.433981.290940(a)e9g2000prf.googlegroups.com...>Iam about to buy a used 2004 Prius with 69,554 miles on it for
> >> > $14000. Is this price too low? I checked the carfax report and it was
> >> > clean but I am nervous still that there might be something wrong with
> >> > the car. Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions? I'm going to pick
> >> > it up in two days so any feedback would help.
>
> >> > Thanks!
>
> >> It could be a great deal or the owner may know something you don't. In that
> >> vein, two things come to mind. A good look at the undercarriage - especially
> >> the catalytic and muffler - for damage is a good idea. It isn't hard to hit
> >> either of those on a road hazard or even a large speed bump and do damage
> >> that costs a couple thousand to fix.
>
> >> The other area of concern is the transaxle. Failures are rare but are very
> >> costly; I understand the part itself is $6000 US. Listen for whines or howls
> >> and pass it up if you hear any. It may not be the transaxle but that isn't a
> >> chance I'd take unnecessarily. There are other transaxle failure symptoms
> >> but those are hard to miss and hard to hide; serious loss of power (like
> >> just enough to get off the road) and big warning lights on the speedometer
> >> area.
>
> >> Beyond that, the Prius has fewer trouble areas than most cars. I don't think
> >> I've ever heard of head gasket trouble. Do check the coolants (there are
> >> two) for traces of rust and walk away if you see any - that's my advice for
> >> any car. The radiator is normal but there is also a translucent reservoir at
> >> the top of the engine near the firewall for the inverter coolant. Both
> >> should be pink and clean.
>
> >> There is a service record booklet called "Passport to Performance" that
> >> comes with the car. It should be up to date and I would hope the 60K mile
> >> service was done. The 30K mile intervals are extensive checkups and deeper
> >> maintenance. (There is no timing belt to be concerned about as there is on
> >> many other cars.)
>
> >> Mike
>
> >Thank you so much!
> >I am going to pick it up tomorrow and I am going to print out your
> >message and take it with me.
> >The carfax has showed no problems but you never know. The dealership
> >that has the car is in Knoxville and I am in Atlanta. The guy that is
> >helping me said that it is their policy to lower the price on cars if
> >the have been on the lot for more than 25 days. The car was listed at
> >16k but now its 14k. He said that there is not a huge demand for the
> >Prius in Knoxville like there is in other cities (esp. Atlanta). If
> >you would like to take a look and let me know what you think here is a
> >link to where I found it.
> >http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=223390270&dealer_id=1000...
>
> >Thanks again for your comments! I really appreciate it!!!
> >alison
>
> Since you are buying from a dealership, ask about a warranty. They
> probably offer one on used vehicles.
>
> Good luck. Looks like a good deal.
> -
> Piper

I'm getting a 4 year unlimited mile warranty (for extra of course).
Does anyone know of any Prius specific questions I should ask about
the warranty?
Thanks!!!!

From: Bill on 2 Sep 2007 01:56
als wrote:
> On Aug 24, 1:20 pm, Piper <piperettemysh...(a)hughes.net> wrote:
>> On Fri, 24 Aug 2007 15:28:06 -0000, als <alisonsmith...(a)gmail.com>
>> wrote:
>>
>>
>>
>>> On Aug 24, 8:30 am, "Michael Pardee" <michaeltn...(a)cybertrails.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>> "als" <alisonsmith...(a)gmail.com> wrote in message
>>>> news:1187904668.433981.290940(a)e9g2000prf.googlegroups.com...>Iam about to buy a used 2004 Prius with 69,554 miles on it for
>>>>> $14000. Is this price too low? I checked the carfax report and it was
>>>>> clean but I am nervous still that there might be something wrong with
>>>>> the car. Does anyone have any ideas or suggestions? I'm going to pick
>>>>> it up in two days so any feedback would help.
>>>>> Thanks!
>>>> It could be a great deal or the owner may know something you don't. In that
>>>> vein, two things come to mind. A good look at the undercarriage - especially
>>>> the catalytic and muffler - for damage is a good idea. It isn't hard to hit
>>>> either of those on a road hazard or even a large speed bump and do damage
>>>> that costs a couple thousand to fix.
>>>> The other area of concern is the transaxle. Failures are rare but are very
>>>> costly; I understand the part itself is $6000 US. Listen for whines or howls
>>>> and pass it up if you hear any. It may not be the transaxle but that isn't a
>>>> chance I'd take unnecessarily. There are other transaxle failure symptoms
>>>> but those are hard to miss and hard to hide; serious loss of power (like
>>>> just enough to get off the road) and big warning lights on the speedometer
>>>> area.
>>>> Beyond that, the Prius has fewer trouble areas than most cars. I don't think
>>>> I've ever heard of head gasket trouble. Do check the coolants (there are
>>>> two) for traces of rust and walk away if you see any - that's my advice for
>>>> any car. The radiator is normal but there is also a translucent reservoir at
>>>> the top of the engine near the firewall for the inverter coolant. Both
>>>> should be pink and clean.
>>>> There is a service record booklet called "Passport to Performance" that
>>>> comes with the car. It should be up to date and I would hope the 60K mile
>>>> service was done. The 30K mile intervals are extensive checkups and deeper
>>>> maintenance. (There is no timing belt to be concerned about as there is on
>>>> many other cars.)
>>>> Mike
>>> Thank you so much!
>>> I am going to pick it up tomorrow and I am going to print out your
>>> message and take it with me.
>>> The carfax has showed no problems but you never know. The dealership
>>> that has the car is in Knoxville and I am in Atlanta. The guy that is
>>> helping me said that it is their policy to lower the price on cars if
>>> the have been on the lot for more than 25 days. The car was listed at
>>> 16k but now its 14k. He said that there is not a huge demand for the
>>> Prius in Knoxville like there is in other cities (esp. Atlanta). If
>>> you would like to take a look and let me know what you think here is a
>>> link to where I found it.
>>> http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.jsp?car_id=223390270&dealer_id=1000...
>>> Thanks again for your comments! I really appreciate it!!!
>>> alison
>> Since you are buying from a dealership, ask about a warranty. They
>> probably offer one on used vehicles.
>>
>> Good luck. Looks like a good deal.
>> -
>> Piper
>
> I'm getting a 4 year unlimited mile warranty (for extra of course).
> Does anyone know of any Prius specific questions I should ask about
> the warranty?
> Thanks!!!!
>

No one has mentioned it yet, but Tennessee is a state that allows car
titles to be washed. If your car was a flood car, this information can
be removed by selling a car through a Tennessee dealer. You may want to
check for obvious signs of flooding...look underneath the carpeting and
and/or see if any sand or grit is trapped in various nooks and crannies.

Bill in Cary
'04 Prius package 9 + XM + GPS override
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