On The Edge Of Buying A Prius 1.5 T-Spirit

[sushd]

Hi All,

Am new to the forum .. and also to the art of buying a used car, so please excuse any stupid questions that I may pen down.

Have just put a deposit on a Prius T-Spirit - 09 plate, 65K miles on the clock, single owner - for £10K. This used car seems to be available for much lower than the other T-Spirits with similar miles on the clock and I have been asking myself - why? - without an answer! :-) But since no other dealer I spoke to was willing to go under £11.5K, I decided to go for this one. Not sure if it is the right decision I have made!!

The car has a "unit stocking" finance outstanding which the dealer states will be dealt with immediately upon sale and is ready to give in writing that I'll have no liability in event of any claim. Is that okay?

Other than looking the car inside out and scrutinizing the log book for service history, is there anything that I should be aware of and/or check? What all documents (e.g. V5C etc.) and other stuff (e.g. number of keys, security code card if any, etc.) should I be receiving from the dealer ...?

The dealer has confirmed that the car will be undergo full service before being handed over.

Thanks for all the help ... and for bearing with a (naive) newbie!

[Ikelos]

Hi. could it just be the mileage why it is a bit lower, you should be well pleased with the car, only trouble I have had with mine, a 59 plate, were all self inflicted, had to call the AA 3 times, twice the boot was not shut compleatly, and I left the inside light on, from that I have learnt.it will not happen again.

anyway, hope you enjoy your Prius...............

[sushd]

I am also hoping that the "very high" miles on the car (65K miles in 28 months) is the only reason for the considerably lower price of this car, and not any other "hidden" reason(s)! Fingers crossed!

How sensible is it to buy the 2 years extended warranty? With 1 year warranty on approved cars, this would make it 3 years of (perhaps) worry-free ownership?

[ian rooke]

Hi Is it not still under Toyota's warranty.

[sushd]

I am told that the 5 years / 100,000 miles comprehensive warranty was introduced by Toyota only in June 2010, and the cars sold before that had only 3 years / 60,000 miles warranty.

With the car having done 65K in 28 months, there's no warranty remaining.

[timberwolf]

For Prius (Gen 2) with the 1.5L engine you are correct about part of the warranty.

The warranty on the oily bits of the engine is 3yr/60k miles.

The warranty on the Hybrid components is 8yr/100k miles. As an added bonus for buying the previous generation of Prius you get a Hybrid warranty cover on the Gen 2 that is far more inclusive than the latest Gen 3.

[sjrainsford]

Is this from a Toyota Main dealer then? My only concern would be if it wasn't a main dealer doing the service on it.

[MLW2233]

Insist on an HPI report. Toyota told me the trade pay £3 for them. I had a friend who bought a Peugeot from a main daeler. Get an HPI I said. No need she said, its a main dealer. Then he will do it I said for free. No need she said. A few days later she contacted me. HPI showed outstanding finance on it! Young people eh?

[capnbirdseye]

Check that you have the locking wheelnut key in it's little box, check which type of satnav disks were supplied with your car, your late model should be all 22 countries on a single dual layer disk which is checkable on the satnav screen where you can select the different countries , some earlier models were issued with a set of 3 or 4 disks

[sushd]

sjrainsford - it is from a main dealer, has a complete service record but will check it again today to see if any service was undertaken by not-a-toyota centre.

MLW2233 - I did an autocheck myself and hence am aware of outstanding finance agreement on the vehicle. As per the dealer, it will be settled as soon as I make the payment on the car and I will get a vehicle provenance check report on delivery (as part of the 1 yr. warranty) with all clear.

capnbirdseye - thanks for the useful info./ tip! Being a novice, exactly the kind of advice I am desperate for!

[sjrainsford]

You should be all good buying from a main dealer, plenty of backup there.

I reckon you'll be very pleased with your purchase. There aren't many people on here who have regretted it.

[sushd]

Moved on from "on the edge of buying" to "have bought one"! :)

Checked the service record - all full / intermediate services done by Toyota centres. The salesperson was kind enough to print out a summary sheet of service record / history and other than "rear discs and pads replaced at the 60K service", there was no record of any other repair(s) / replacement(s).

In all - £10K for the car, £650 for the 2 yr. extended warranty (which kicks in at the end of 1 yr. used car warranty), and £863 for 3 yr. service plan.

Picking it up on Monday.

Surprisingly, the sales person dissuaded me from buying the side protection mouldings for the car! What do the experienced lot suggest? If I want them on the car on Monday, I need to tell them by tomorrow (Friday) ...

[cootuk]

The door metal does seem prone to small dents around door handle height.

I'm sure it's lard @rses in cars parked next to ours shoving their bums right against our door as they faff around putting kids etc into their car.

The bumper strips can't protect against that, though should help stop scrapes from doors being pushed into you.

Better off having them dealer fitted now than trying to apply them yourself later.

[Jan&tone]

.

Surprisingly, the sales person dissuaded me from buying the side protection mouldings for the car! What do the experienced lot suggest? If I want them on the car on Monday, I need to tell them by tomorrow (Friday) ...

That is surprising, a salesman not selling something!!!

IMO do it, they won't save every knock, but they will save some and they look good too!

[sjrainsford]

I've got them on mine and wouldn't be without the side strips. They've saved my car from a few dinks already.

[sushd]

When I called the dealer on Friday with the go ahead for the side protection mouldings I was told they couldn't do it by Monday as I can called in a bit late. No worries, will get it done from another dealer.

Also, decided not go ahead with the service plan contract with the dealer that I have bought the car from as a few other Toyota dealers have given me significantly lower price offers. Not good .... to realize that the dealer I have bought the car from was trying to maximize his profit by ripping me off on the service plan! Have started wondering where all else he's been trying his skills? Bad feelings .. something I could have done without! :ffs:

[sushd]

A question that I'll appreciate a quick answer to - other than the entries in the service book showing the date of service, miles on the clock at time of service and the stamp of the service centre, is there another "service log book" or something similar that provides details of what work has been undertaken at the time of service?

[britprius]

A question that I'll appreciate a quick answer to - other than the entries in the service book showing the date of service, miles on the clock at time of service and the stamp of the service centre, is there another "service log book" or something similar that provides details of what work has been undertaken at the time of service?

You can get a printout of all work done on the car at any Toyota agents free. The Prius seems to have gone up in value I paid £1.5K less than you 18 mnths ago for a Tspirit with 61000miles on a 58reg one owner full history. You will be pleased with the car I am sure when you start to get over 60mpg.

[Jan&tone]

A question that I'll appreciate a quick answer to - other than the entries in the service book showing the date of service, miles on the clock at time of service and the stamp of the service centre, is there another "service log book" or something similar that provides details of what work has been undertaken at the time of service?

When I collect my cars after a service, the dealer gives me a tick sheet which details what should be done and ticked to say it has been done. I do NOT get a bill, I have a service plan, so I assume the bill goes to the plan organisers. these sheets I keep and when I px the car these sheets go with the car. Whether the dealer passes them on I have no idea, but I've done what I consider to be my duty.

[sushd]

You can get a printout of all work done on the car at any Toyota agents free.

The sales person did provide me with a printout that appears to be a summary sheet of the services done on the car. Other than "rear discs and pads replaced at the 60K service", there was no record of any other repair(s) / replacement(s). I hope that he did not intentionally exclude printing any other repair / replacement work details. I'll definitely try to get a printout from the dealer I intend to sign the service plan contract with ... for peace of mind and also to ensure that I have not been given inaccurate / incomplete information just to ensure a sale.

The Prius seems to have gone up in value I paid £1.5K less than you 18 mnths ago for a Tspirit with 61000miles on a 58reg one owner full history. You will be pleased with the car I am sure when you start to get over 60mpg.

As for the price, it is either my poor negotiating skills or that the dealers are no longer offering meaningful discounts on Prius! I'll vote for my poor negotiating skills ... this was the best offer I could manage on 09reg T-Spirit. The next one was - 09reg, 50K miles, single owner - at £12K.

Maybe I am worrying too much and without a reason, but the fact that the dealer was offering me a service plan at almost double the market rate has had me question the credibility of the dealer (and in turn this particular car).

[sushd]

When I collect my cars after a service, the dealer gives me a tick sheet which details what should be done and ticked to say it has been done. I do NOT get a bill, I have a service plan, so I assume the bill goes to the plan organisers. these sheets I keep and when I px the car these sheets go with the car. Whether the dealer passes them on I have no idea, but I've done what I consider to be my duty.

To say that you consider it a duty speaks volumes about your integrity! And thanks for the useful info.

[sushd]

Picked up the car from the dealer today and celebrated the occasion with a 100 mile drive!

[Jan&tone]

Picked up the car from the dealer today and celebrated the occasion with a 100 mile drive!

And of course you are 100 percent happy