(Cj)

Well as some of you may know from my other thread, I'm looking for a car to buy as a gift for a young guy I know.

Well in my searches I've found some used 2005ish hybrids in my price range, but I want to know if any of you think it'd be a good idea to get an older out of warranty hybrid?

I'm seeing Honda Civic Hybrids for $~9K, and I even saw a Prius with over 100K miles on it, for under $10K. Should I bite or stay away? I'm not quite 100% sure about long term reliability and how long the batteries will hold up.

syzygy

Don't get him a prius. A prius is not a "cool/hip" car to be in as a teenager, mostly based on exterior looks.

Civic hybrid is still fine because it looks just like a regular civic.

RXSF

wait a second. I dont believe there are old enough hybrids out there (except for the 1st gen Prius) where the hybrid powertrain warranty is out yet. If your question is in regards to the normal warranty which is 4 years, then I have no problem buying a hybrid out of that kind of warranty. However, if your question is in regards to the hybrid powertrain and battery warranty, which is 8 or 10 years depending on state, then I would not buy one as the battery will cost like 2-3 thousand I think.

(Cj)

Ah, thanks for that tidbit. I didn't know Honda in particular had a separate warranty for the battery? I'll look that up...

I'm guessing the battery warranty is regardless of the mileage on the car and that it is transferrable?

(Cj)

Well yeah, but at least he won't be able to do something stupid like try to race a GTR on the highway

(Cj)

I just checked and both Toyota and Honda's warranty is 8 years/100,000 miles, meaning that the Prius I was referring to in the original post would be considered out-of-warranty

mmarshall

One of our senior mods, 1SICKLEX, and his new wife, just got a used Lexus RX hybrid.

(I'm not spilling any beans here....he himself did a thread on it).

mmarshall

According to Consumer Reports, virtually all of Toyota/Lexus and Honda Hybrids have been quite reliable, including the Prius, though the Prius has had a few electrical glitches here and there over the years....and there are some complaints with the 3Gen's braking action, though you probably wouldn't be looking at a new Prius anyway.

As for the battery packs, they are generally under warranty for 8 to 10 years.

Here's a good website on the subject:

http://www.hybridcars.com/cars.html

RXSF

Yes the mileage restriction slipped my mind and I didnt know you were looking at at 100,000 mile+ Prius. If you really want to go that route, I dont think it will be that hard to find a 50K miled 2006 prius or something.

LexFather

Thanks Mike. As stated the Lexus hybrid components are covered for 7/100k. I've had no hybrid issues with the 450h.

So being a ricer is cool then?

I can't speak for Honda's IMA system which is more of an "assist' than a true hybrid but from reading it seems to be reliable and not problematic. The other problems are non-hybrid related.

As for the Prius it seems to be very dependable and I think the hybrid components are rock solid as Toyota had/has a lot riding on them. There have been multiple reports too of Toyota eating a lot of the replacement bill or people simply buying used batteries for $600 or so.

How much will your friend be driving a year (sorry if I missed that)?

One other thing is look at insurance rates. Some insurance companies rates are higher for hybrids for fear an accident will equate to higher repair costs.

(Cj)

Thanks for the detailed info 1SICK.

I don't know exactly how far he'll be driving yearly. Since he'll be at a college campus, probably not much, but who knows if he ever decides to drive out on a roadtrip to Cali on a whim one day

I want him to have something reliable of course, and Honda's IMA cars depreciated really fast. They cost the same or less than regular Civics on the used market. The efficiency gains aren't huge but I'm still open to one if it'll last long with low maintenance cost...

@RXSF:

I'm not necessarily in the market for a 100K mile Prius specifically. I'm just trying to gauge other people's opinion on getting a used one. Even a model with 70-80K miles could be risky, but it looks like Toyota is doing a good job protecting customers.

xioix

Ebay has battery for less than 1k

LexFather

NP...
Also hybrids don't like being outside in the cold much as it hurts MPG and they need to be driven. I know sometimes in college a car can stay parked for quite sometime for whatever reason(s).

bagwell

personally I'd stick to the Prius.....they're rock sold reliable.....get the lowest mileage car you can afford...there's a million used Prius' around....!!

Fizzboy7

Plus 1. If the price works, a lower-mileage Prius would be a safe bet. Otherwise, maybe consider a fuel efficient Civic or Corolla. Both those can achieve high mileage and you'd not have to worry about battery issues later on. As many magazines have tested, hybrids only make sense if one drives a lot.