I'm looking for a car, and decided to look up some hybrid vehicles. I stumbled upon the premium model of this Lexus for $8k with 118,000 mi on it. This seemed like a pretty cheap price. The model seems to be discontinued in North America, so I was wondering if this would make certain repairs more expensive. Also, does this car have too many miles on it for it to be considered reliable? Lastly, how many miles can the battery last before it has to be replaced?Thanks for the help.

 

IMO the HS is a steal as a used car, mainly because it's discontinued so has a stigma to it. It shares powertrain with the Camry hybrid, and is still sold in Japan, so parts are not a problem. You still pay Lexus prices for repairs though, unless your Toyota dealer can service the issue (oil changes and such are fine). It uses the same battery tech as the Prius, which Consumer Reports has shown to be holding up well even on the early 2000's models. My 2010 has almost 130k on it, and shows no signs of any issues. Still gets 35 mpg, mostly around town. There have been a few recalls, the major one being the transmission, so check to see if that was done.

Otherwise, like any 10 year old used car, check history, has it been maintained, have it inspected, etc.

 

The hs250h is definitely worth considering imo.. As mentioned it is very rare, has great looks and not too expensive to maintain. My Hs has a little over 200,000 miles and still runs excellent.

 

Yeah my biggest concern was the battery and how long it would last. Seems like the one I'm looking at still has a lot of life left in it despite being 10 years old. I'll definitely look into it more.

 

Are you referring to the hybrid battery (high cost) or the startup battery (low cost)? My 2010 100K hybrid battery is not holding much any more or not as efficient. I can drive on just battery no more than 3 miles. I have a feeling the MPG has come down because of that.

As for startup gel battery, still shows no sign needs replacement. Otherwise the car runs great both local and freeway.

 

How far could you drive on battery alone when it was new? It's only a small battery (~1.6 kWH); I don't think I've ever been able to go more than 3 miles before it was drained, and that's only when crawling along in traffic. The pure EV mode on this car is a joke (I also own an EV).

 

I bought mine in 2010 and I was very attentive on how far could I go in EV mode (no hard acceleration etc.). I also could never get more than 2-3 miles even when it was new.

 

No, not a 2010 model due to excessive oil consumption. 2012 and above better.

 

2012 is the last year they were imported to the US.
The oil consumption is not that bad and does not affect every vehicle. Is there any evidence that 2012 is any better than 2011 and 2010? I have a 2011 and at 90,000 miles it uses maybe a quart in a little over a 1,000 miles. I am an old guy, but back years ago that amount of oil consumption was considered normal. Now we expect several thousand miles without adding a quart. I will state the 3.5 V in my RX uses no oil between changes. However it spins slower than the 4 cylinder motor.
Just check your oil level every few gas fillups. A quart of oil is a lot cheaper than repairing the engine and otherwise, performance is not affected.

 

Sample size of 1, but my 2010 has 125k on it and I haven't needed to add oil yet. Oil changes maybe every 7500 miles.

 

yes Toyota fixed the oil
consumption problem for the engine which got applied to the 2012+ Camry , Nx300h , hs250, RAV4 etc.

 

Its a great car. Price you are getting is excellent. It will last you for 100k more.

 

Curious if Zaid4100 purchased the HS 250h. It's a great car for what it is and a great deal purchased as a used vehicle. With proper maintenance the HS will go and go for many miles.

 

I have had mine for just over 3 years now, it's a 2010. It's been ultra reliable, the most reliable car I ever had period. The only thing in 3 years I had to replace was the 12v battery. I have 155,000 miles now with no issues of any sort. Averages 28 to 32 mpg in the winter and 33-38 mpg in the summer. I heard that some have oil consumption problems due to faulty piston rings that it shares with the Toyota Camry powertrain from 2007-11 but mine doesn't burn anything. I would just change your oil more frequently, I like to change mine every 3000 miles instead of 5000 and check on every couple of fill ups. No regrets buying this vehicle. My old 2005 Prius still has the original hybrid battery and has over 300,000 miles so I wouldn't worry about the hybrid battery.