Is anyone familiar with how good the 2013 Toyota Avalon Hybrid is in terms of long term reliability? I have been interested in buying a used car with good gas mileage and I’ve seen videos that the Avalon Hybrid is a “hidden gem.” The one I currently have an eye on has 103,000 miles. Regular maintenance has been kept up. Should I except any car problems for the next few years if I buy it? (I’m only gonna put around 9-10k miles on it every year). Or should I avoid buying this car.
It's best to avoid used hybrids more than a few years old. Typically the batteries are good for 10-15 years, so if that car has its original battery it will likely need to be replaced fairly soon. Scotty has also mentioned that if the generator needs to be replaced on hybrids, which is not uncommon as they age, it's a $5000 to $7000 bill.
Anecdotal, but I've had a 2004 Prius for 5 years now , still going with original hybrid battery (which has been showing signs of aging for a while however )
10-15 year life is typical but there will be outliers - some die earlier, some later.
I’m not personally familiar with the Avalon, but I am personally familiar with the Prius. I had to changed the hybrid battery at 275K+ miles. Average is around 200K+ miles for a hybrid battery change.
If you are okay with $2500-$5000 down the line at around 200K+ miles, go for it. If not, go non-hybrid. (Or you may get lucky and it can go to almost 300K+ miles).
