Hey Scotty, I need your help. I wanna get a Prius, 3rd or 4th gen, but I don’t wanna break down or pay a ton a year in maintenance, how dependable are they, and I also live by buffalo NY (lots of snow) how is their awd system? Probably not as good as a Subarus..but how good?
Scotty does not recommend buying a Prius used due to the high cost of repairs as they age. Although Toyota has the best hybrid system, when they start developing problems out of warranty they can cost a fortune to repair.
It depends on how old, how many miles, how it was driven, and how well it was maintained with respect to cost to acquire the vehicle plus expected maintenance/repairs.
If the cost to acquire + the cost of maintenance <<< market price of comparable vehicles, I would go for it.
If the cost to acquire => market price for comparable vehicles, I would pass.
4th generation is the current generation so if you are planning to buy new then great and if used make sure it doesn't have too many miles and was well taken care of then it's a good car (but as Doc said avoiding a used one is the best choice). But definitely compare it to the price of a new one as used car prices are very high now.
Made the mistake of buying a 2004 prius in 2018 (before I had ever seen a scotty video). I do regret it to the extent that now I have to deal with an aging hybrid battery BUT I can say this car hasn't given me a single mechanical problem and has been rock solid reliable. It has been through many harsh winters and the paint still looks virtually new. The previous owners were clean so the upholstery literally looked new when I got it. It has the acceleration power of a turtle but in my opinion it is truly one of Toyotas finest pieces of work
