Second generation Toyota Prius review. Is it worth your hard earned money? 

Today on Blue Collar Review we are reviewing the second generation Toyota Prius. Ultimately we are going to see if you are on a budget is it's worth considering purchasing used in today's economy. Is it worth your hard earned money? #bluecollarreviws #used #money #toyota #prius
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If you purchase something from our affiliate links we will get a small commission with no extra cost to you. This makes it possible for us to make more videos. Thank you! BCR

[@meccahoward3568]

I have a 2006 that I bought in 2006 and we just made 200,000 miles yesterday. I love this car it’s reliable low maintenance and it’s gets me to where I am going with no worries.

[@guadaluperiverabaez]

How often do you change oil? To keep it running?

[@guadaluperiverabaez]

I just bought one

[@UpHillEdd]

Hello, i own a 2004 Prius since 2016, get it cheap (aprox. 2500 USD) with 165.000km on the ODO. Now in 2024 i have 247.000km, consumption is @ 4.2L/100km in Winter, 3,8 in Summer. With some modification (insulation for more silence, Alcantara, Car-HiFi wit Carplay) this Prius is fit for the next 10 years! I love it and for me it`s one of the most beautiful cars! Greets from Europe

[@BlueCollarReviews-cs2br]

That's great. I am Glad you like your Prius. They are so versatile and cheap to operate. Hard to beat for the price for what you get. Thanks for your comment. have a great week! BCR

[@TheAlmightySushi]

Would you mind posting some pictures online? Would love to see it! Own one too and want to improve it as well. Especially the seats.

[@mougaming1018]

where did you put the insulation ?

[@AustinRides7264]

I bought an '05 Prius with 177k miles. I love it! I currently own a 2019 ford fusion hybrid with all the features and adaptive cruise but i wanna sell that and just rock the Prius 😂 I do food delivery

[@BlueCollarReviews-cs2br]

Thank you for sharing, yes, I think the Prius is hard to beat when you are talking hybrids. BCR

[@littlechili4780]

I just got my 2015 today and I’m so excited!

[@BlueCollarReviews-cs2br]

If you have any questions, please leave your comments down below and I will do my best to answer them. Thanks again for watching. BCR

[@andreylosetskiy5217]

this is the best gen ever made by toyota

[@bladerunner1458]

In love with my reliable Generation 2, 2008 Prius, with 170,000 miles. Bought new 25K 10/2007. Excellent shape, since its garage kept. Original Battery perhaps due to less corrosion on the hybrid battery connections? Has additional front and rear running lights. The HID headlights failed but replaced them myself by feeling my way with my hand and did not have to take the bumper off. They are much brighter than the originals. Replace the 12V battery twice. New water pump. New left front bearing. 2 New PVC valve replacement. Fix a leak in the air-conditioning system. Cleaned hybrid battery fan with an added cleanable filter screen at the air intake. Sometimes the dash lights go out when the weather gets cold then will go back on within 50 miles of driving. Heard it’s cold solder joints on the electronics? Went 90K 10yr. with the energy saver Defender Michelin tires and replaced them with the regular Defender Michelin tires. Loss a few miles per gallon but handles better and a softer ride maybe due to new thread. The Prius is used for long trips only with an average mileage of 50+ MPG. Short trips are by bike, feet and public transit all year. It’s a beautiful sports car Barcelona RED and a sleeping camping car with a 6’ bed with great cargo capacity. Adding a portable inverter makes a 115 Volt generator for back up efficient home power with the on and off cycle of the engine. The Princess Prius is a tough survivor like the princess cat in the movie “The Incredible Journey”. The beautiful large dash display is ahead of its time with sharp graphics like a space ship. Ran out of gas, and a whole dashboard lit up including the triangle of death (indicates serious malfunction - do something now!). Fortunately filled up 1/2 mile away before the battery became too low. Never again!! It’s an adventure reliable stealth vehicle that slips through the air quietly! The best smooth styling of all the model years. Definitely a incognito James Bond vehicle with secret abilities never to be underestimated. So watch out!!! Soon it will become a classic antique with appreciating value

[@dc5duben96]

great in depth review thanks

[@BlueCollarReviews-cs2br]

Thanks for watching! BCR

[@Dave-ie1fs]

great stuff thank you for the information on the car

[@BlueCollarReviews-cs2br]

You are so welcome. Thank you for watching. BCR

[@dileepaprabath7487]

Great video, Thank you 😊

[@BlueCollarReviews-cs2br]

Thank you have an amazing week! BCR

[@toddtonis]

Good review. I was amazed to see these in Chicago during the winter being used as taxis. Proof they are built tough. You are also correct on the battery life as there seems to be a cottage industry that has been established that is able to re-balance the battery packs with used cells to refurbish these prius batteries for a modest price. We have one in our area just north of Chicago in WI.

[@BlueCollarReviews-cs2br]

Todd S, thank you so much for your comment. Yes, the second, third, and even the fourth generation Toyota Prius are used all over as taxes. When we were in New York, and even when we were in Vegas we seen a whole LOT of them. Mostly second and third generation. So it definitely makes sense they use them in Chicago. We also have them in California but, probably not as many as other places because Uber and Lyft is real popular here. I Dont think the prius are affected as much as full electric vehicles in the winter, Because they have a gas engine along with the battery pack. They obviously won’t get as good of fuel economy. I think a lot of the taxi companies all used refurbished batteries and they just keep running, what seems like forever. Again, thank you for your comment and engagement. Hope you have a terrific weekend! BCR

[@bobcat2938]

Great video thanks. I am buying one in Australia in Two weeks. 2nd Gen 2006 model. 2nd Owner, well serviced with 106,000kms (65,865 Miles). Really looking forward to it since my v6 Pathfinder is chewing through my wallet with petrol costs. You made excellent choices with the modifications. I'm curious how much the mpg is affected with the 17's and tyres? Also, after lowering it, how is the comfort of the suspension now and do you bottom out often or scrape on bumps much? Thank you for your time.

[@theonilsen9417]

really good video and quality! Underrated youtuber

[@BlueCollarReviews-cs2br]

Thank you so much for your super nice comment. You totally made our day! BCR

[@jedquist]

Great video. Looking forward to more!

[@BlueCollarReviews-cs2br]

Awesome, thank you for comment and watching! BCR

[@jonathanfrouws7566]

Hello@@BlueCollarReviews-cs2br What website or place can I go to find it refurbished? Thanks!

[@Manhattan_]

Awesome review!

[@BlueCollarReviews-cs2br]

Thank you!

[@Moazz786]

Came here from Facebook post. Nice video

[@BlueCollarReviews-cs2br]

Thank you so much for coming over and watching. There will be more content coming soon. BCR

[@bretcraig8492]

From my understanding, the "B" mode does NOT recharge the battery with regenerative braking. it merely works like an "engine brake"

[@BlueCollarReviews-cs2br]

Hi @bretcraig8492. Thank you so much for your comment. I did do a little bit more research and testing on the vehicle after your comment. Keep in mind I'm not sure quite how the whole entire thing still works. But here's my conclusion. I drove the car and put it in the funny little shifter B mode and let off the Excelerator. The battery does start charging immediately on the display and the engine was showing off. And from what I can tell the engine was actually not running. Immediately as soon as I put the shifter in B mode I felt a ton of resistance which is probably a combination of the regenerative braking as well as some type of engine braking going on. I did do a little bit more research and found some conflicting information. But here is basically what I found. The car does do some regenerative braking/charging. But as soon as the battery gets full (or close to full) to protect the battery it shuts off but continues monitoring the battery state of charge and uses some type of engine braking. I know it's a lot more complicated than that but that's the basic jest of what I got out of it. I want to thank you so much for your genuinely nice comment. It definitely made me do some more research and testing on the car. If you would like me to send you a couple of the links where I found the information. Please let me know or if you have anything else you'd like to share please do. Thanks again much love, BCR

[@TheGovernment-ry2hj]

@@BlueCollarReviews-cs2br If only there was some resource like the owners manual or an internet search engine that could spell it out without needless speculation. Using engine braking: To use engine braking, shift the shift lever to “B” position. During high speed driving, you may feel that deceleration by engine braking is less than that of a typical vehicle. Do not continue normal driving with the transaxle in “B” for a long time. This may cause decreased fuel economy. To prevent this, use “D” for normal driving. When you shift the transaxle to “B” from a position other than “D”, an alarm sounds and the transaxle is automatically shifted to “N”.

[@richardsteiner8992]

From experience, going down Monteagle in TN on I-24 ... it will still give your battery a charge initially (regenerative braking) while in "B" mode, and "B" mode on a steep slope is one of the VERY few times I've seen the very top bar of the battery graph turn green. The top bar is almost always white during normal operation.

[@mougaming1018]

Thanks for the secret compartement, just found the old owners wallet in it it had parking tickets from 2011. PS : I own the car for 2 months and its great i just have water infiltration in the trunks 12v batterie area. Thanks for the video

[@MegaRetr]

Awesome review! i have same gen))))

[@BlueCollarReviews-cs2br]

Thank you so much for your comment. They are definitely great cars. BCR

[@madiemic0506]

We own 2 of these - 2005 and 2008. Both have almost 200k miles. Replaced struts on both and hybrid water pump on the 2008. No other issues. My son has ran the 2005 completely out of oil twice (forgot to add oil during oil change) and the engine is still running strong. He’s wrecked his 3 times as well. I’m beginning to think you can’t kill them. 😂

[@BlueCollarReviews-cs2br]

Wow, that’s pretty incredible! Yes, these cars do seem to run forever. Like I mentioned in the video this vehicle has over 300,000 miles and it’s still running strong. Thank you so much for your comment and I hope you guys get many more years with your two vehicles. BCR

[@yasinkucukyilmaz4527]

Good job

[@BlueCollarReviews-cs2br]

Thank you! BCR

[@BrianRadcliffe]

B is a compression brake. The Prius normally uses regen with the valves disengaged if you shift into "B" it doesn't disengage the valves allowing you to compression brake when going downhill without overcharging the battery

[@CodyFCA]

Great review! What would be the recommended price range to buy this year and model ?

[@BlueCollarReviews-cs2br]

Thank you so much for your comment. we are in Southern California. This particular year and condition, you should be able to find them in a price range from $3,500-$7,000. I would recommend also looking for used car prices at a website like kelleybluebook.com where you can put in all the information that you have on a vehicle and they will give you a price range for a private party, trade-in, etc. Also, whenever looking at any car private party or use car lot, if you’re not mechanically inclined or know a lot about cars, it’s always a good idea to bring someone that is. Whether that be a mechanic or someone that knows car very well. One last thing make sure the car has a clean title. You can use a website like carfax.com. You would enter the Vin number and they will give you quite a bit information on that exact vehicle. Keep in mind. These are just some tools to use when looking to purchase a used vehicle but they are not perfect. Use them as a guide. Hope this helps. Best of luck. BCR

[@richardsteiner8992]

The nav system isn't all that bad. I tend to use it to provide a long range overview on long trips and either my phone or my Garmin for actual guidance. I purchased my 2007 from a friend in 2018, but updated the map software to 2017 (I think?) just after I got it. The 10 year update in map data made a difference in the atlanta metro.

[@BlueCollarReviews-cs2br]

I am glad it working good for you. Never thought about using like that. We just never found it very useful because the Maps on the iPhone our Google Maps is just so much better. That’s awesome to know that they still support some type of updates for the old system. Thank you so much for sharing! BCR

[@samuelboateng7393]

I got a 2009 Prius because of your video… I’ll like to reach out to you to know more on how to modify it.. an email will do

[@BlueCollarReviews-cs2br]

That’s awesome! Definitely emails us at [e-mail] and we will do our best to get back to you as soon as we can. Thank you for your comment and have a fantastic day! BCR

[@vikingtu]

WOW, Great Review! I wish I saw it before I bought my gen 2 with 66K. I bought one last year and had to replaced the ABS modulator 7 months ago with a OEM brand new one as I didn't want issues. Relatively easy job. Quite as a mouse until two months ago and now I hear the chirping sound from it. Not as loud but it is there. UUGGGG So disappointed! No codes and many say the sound is actually normal. Time to move on!

[@BlueCollarReviews-cs2br]

Thank you for your comment. So sorry that you are having issues with your car with such slow mileage. I know you said that it’s some kind of chirping sound. But is the car starting to run bad? Hybrids tend to make all kinds of weird noises when they run or stop and or even when they are turned off. A lot of them are quite normal. Not sure exactly what sound you are having? Let me know if you have any further questions. Thanks again for watching and your comment. BCR

[@ameichholz]

I've been considering a 2008 with just over 300K, battery has been replaced. So your video was definitely a bonus to find. Other then some burning oil is there anything else that you've had issues with? Have you had the timing chain done?

[@BlueCollarReviews-cs2br]

@Ameichholz Thank you so much for your comment. Yes because the car does burn oil the catalytic converter needed to be replaced around 225,000 miles. So if the catalytic converter has not been replaced, it may be getting close to needing to be replaced. We are in California and you can only buy them from a dealer which is quite expensive around $2000. In most other states I believe you can buy aftermarket ones for around $200-$300. I would suggest installing an oil catch can because it will help with the oil that blows by the rings. We also had the digital display/speedometer go out. We sent it out and had it fixed and upgraded because of a faulty diode, I believe . Not very expensive to have done, I think it was about $150. I also replaced the brake actuator which researching is a somewhat common thing to go out, but ours didn’t start going out until about 300,000 miles. If you’re mechanically inclined it’s something you can do yourself, but it is very time consuming and it is a lot of work to do. I purchased a used one for just under $500 but if you plan on keeping the car for a long time I would suggest buying a new one for around $1,000. You will know when it starts to go out when the car is turned off and you hear a slight buzzing sound by the driver side windshield (it’s right in front of the firewall) which would usually go off after about a minute. So if you hear a buzzing sound that keeps going on after the car shuts off for more than a minutes. Most likely the brake actuator is starting to go bad. Keep in mind, the Prius will usually make slight noises after the car is turned off, it’s very common. Another thing that can go out is the center display where you adjust your heater, radio and monitor your hybrid system. But ours never went out, But it is a common thing that can go out. If it does go out, it’s quite inexpensive to have fixed. I believe it cost about $100-$150. As for the timing chain, they are usually not a common failure part on these cars. Sorry for such a lengthy response. Overall the second generation Prius is a pretty solid vehicle and they can run for a very long time if taken care of properly. I hope this helps. Have a great week.. BCR

[@ameichholz]

Thank you so much for the response and all the added information! Great to have! @@BlueCollarReviews-cs2br

[@trappdaddy6920]

@@BlueCollarReviews-cs2brdoes the head gasket go out like the 3rd generation I have a 2011 and the head gasket went out at about 210,000 miles I found a 2008 Prius for like 4K with 90 k miles I’m thinking about buying it but I’m scared to take a loss I guess I will never know as my Mexican people say el ke no ariesga no gana translation if you don’t risk you won’t win let me know abou the head gasket bro I will highly appreciate you

[@samuelboateng7393]

❤

[@whowantstoknow8492]

what rims are those?

[@youngtaylor1521]

what dash camera is that? it looks sleek

[@BlueCollarReviews-cs2br]

Hi @youngtaylor. Thank you for your comment. The dash cam that we installed is the Rexing V1LG dual channel dash cam 1080p. It works decent for the price it offered a lot of features. Although the interface is a little clunky, once you get used to it it works pretty decent. I don't believe they sale V1LG anymore and if they did I would definitely encourage you to upgrade to the newer versions away. Like the Rexing V1P 4K duel channel dash cam. Rexing has a few different versions with a lot more features. Some of the cool features are 4K, and an app so you can download straight to your phone. I left a couple links In the video description. Keep in mind I have NOT reviewed any of the newer versions. But I did look at some of the reviews and the product description and it looks like they should work good. Check them out and let me know what you think. Thanks much love, BCR

[@Landrew0]

The "B" feature on the gear shift was incorrectly explained. It does not produce regenerative braking. It controls engine valve timing to create engine braking, like that in an 18 wheeler. This is used when the battery is fully charged, and there is nowhere for the power produced from regeneration to go. Since you are going downhill, the engine doesn't produce any braking effect, as it is stopped. Engaging the engine brake (B) engages the engine for braking. Otherwise, the wear on the brake pads would be too excessive.

[@BlueCollarReviews-cs2br]

Yes as another viewer (@bretcraig8492) already commented earlier about the same thing that you mentioned. There definitely is some type of engine braking going on when you engaged the B function on the gear selector. But I did test going downhill in the car and if your battery is not fully charged it will continue to charge the battery until it is full and then continue the engine breaking. Thank you so much for your comment have a great week! BCR

[@tim90003]

_Now_