Owner Review: My best car purchase, buying a used 2012 Toyota Prius

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History
It was way back in 2008 when I drove a Prius for the first time.

It was a 2nd generation Prius, one of the few brought into Malaysia at that time, and I was lucky enough to test it.

I remember being amazed by the technology, the colour touch screen, the way you can sit at the traffic light, aircond still cooling the cabin, without buring a single drop of fuel. It was an interesting experience driving that around. People will stop and point, not believing that a Prius was in Malaysia. While walking to the car, I even overheard a family pointing to it, wondering if it is officially on sale in Malaysia. I told myself that one day, I would own a Prius.

Why I needed a new car

Fast forward to early 2020, before the Covid pandemic hit us. I needed to get a car to replace my 2009 Proton Gen2 CPS M/T. My workplace would be shifting to somewhere with more traffic jams, so an automatic car is needed. As fantastic as my 2009 Gen2 is, I can't bear the thought of driving thru the parking lot known as Federal Highway everyday in it. So the hunt began.

Purchase considerations

I had a budget of about RM40k, and a list of requirements. It must have ESC, side and curtain airbags, ISOFIX, and be a fairly modern car.

I considered a few cars, but one by one, they were crossed out. 2015 Mazda 2 (over my budget and only 2 airbags), brand new Myvi (too common), it goes on and on. I kept coming back to the Prius, seeing how used ones were priced nicely within my budget. It met all my criterias, the safety features were all there, having being ahead of it's time when it was launched back in 2009. Heads up display, JBL speakers, automatic power windows, automatic wipers/lights, smart entry, DRLs, rear fog lamp, heated side mirrors, tlit & telescopic steering wheel, footwell lamps, and even a heater (it's useful even in our weather, seeing how cold some nights are). Heck, it even has an aluminium bonnet and tailgate, just like the GR Yaris!

For the same amount of money, I could get a 2012 Vios (with none of the features available in the Prius), so it was a no brainer going for the Prius.

Actual purchase

So the hunt was on. There are many used Priuses (Prii?) in the market, but finding a good one was proving to be difficult.

I was after a 2012 facelifted model, as it came with more features like LED headlamps, reverse camera, JBL speakers, power folding mirrors and leather seats.

I relied on popular used car listing sites like Carlist & Mudah. I would call the seller and ask for the registration number.

With the help of a friendly service centre, I could get the latest mileage and find out whether the previous owner services the Prius at the authorised Toyota service centres. You'll be amazed at how many used cars out there that have their odometers rolled back.

It took me about two weeks of calling, checking the websites daily, to finally find the one.

It was a 2012 model, but not the Luxury variant that I was after. 2012 facelift Prius came in 2 variants, and this was the lower one, losing out on things like LED headlamps and leather seats. 

I went to see the car, located in a used car lot in JB. The condition was great. The rear seats looked like no one has ever sat in them. Everything checked out.

Tyres were a good brand and in a good condition. The service booklet was full of stamps from the official service centres. Two keys were present.

All body panels were original and aligned properly. (one way to know is that the Prius has a VIN number sticker on all doors and body panels, so if it's missing, you know it has been changed). No obvious smoke from the exhaust hot or cold. Engine oil is clear and not milky. Plugged in an OBD2 Bluetooth scanner, together with the Dr.Prius app to check for fault codes. Took it for a short test drive, and immediately paid a deposit to secure it. Transfered the rest of the money the following week, and drove down to JB again to collect my very own Prius.

How is it so far?

I bought it with about 114k km on the clock. So far I've added another 16k km (blame the movement control order for the low mileage count).

Went back to the official Toyota service centre to do my first service, and they kindly shared with me the service history of this car.

The previous owner really took care of it. Fully synthetic oil all the way. HV battery replaced at 107k km less than a year before I bought it.

No accident repairs. Every service was done on time at the TSC. All product recalls were promptly done. Even the remote key battery was changed at the TSC.

No issues so far for me. The Prius runs like a charm. I'm averaging 22-23km/l on mixed driving, and getting better as the traffic has returned. My best tank was about 24km/l, and I did 900km in one tank. Didn't miss the extra features found in the Luxury variant like I thought I would. In fact, the synthetic semi leather seats age better than the real thing on the Luxury variant.

Mods / Improvements I've done

I've swapped all the interior lights and number plate lights to LEDs.

I've added front & rear dashcams (all cars should come with them nowdays).

I've also added magnetic sunshades as well as a trunk tray (Prius' boot is lined with a light coloured carpet which easily gets dirty).

Replaced the original Toyota tint that was ripped out during the Puspakom inspection.

Ending thoughts

Most people are worried about the high cost of maintaining a hybrid car that's this old.

What I can say is don't skimp on your scheduled maintenance. Nowdays, there are many third party workshops that specialises in hybrid cars, so it doesn't cost an arm and a leg to maintain them. Also, learn to properly drive a Toyota hybrid car, what all the gauges mean, and it will help keep it realiable for years to come.

I have no regrets buying my Prius, and intend to keep it as long as I can.

Pro
- Way more features for the price you pay to any other car out there
- Fuel consumption
- Instant torque from the electric motors
- Safety features

Con
- Potential cost of replacing the hybrid battery and brake pump (but many third party shops can do this now)
- My friend (who also owns a Prius) says the Prius is noisy at highway speeds (maybe he's used to driving more expensive cars ;) Compared to my Gen2, the Prius is a library.

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