I'm considering buying a manual 2003 HCH with 140,000 miles on it. I was hoping that someone who owns a HCH with this many miles on it could tell me if this is a good buy or not (the dealership is offering it for $8,000 but might be willing to negotiate). I'm a graduate student who really wants to go hybrid but doesn't have a lot of money, and I'm concerned about the cost of repairs in the next few years. I'd appreciate any advice!

 

Do they have the maintenance history with the car? Older HCH with M/T tend to be hard on the battery pack. You should hear from some of the guys that own this model. Check the past posts from the early HCH. This will tell you alot! Sounds like a fair deal? H

 

I'm (hopefully) going to check out the car today and will ask about maintenance records. From poking around on this forum, it seems like the main issue is how recently the IMA battery was replaced, or if it has been at all, and if the car has any sort of warranty left.

Thanks!

 

I think it would be a pretty good deal if you could get it for around the price you quoted with a new IMA battery. I have an 03 with about 140,000 on it that I got for just over 10,000 about 2 1/2 years ago. I have put around 55,000 of those 140,000 on myself. My battery is still doing well, but I am not sure I would risk that kind of investement without a new battery at this point.

Or you could try to argue the price down assuming you will have to put another 3 grand or so into it soon to replace the battery out of your own pocket, then if it lasts a few years you got a deal.

kernk

 

Thanks, that helps a lot. Is the battery in your 03 still the original one? From what I've read on this forum, some batteries can last that long, but the manual (what I'm looking at) tends to be harder on batteries.

I haven't been able to look at it yet, but I will definitely ask about the battery.

 

If it is a Honda dealership see if they will Honda Certify the car. If so that should give you a 12k miles bumper to bumper warranty and you could check into getting an extended warranty just make sure it covers the IMA battery pack.

 

Mine is indeed the original battery, and it is a manual trans. I try not to drain it, I let it coast in gear to charge more often than coasting in neutral (especially when below 3/4 charge) and I run with the lights on day and night. I found that if the lights are on the battery will always be charging just a little bit, even when it says it isn't, up to about 4/5 of a charge. I found this helps me to keep the charge high. I could be wrong on this, it is just an observation, but I think it is accurate.

 

Whether or not a car with that many miles on it is still a good buy will depend very heavily on how the previous owner(s) treated the car. If people kept it in good condition, it might be a good buy. If they didn't, or if it's been in a serious accident, or if there is something wrong with it, I would avoid buying it. $8000 is a lot to pay for a car with 140K miles on it...even if you could talk the dealership down, I would not buy it unless the car is in absolute top condition.

Find a mechanic (not a dealer) you trust check the car out. If you search around, you can probably find someone who has experience working on hybrids. The honda civic hybrid is a little less high tech than the prius; it's more like a regular car, so you will probably be able to find someone.

Also, I would advise to test-drive the car at least 10 miles (the dealer I bought my 2003 HCH from let me drive mine over 20 miles before buying it), and calculate the mileage. Are you getting the mileage you're supposed to? If you can't get over 40mpg, don't buy it...for $8000 you can pick up a Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic (non-hybrid) with low mileage, and those cars can get 35+mpg. Some of the German cars that run on Diesel also get outstanding mileage.

I would emphasize...for $8000 don't buy a car with that much mileage unless it is in absolutely top shape--if a mechanic checks it out top to bottom and finds no major problems. And check CARFAX for accidents too.

 

Sorry, in terms of advice everything was going fine up until this quote.

The Prius is not significantly more high tech than the HCH. In fact, both systems are made up of the same basic hybrid components and governed by similar principles surrounding power management and its use. In other words, the main difference between the two is architectural topology, implementation which determine its capabilities.

To accurately infer on the suitability and adequacy of a Honda hybrid you NEED to consult a properly trained technician that is not only well versed in the generational attributes of the technology but is also well supported by equipment and literature. While there are only a few independent shops in North America that can provide this type of qualified service it is very unlikely that most people will succeed in getting their money's worth outside a Honda service department. Heck, even with all the support available to Honda technicians many here will have no trouble confirming how lacking they can still be at times.
Besides, Honda will often offer "good will gestures" in case of major system failures for even those that occur outside the warranty period. So it pays to not forfeit that opportunity especially in light of the precedents we are all well aware of. And the only way to know about it for sure is to know where you stand when considering buying a user car like this.

Cheers;

MSantos

 

Thanks for the advice, everyone! I took the car to a Honda dealer, who told me that the car needed at least $1500 worth of non-hybrid related repairs: spark plugs, breaks, etc. The CEL and the IMA battery light were also on. I told the dealer who is selling the car this, and he said he would take it to a friend of his who works on Hondas. It's been over a week and I haven't heard from him. I don't think that's good news.

I still want to own a hybrid, but I don't think this particular one is going to be a good deal. Someday I'll be in a position to buy a new one...until then I'm going to look for a high-mpg gas engine.