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The car has always been garaged during my ownership. It has performed perfectly; the only visit to a shop was for a minor factory recall for the water pump. Tires are General Altimax, with about 75% of tread remaining. The car is equipped with leather, AM-FM radio with 6-CD changer, backup camera, Bluetooth, and NAV. Most features can be controlled either by voice or by way of buttons on the steering wheel. I have all manuals, the cargo mat, retractable cargo cover, and rubber floor mats. I have only ONE key. (I bought a spare key fob but have never taken it to a dealer to be programmed to the car. That spare key is included).

I purchased this Prius 3 1/2 years ago from a shop in Charlotte NC that repairs "salvage" cars exclusively. The North Carolina title, which is clear and in my name, says "Salvage Rebuilt" in the "title brands" box. The car was nearly new when involved in a front-end collision and the insurance company chose to write it off. The front fenders, hood, bumper, and radiator mounts were replaced with parts from another Prius that had been struck in the rear. North Carolina inspects cars regularly during this process, and acquiring the original title was not a problem. If you examine the photos carefully, you will see that there also is a slight misalignment of both front fenders where they meet the bumper cover. (In cold weather they stay in place, but in summer they pop out about a quarter inch.) A local body shop estimated less than $100 to repair this imperfection, but I see no reason to do so. A "salvage" title means two things: the manufacturers warranty is void and the car has been damaged with repairs costing over $2500..

The paint has the minor scratches and a couple of rock chips on the front that would be expected on a 4 1/2 year old car. The "outside temperature" monitor is not working. There is a small bleach spot on the rear cargo mat. For it's age, I would say that this car is in excellent condition, and with only 40,000 miles it has many years of service remaining. The odometer reading will increase slightly, as the car is being used locally.

This Prius is an excellent buy and I feel sure that it will serve someone well for many years. It would sell for thousands of dollars more without the salvage title. Mileage consistently averages over 51 MPG even in the mountains. We are selling because we have too many cars for a 70 year old couple! If you want to talk about the car, email your phone number to me.

Auto Services in North Carolina

Wilburn Auto Body Shop-Mooresville ★★★★★

Automobile Body Repairing & Painting

Address: 264 W Plaza Dr, Denver

Phone: (704) 469-4468

Westover Lawn Mower Service ★★★★★

Automobile Parts & Supplies, Gasoline Engines, Automobile Accessories

Address: 2856 Westover Dr, Providence

Phone: (434) 822-0138

Truck Alterations ★★★★★

Automobile Parts & Supplies, Window Tinting, Truck Accessories

Address: 716 Smoky Park Hwy, Chimney-Rock

Phone: (828) 633-2600

Troy Auto Sales ★★★★★

New Car Dealers, Used Car Dealers, Wholesale Used Car Dealers

Address: 100 N Lee Ave, Four-Oaks

Phone: (910) 892-7373

Thee Car Lot ★★★★★

Used Car Dealers

Address: 2498 Gillespie St, Autryville

Phone: (910) 485-0077

T&E Tires and Service ★★★★★

Auto Repair & Service, Automobile Diagnostic Service

Address: 2925 Eastway Dr, Charlotte

Phone: (704) 531-8095

Auto blog

Question of the Day: Ever consider driving a minivan?

Thu, May 12 2016

Since I'm supposed to know something about cars, it happens all the time: friends and relatives ask me advice about what kind of vehicle they should get. Very often, the only type of vehicle that can check every item on their wish list (e.g., hauls lots of people and stuff, gets good fuel economy, has great crash-test ratings, can take four Great Danes camping, and so on) is a modern minivan... and, of course, nobody wants to hear this. I'm not a minivan person, they will wail, and so they end up with a cramped, fuel-swilling SUV or a not-so-space-efficient minivan-in-disguise CUV. So, is it worth becoming one of those minivan people in order to get the incredible usefulness of these masterpieces of vehicle engineering, or do you hold your head high and drive something that doesn't quite meet your needs? Related Video: Auto News Design/Style Chrysler Honda Toyota Minivan/Van question of the day questions

Toyota to end Australian production by 2017

Mon, 10 Feb 2014

There is more bad news for the Australian auto industry today, as Toyota has just announced that it will follow General Motors and Ford in shuttering its manufacturing operations on the continent. Production and assembly will cease by the end of 2017, but Toyota will remain in Australia as a sales and distribution company.
"We did everything that we could to transform our business, but the reality is that there are too many factors beyond our control that make it unviable to build cars in Australia," said Toyota Australia President and CEO Max Yasuda.
In an official statement, Yasuda said that the closure would directly affect 2,500 manufacturing employees and an unknown number of corporate workers. However, a report in the Australian newspaper The Age suggests that the jobs of 24,000 workers at Australian auto suppliers could also be in jeopardy. Toyota currently builds its Camry, Camry Hybrid, Aurion sedans in Australia, along with four-cylinder engines, and it plans to begin importing the Camry and Aurion after production stops.

Toyota finds 10% MPG improvement in hybrid PCU

Wed, May 21 2014

Keeping up its from-all-angles approach to efficiency, Toyota has found yet another way to eke out up to ten percent more precious MPGs in its hybrid vehicles, this time electronically. The automaker has announced the development of new silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductors for use in power control units, which it will begin testing on Japanese roads within the next year. The PCU using the silicon carbide compound offers less electrical resistance, which improves efficiency when passing current between the battery and electric motor. It also loses less power after shutting off, and can operate at a higher frequency. The net power loss of the new PCU is just one-tenth of the current silicone-only version (the latter accounting for 20 percent of total electrical power loss in today's hybrids). The result, so far, is a claimed five-percent improvement in fuel economy in test vehicles, with the potential of ten percent by the time the new SiC power semiconductor comes to market. Additionally, the carbide wafers allow for smaller a power module, coil and capacitor, thus allowing the entire PCU to be 80 percent smaller (see the side-by-side comparison in the accompanying photo, which you can click to enlarge). We've got a while to wait before we start to see the carbide technology to start making a real-world impact. Toyota aims to begin using the SiC units in 2020. By then, with improvements in the company's other key efficiency factors - engine technology and aerodynamics - cars like the Prius will likely see significant gains in fuel economy. Read more in the press release below. Toyota Develops 'Diamond-like' Computer Chips to Boost Hybrid Mileage May 20, 2014 Toyota City, Japan – Toyota is using one of the hardest materials in nature after diamonds to develop a semiconductor chip it hopes will improve the fuel efficiency of its hybrids, such as the Prius, by as much at 10 percent. The company and its partners announced today that they have developed a silicon carbide (SiC) power semiconductor for use in automotive power control units. Toyota plans to begin test-driving vehicles with the technology on public roads in Japan within a year. The chips, made from carbide - one of the hardest materials in nature, theoretically have superior characteristics such as one-tenth the electrical power loss and 10 times the drive frequency. Toyota said the chips would also allow it to reduce the size of current automotive power control units by 80 percent.

2009 Toyota Prius 4 Door Hatchback, Leather, Nav, No Reserve, 40,000 Miles! on 2040-cars

Toyota Prius for Sale