Used 2005 Toyota Prius Consumer Reviews
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.... But it's practical for god's sake!!!
The Davy, 02/04/2018
2005 Toyota Prius 4dr Hatchback (1.5L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)
23 of 24 people found this review helpful
Practicality is the name of the Prius's game. This was never more true than with this generation of the quintessential hybrid we all know (and love?). I drove this car for 4 years after my father darn near drove it into the ground, and still sold it for a grand with a gash in the side and 286,000 miles. We had to replace the hybrid battery once, near the half-life of the car, and the Toyota dealership was never exactly wallet-friendly for any general part replacements (I own a Kia now and have been treated like a saint in their stores comparatively). Let's start under the hood: everyone knows there is NO reason to drive the Prius for fun... but I'm here to dispute that claim. The CVT and electric torque make it feel much peppier than it is, especially in city driving. The other great thing about it being a TOYOTA continuously variable unit is that you NEVER feel any transmission hiccups. It didn't age a day over the span of 12 years. I could say more about Toyota's reliability, but I'd rather move onto the complaints I might file, that will have Toyota loyalists bashing my door down for sure. INTERIOR: It is so darn loud. The engine drones (and I'm not even a CVT hater, personally), you hear ALL the wind, and you hear ALL the road. I get that it is built to be a machine of efficiency, but I can't be the only one who wants to be able to have a front seat-back seat conversation without the necessitation of a megaphone. The materials are more of the same. "Keep it light!" shouts Toyota. "It'll help fuel economy!" Well, sure I was still getting 38-42 MPG by the time I gave it up, and I know hybrid technology was newer and more expensive in 2005, but by golly if I don't end up with fragmented elbow joints from simply resting my elbows on the center armrest and the door panel. Yeesh. That being said, just TRY to scratch that plastic on the door panel. You can't do it. So good for Toyota on that one, I suppose. The seats have no vertical adjustors, so even my 5'6 frame was wedged tight between the seat and the ceiling no matter what kind of sorcery I tried to work with the horizontal positioning, bearing in mind that I also had to keep the IMPOSSIBLY stout steering wheel column at (very short) arm's length, since there was no telescoping to be had. BUT, the seats are very comfortable if you ignore the feeling of the ceiling liner involuntarily restyling your hair. This car was more abused than used in the time that my family owned it. Two kids essentially grew up in this car, spilling ranch dressing and cheeto dust and various other multicolored foods onto the beige interior fabrics. It may or may not have had a frustrated foot jammed down onto the pedal a few times. This is a car that CAN stand up to the abuse. The sheet metal is definitely thin, but the paint must have been zealously applied, since it seems you could not make a CHIP in that stuff if you were to drop a boulder on the car. And considering the reliability track record, the car could probably drive away from said boulder drop. The instrumentation inside is silly, and no matter how long you live with the car, you will never get used to looking at a digital speedometer that also happens to offset toward the CENTER of the car (so the passenger can critique your speed as well?), or the fact that you must toggle through the touch screen interface just to adjust the air conditioning. You can pack for seven different camping trips at once in a car with this much storage space. The rear seats fold nearly flush with the floor of the trunk, making for a maddeningly convenient hatchback plateau. Legroom in the back is adequate, except in the center, especially when the potentially groin-intrusive cupholders are in use. Headroom goes on for days and visibility is such that it feels as though you're driving a greenhouse. Buy this car and love it. Drive it like a go-kart or like a U-Haul. There should be no middle ground.
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Why I gave up my Lexus for this
JohnDK, 09/18/2004
2005 Toyota Prius 4dr Hatchback (1.5L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)
13 of 13 people found this review helpful
I turned in my Lexus early. Lease was costing too much per mile and the price of gas at 18mpg is now $30 per tank. I was hoping only for great gas milage and got that and more. Driving the Prius is like driving the future. It's 98% smooth, not luxurious. I would have liked all auto windows, power seats, leather, memory on seat position, etc. And they COULD do this and add another few thousand to this car. But just the way it is, is amazing. That's why there is a 4-6 month wait for these and people are paying $500-$2000 over MSRP. How stupid are we in America.. WE should be building these. Drives fair to good, Don't expect a BMW or Lexus.
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Issues with 05 prius you should know
2005 prius , 06/11/2010
2005 Toyota Prius 4dr Hatchback (1.5L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)
29 of 31 people found this review helpful
After purchasing my 05 prius with factory navigation and HID headlights, package 6 I believe. Just be aware that all 04 and 05 had the ugly painted door panels and dash, I strongly would avoid these if you can get the 06 and newer. the paint has peeled off on these parts. I went to a prius dismantler and purchased all the door panels and dash parts from a 08 prius to do the swap, so much nicer. The second and biggest issue is the HID headlight bulbs, they just shut off while you use them . The best solution is replace them with aftermarket HID bulbs, do not use the factory Toyota bulbs, they will go out again. Numerous owners have had this issue, ballast is not the problem, it's the bulbs.
great car
gart pres, 10/11/2015
2005 Toyota Prius 4dr Hatchback (1.5L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)
37 of 40 people found this review helpful
i have a 2005 pirus with 380, miles still running strong always change my oil at 3000 miles and never changed the battery.
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Historic hybrid
Rob, 08/15/2019
updated 08/18/2022
2005 Toyota Prius 4dr Hatchback (1.5L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)
11 of 11 people found this review helpful
I bought my 2005 Prius 10 years ago with 41,000 miles and now have 194,000. I do all of my own work. Knowing how to work on a hybrid helps when repairs are needed. And this car has had some problems over the years. I take care of my vehicles and the problems that I’ve had are known issues with this generation. The Combination Meter (speedo on dash) failed at 120k. Removed, sent out to a guy in Wisconsin that repairs for $150, reinstalled and works fine. Replaced both rear taillights due to LED failures... aftermarket for $120 for both. Replaced inverter water pump $75. Replaced water control valve $125. Replaced 12 volt battery twice $400 Replaced front pads and rear shoes $125 Replaced front calipers $100 Replaced heater blower $40 Replaced heater resistor block $12 Main battery needed a couple of cells repaired due to leaking electrolytes $12 which is a temporary fix. Will rebuild battery with new cells $1600. So not a failure proof car. And if I had work done at dealer would have cost thousands more. But I still think this generation Prius is THE car that started the move away from burning fuel and towards electrification. History will show that this car was the bridge to the future. And even with the repairs needed. I plan on getting another 100k miles.
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