SethTama

Hi everyone. I'm new here. I've been desperate to find a car that isn't trash but this car market isn't helping. I wanted a prius due to fuel efficiency and reliability, my big two concerns, but they are so expensive. I did find a 2013 CT 200h for 9k though, with a brand new hybrid battery, but with 180k miles. Should I pull the trigger or is this a bad deal? The navigation is a little wonky as well.

Also, would this be a good car to take road trips in with that mileage? I plan on going all around the US.

Thank you.

McM61

I bought a 2013 Lexus CT200h in July this year with 162000 miles on it. Paid $11000. Only thing I done was put spark plugs in it. I am geting an averge of 42mpg. I use it just to go back in forth to work. I think I put 104miles a week. So far I have been a happy camper. Could I take it on a road trip? I took it to the beach and back but that just another 100 miles for me. This thing is no power house but it just keeps running. I love it. Oh and I bought it from a Toyota dealership so they already did a oil change air and cabin filters and had it all detail . Hope this helps

Darrellci

It's possible if it's in good condition

johnsonker

i wish i would of know that I have a 2012 with110760 i would sale you for 9000

Clutchless

Get a Toyota or hybrid specialist independent shop to do a pre-purchase inspection. They will tell you the condition and if it is okay, what minor stuff needs fixing which you can then use to negotiate a lower price. Most charge around $100 for this service.
It could be a nice ride as the engines and transmissions are very reliable and can go 300,000 miles Many Prius cabs with that many miles are still going strong and they have the same engine & Hybrid system as the CT.

The navigation system will be completely out of date and you will be better using your phone. What do you mean by wonky? It was never much good when brand new.
But if it dies and takes the radio with it you may be in for an expensive repair so that could be a deal killer.

Antibody33

Are you saying you have a 2012 that you'd sell for 9000? Heck, I'll pay you 10 grand even for it

Itme

Is this still available?

Neophyte2b

@McM61 How's the car been now that you've had it for a little while? Have you run into any of the issues with the EGR or pistons? How has the hybrid battery held up? I'm thinking about purchasing a 2013 with 135K, so I'm just trying to learn more. Thanks.

McM61

Yes I have. After 3 months from purchese the car wond up having a blown head gasket. I had the the head milled new valve stem seals. New timing chain. New EGR cooler. More money that I did not want to put into it. Now it runs really well. I am going to keep it until the wheels fall off. No problem with any of the batterys.

4theBirds

I have a blown head gasket in my 2012 CT200h with 171,000 miles. There's coolant in cylinders 1 and 2. The cost to replace the head gasket at Lexus is estimated at approximately 21 hours of labor at $190/hour, plus parts, for a total of $5600. Because removing the engine and disassembling it takes so much time, I'm considering whether it would be better to replace the entire engine instead. I'm getting an estimate for the cost of a new engine. Any ideas or suggestions?
My car is otherwise in great condition, so keeping it is a good idea.

McM61

I wish mine cost $5600. I was charged $8000. They did not pull the engine. I saw the head off. They show me everything they were doing. I kind of know the owner of the shop so i felt confindent . Work was done in Nov of 2022. So far the car has been flawless

JapanBuick

Don't buy 2013 or older cars, just leave them. CT purchases should all be 2014+ after they redesigned the piston and piston ring assembly. 2013's and older are ticking time bombs, you'll have to carry oil around with you.

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/20...32914-9999.pdf

4theBirds

Yes, I would love a new engine. Do you suggest replacing it with the Gen4 engine? My CT 200h is not leaking oil or overconsuming oil. There was some oil on the undercarriage of the car, which was reported as "normal wear and tear."
My 2012 is in excellent condition & has all the features that were available at the time, so I don't want to give it up - if I can work with it - even with 181,000 miles ( I missed the 8 in many earlier post of 171K miles)

JapanBuick

I would probably just do more frequent oil changes and hope for the best, or sell it and buy a newer model. Probably depends on what you paid for it. If you bought it a long time ago and paid a good amount for it, you're into it for a fair bit including maintenance so it would be quite a loss if you sold it now. I'd just change the oil at 5k religiously and I'd also think about running seafoam in the crankcase once in a while to try to clean up the piston rings, maybe? I'm not sure if that would help the situation but it's a thought. I've heard some positive things about running seafoam in the crankcase for about 300 miles before an oil change. Maybe that would be a good thing to do.

JapanBuick

Sorry, I just reread this post. If I were in that situation and I really loved the car I'd get a quote to have the motor rebuild with the revised components used in the 2014+ vehicles. There is a video from CCN about one of his customers who does exactly this to their CT with the same blown head gasket problem.


If the car is super clean and in great shape, it may be a good candidate to just spend the money and get it done right. You should be good to go for many hundreds of thousands of miles if your intention is to keep the car.