Limited budget? Choosing a "live" Priora

Inconvenient, unreliable, outdated? But it is included in all the TOPs of used car sales. Rusting, constantly breaking down and in need of repair? But most often found on the roads. Today we will analyze the controversial brainchild of VAZ with a glorious history - Priora.


Production was completed on July 18, 2018, on that day the last copy rolled off the assembly line. For some time they were still in car dealerships, now it will not work to find a new option.

The market is flooded with cars of this model. According to the portal avto.ru, the average sale time is only 21 days. It is easy to understand that the car is popular and in demand. And most of the cars at the same time have far from the best technical condition. Let's figure out how not to make a mistake when buying and what to look for.

pros

Let's start with the benefits. Priora has a lot of them, no matter what anyone says. It was originally developed as a people's car and has no competitors in its class. According to the owners, the main advantages are:

• ✅ Cheap maintenance. Spare parts cost, without exaggeration, a penny, as does the work of replacing them. Breakdowns do not hit the wallet
  
• ✅ Maintainability. Important for those who repair the car on their own. Access to most nodes is comfortable, it is almost always possible to cope with a standard set of tools
  
• ✅ Availability of spare parts in automotive stores. You can buy everything without waiting for delivery
  
• ✅ Extensive knowledge base on any issue related to Priora. It’s easy to figure it out without experience - there are hundreds of sites and forums
  
• ✅ Durable engine. With careful operation, 300 km or more can pass, up to 000 there are usually no problems. Moderate power, but enough for a comfortable ride, consumption from 100 to 000 liters
  
• ✅ Attractive look. You can’t call a car a style icon, but well-maintained cars look good
  
• ✅ Availability of all necessary functions. And options with improved equipment are not inferior to models that cost one and a half to two times more.
  
• ✅ Liquidity - cars can be quickly sold.

For used cars older than 5 years, you should not start from age. In this case, the state and quality of service come to the fore.

What to look for

If you know the shortcomings inherent in Priora, questions about how to choose a car will disappear. As noted above, there are plenty of options on the market. The main thing is not to rush and not take the seller's word for it. Everything must be checked independently or with the involvement of a third-party specialist:

• ✅ Crime, you should start with this aspect. It is better to purchase a thickness gauge before inspection, it costs a little, but it will definitely come in handy. They should check the glass on which the body number is stamped. Check the thickness to make sure the element is not welded. On cars up to 15 years old there is a duplicate plate in front of the glass, in later cars there should be a sticker on the middle pillar on the passenger side. If there is suspicion, it is better to remove the wheel, fender liner and inspect the element from the inside with a flashlight, it is not difficult to detect a weld if it is present.
  
  
• ✅ Body. Priora's paint quality and corrosion resistance are not the best. In addition to checking with a thickness gauge, it is worth removing the rubber bands on the rear doors to make sure that the car was not welded from two parts. Carefully inspect the edge of the hood, arches and the back, bugs often appear there. By the door bolts you can find out if it was filmed. It is worth lifting the trunk lining and checking the metal for damage and deformation.
  
  
• ✅ Thresholds, bottom and spars are best inspected from a pit or on a flyover. It happens that a car looks good, but there are holes in it from below or large pockets of corrosion. Rusty spars are especially dangerous.
  
  
• ✅ Salon. From it you can judge how carefully the car was operated. Often, the condition of the steering wheel, gear knob, pedals and driver's seat determine the actual mileage, given how easy it is to rewind. But do not forget that these elements are easy to change, you should not proceed from their state.
  
  
• ✅ Engine. Of course, ideally, drive the car for diagnostics and check the power unit at the service station. When this is not possible, you need to listen to the work, make sure there are no leaks. Ask someone to press the gas pedal once before the cut-off - blue smoke will tell you that the engine is eating oil, white - that the cylinder head gasket is broken. With a run of 100, it is important to know when the timing belt was changed. Ideally, there should be a sticker under the hood or an entry in the service book. When there is no exact information, it is better to replace it if the car is bought.
  
  
• ✅ Checkpoint. Cars with a run of over 100 with a robotic box are pure roulette. With this option, the clutch is usually no more than 000 thousand, it is worth checking this point as well. The mechanics are more predictable. If the gears shift normally, the synchronizers do not crunch and there is no looseness, then it will not cause trouble.
  
  
• ✅ The suspension cannot be called weak, but it does not differ in strength either. It all depends on the quality of the roads and driving style. It’s easy to check, first you need to drive over bumps, listen to knocks, squeaks, etc. Turn around in both directions, unscrewing the steering wheel all the way to check the CV joints. Ideally, raise the car and pull the wheels, inspect the steering tips and ball joints (the condition of the anthers is important). If the shock absorbers are wet, they need to be replaced.
  

Do not forget to check the electrics - the operation of lighting equipment, buttons, settings. If you have an air conditioner, make sure it works. If the seller says that he did not fill it, there is a high probability that he is disingenuous and there are some problems.

What else is worth remembering

To eliminate spending and unnecessary headaches, it is worth determining which cars it is better to refuse immediately:

• ✅ There are suspicions that the number is interrupted or something does not match according to the documents
  
• ✅ The gaps are not set, the doors close with difficulty
  
• ✅ Numerous pockets of corrosion on the body or bottom
  
• ✅ Heavily oily motor, blue smoke when gassed
  
• ✅ Suspicious owner, any inconsistencies, etc.
  

There are no fundamental differences by year of release, but certain aspects still need to be remembered:

• ✅ The 2007 versions were the first, there were enough flaws and problems. Even the 2008 Priors are much better in this regard.
  
• ✅ 2009 - the first restyling, according to reviews, the seats became more comfortable
  
• ✅ Many car owners claim that cars manufactured from 2009 to 2014 stand out in terms of corrosion resistance
  
• ✅ If you follow the general principles, then, if possible, choose the most recent of the options
  

Always check the car in all available databases. Make sure it's not stolen, banked, etc. Take your time, consider at least 5 options, only in comparison can you adequately assess the condition of a particular car.

Again, all sorts of tuning - tinting, understating, etc. is undesirable, since you will have to eliminate inconsistencies yourself. Most often, this takes a lot of time and money.

Today, the price depends on age, a five-year plan will cost 411 thousand, a seven-year plan - 367. Ten-year Priors cost an average of 230, and the first generation, which is 000 years old, can be taken for 14-140 thousand rubles. These are averages that can change in any direction.



To briefly summarize the information, then when choosing, you need to make sure that the numbers are not broken, the body and bottom are not rusty, and everything is in order with the engine and gearbox. The only aspect that you can close your eyes to is the suspension, it’s easy to lose a certain amount on this problem, and you can repair it yourself. Good luck with your purchases!