Buyer beware

BUYING from auction leaves you little room to move if something goes wrong. It's a ``buyer beware'' scenario, and unfortunately you didn't show enough caution. The fact that it was a 1999 model -- when Toyota didn't start selling the Prius here until 2001 -- and the price was $10,000 should have tipped you off that something was amiss. Toyota's technical people say the earlier Prius is quite different to the car they sell here, with a different ECU and battery pack. The result is that Toyota dealers don't have the diagnostic equipment to determine what might be wrong with your car. Even though this is a grey import, Toyota is willing to help out if you call their customer hotline.