Do you think a Prius could go 1,000,000 miles?

Thanks for posting that. I watched that in 2011, but forgot the details. Not sure if record mile counting applies if engine is rebuilt a few times. Serves the rest of the story well though.

 

Guiness Book of World Records doesn't think that having the engine overhauled twice is not a disqualifying factor.
I know from owning a 1990 Honda Accord for about 20 years (177k miles) that after the 15th year of ownership - certain parts are more difficult to replace to its original spec... the net makes it easier though.

 

I've known Irv Gordon for over 25 years and he's the real deal. He's always maintained his car well and by so doing has probably bought the car many times over. I hope that your point isn't to invalidate the longevity of his car because he's had to replace many parts over the miles as they wore out.

The amount of original parts in his car is staggering. He has the original engine, transmission, rear axle, and all other major components. The engine, transmission and rear axle have all been rebuilt to replace parts that have simply worn out. The engine's been rebuilt twice, but I believe the transmission and rear axle only once. That's absolutely remarkable.

The hybrid battery in my Prius II puked at 146,000 miles and cost $4,200 to replace. Assuming this as typical: if the rest of the car were up to the task to go 3 million miles (not), hybrid batteries along would cost $84,000.

Irv's car has never been garaged and he lives in the snow belt where the car is bathed in road salt for the past 47 winters. He's always attending to rust blooms and had the car repainted several times as you've indicated. The P1800 was Italian style body design with all welded seams that trapped moisture and wasn't easy to repair.

I don't think ANY modern car could ever replicate Irv's accomplishment. The old Volvo's were tough as nails. Volvo used to advertise them in the 1960's as "Drive it like you hate it".

 

You were overcharged for a replacement HV battery and typical life is more like 200 to 250k miles. A new replacement HV battery is about $3400 (the battery ECU is typically reusable) and a rebuilt HV battery is about $2000 installed.

The HV battery should be viewed as a consumable if you keep a Prius a long time. It runs you 1 to 2 cents per mile which is about what Tires normally cost.

JeffD

 

When I was growing up Volvo had a reputation as military tanks on four wheels - slower than most but safe and durable. They also had a reputation of being expensive to maintain and repair but if you did what you were suppose to do - the Volvo dealership would always be there to help you keep your car on the road. I've only known two actual Volvo owners - both said that their Volvo 240s drove very nicely but complained that their Volvo 240s were not that reliable and were expensive to repair - both eventually switch to another car ( this could be a regional phenomena). While not a statistically meaningful sample - it reinforces another statistical factor I read about the loyal core of the Volvo market - the loyal core of Volvo owners tend to be on the upper spectrum of the income bracket (which is why they accept the higher maintenance cost) and believes the way a Volvo rides/drives justifies the effort of keeping it.

Irv Gordon fits the Volvo owner market profile perfectly.

The core market owner profile and expectation for the Prius is not the same as the Volvo.

Volvo is focused on the luxury auto market segment so it is less cost sensitive.

Prius is focused on the working-middle class commuting auto market segment so it is more cost sensitive.

Hence, Prius owner are going to look at maintenance cost more keenly.

The focus of the PBS Science Now! Nova segment on Irv's Volvo was not that Irv's Volvo is more economical to run, or is more reliable, or is intrinsically better than any other car but that Irv's efforts to replace broken and worn parts promptly has extended the lifespan of his vehicle.

It is Mr. Gordon's ownership behavior that is the focus of the video segment not the car itself.

However, Irv's behavior would be of no consequence without his other relationships that made it all possible.

(1) Irv had access to suppliers who could get replacement parts for his car AND
(2) Irv had a mechanic who knew how to fix his car.

I agree with teamsc10190 that today's modern cars would find copying Irv's accomplishments problematic.

Cars made before 1990 are easier to fix BECAUSE they lack specialized electronics/computers.
When a car's computer fails- it can be problematic to replace the computer.
In addition, if specialized diagnostic equipment are needed - the ability to repair it becomes more problematic. The lack of an ECU/computer controller standard for the auto world makes this inevitable consequence.

However,
The more popular a vehicle is -- the easier it is to find a used/new replacement part.
Of all the Hybrids yet to be built - The Prius is the most popular model.
The Prius has a best chance of all hybrids of being repairable when it gets older.

 

The question really is it collectible, otherwise that reasoning does not hold. Will the car + battery be worth more than the cash for the salvage and cash that battery cost. Tires are cheaper, so they are easier to justify. A gen I with a new toyota battery installed likely doesn't make sense. That's when you start going rebuilt, but how long will it last? You will need to really love your car to justify a new battery in a 20 year old model, versus buying a more recent model used.

The whole car is fairly consumable. If I wanted to keep a car for 1M miles I would likely go for something that is likely to be simple and classic. Perhaps a F150, plenty of spare parts and simple design. A prius for the first 100,000 miles will use a lot less gas though.

 

EXACTLY.
Parallel effects are independent mechanics, and in the case of Prius, a supportive user community.

Between the three, Prius can run a LONG time, and trump the value card, too.

.

 

I have to disagree that Irv fits a Volvo demographic of an upper income owner. Irv is a retired high school science teacher of modest means. He traded in a Chevy Corvair for the Volvo that he'd borrowed money from his father to buy.

Irv bought the Volvo in 1966 at Volvoville on Long Island for $4,150. (A 1966 Toyota Corona Deluxe by comparison was less than $1,100.) The Volvo dealership is still in business, still services his car and has provided his access to parts and service.

The Volvo was indeed a simple, basic car with the heart and backbone of a farm implement. The most obscure piece of electronics complication was the British Laycock de Normanville overdrive transmission. The OD was switched via a dash-mounted bat-handle toggle switch with a purple indicator lamp to engage the electric solenoid-activated planetary gearset. Cool stuff!

No question the Prius is significantly more reliable than the old Volvo, but the Volvo was a simple car made of robust and durable materials that was easy to repair. These are key elements that differentiate Irv's Volvo from a modern Prius that will help insure there will not be a three million mile Prius in private hands.

 

3 million miles over 40 years averages out to 200 miles EVERY DAY. Now I feel sorry for the guy.

 

You're right: he's spent more time in his car than he has in his house. He would drive round-trip to Montreal for coffee. The amount of seat time coupled with his love of Waffle House restaurants is testimony that he has an iron butt. At 72 though, he's running out of gas, and he'll be 73 by the time he actually reaches the three million mile mark.

 

How many miles does he drive a year?

Amazing achievement, but should you do it? I figure if you are driving that far you should have a more fuel efficient car. Say wouldn't a new TCH be more comfortable for a few years

 

He's averaged 65K/miles year. It certainly wasn't a linear progression: his mileage has gone down as his age has gone up. He is divorced, so maybe the car obsession played a role?

As to fuel efficiency: If you were picking a car today to attempt this feat, certainly fuel economy would be a key criteria, but the P1800 ran on premium fuel that was about $0.30/gallon when he bought the car. The car got mileage in the range of the high 20's as I recall.

The Prius is a technology platform, so even if you could coax it into the million mile range, newer technology would quickly eclipse any motivation to do so. I think Irv's record will be safe.

 

Technically, Irv's Volvo is obsolete but it has not eclipse Irv's motivation to keep it working.
Fuel efficiency doesn't seem to be a motivator either.
Ah, but if Irv truly loves his car - that's priceless.

 

Yeah, but your (anecdotal) story has no corollary to the Volvo. You are not as repair savvy (or perhaps merely willing) as the Volvo owner.

It's likely only 1 or 2 cells died in your hybrid battery. If you were as astute as the Volvo owner, you could open it up yourself and replace the defective cells for $50 (each), as some around here do.

It's likely with how little the Prius uses the engine, and how little it uses a rich mixture that will gum / corrode it, the engine will last much longer between major issues than the Volvo did.

The most expensive Prius components to repair in the future will likely be the power inverter system or the electric motors (if you excluded labor and did everything yourself). Though, these are probably the most likely components to be able to utilize from salvage (since they are fairly survivable from crashes). The main prohibitive component to Prius longevity (as with any modern car) is the ECU / security, since when the ECU goes (as every electronic eventually burns out), the car would require reprogramming, which may become infeasible or prohibitively expensive.


But as mentioned, the Prius is a technology car. It's dedicated initial owner will probably upgrade rather than stick with it. And secondary and third owners tend not to be as dedicated and will junk it when the repair costs begin to add up significantly to more than it's replacement value. Volvo owners tend to be a particularly dedicated breed, closely followed by VW owners.

I'm sure that engine rebuild wasn't particularly cheap.

 

You hit that nail on the head! If you love it, the rest doesn't matter.

 

It would take me 103 years to reach 1 mil miles. No thanks. 2015 PiP here I come!

 

I think you'd be well served to throttle back significantly on the Kool-Aid.

I've owned Toyota's since 1966. The 2011 Prius is my eight Toyota.

I've owned Volvo's since 1959. I traded my last Volvo (1999 S80 T6) for my 2006 Prius.

There is no question that my Toyota's have been significantly more reliable than any Volvo I've owned. At 220,000 miles, my 2006 Prius has averaged $0.038 per mile in repairs. The 1999 S80 T6 Volvo (a famous automotive handgrenade) averaged $0.22/mile in repair costs over 154,000 miles. At 49 MPG versus, 18 MPG for the Volvo, over the span of 200,000 miles, the 2006 Prius saved me $27K in fuel cost alone (ironically the Prius cost $26.6K new).

My 1964 Volvo P1800 is still on the road in New York (private sale). My 1976 244 is still being driven by my sister-in-law. My 1983 245 is still being driven by a good friend's Dad. My 1987 244 is still being driven by my nephew. My 1991 745TGA was still being driven by my father until he passed June 1.

I still own the 2006 Prius that my wife now drives, but the rest of my old Toyota's were just used up and went to the boneyard. No question in my mind that the flimsy sheet metal and acres of plastic on my Prii will return to the soil far sooner than any of my old Volvos. That said, I wouldn't hesitate to buy another Prius.

I care for all of my cars the same way, and I've never done a major engine repair on ANY of my Volvos, but that hasn't been the case with my Toyota's.

 

Love your avatar!

 

Amazing how those of us who drank the Kool Aid need "bonding time" with our machines, even when they are not on the road... spent yesterday "tailgaiting" with my brother in 56 degree weather - wearing summer clothes in December is a plus. (He was talking about his 68 Super Sport Camaro that is garaged for the winter) I have the DVD option I found out while reading the owner's manual...just never thought of a Prius as a "surround sound theater" before. The new car smell is a great thing as well....

I had the best time washing a small amount of salt off of mine - cleaning the interior, drying the exterior...

 

You've got a really cool Avatar!