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Planning to junk the 2010 Prius - Any Suggestions?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by Rocketboy235, Sep 25, 2021.

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  1. Rocketboy235

    Rocketboy235 Junior Member

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    Hello,

    I am planning to have my old 2010 Prius towed to the junk yard due to the front structure being compromised after being in an accident. The car seems to runs fine(?) except having a damaged headlight/turn signal but it has been sitting on my driveway for almost 2 years now so (due to being lazy and was hesitating trying to fix it but may not be worth it after all).

    So now I'm left with having this car towed unfortunately and I'm trying to figure out if it makes sense and if it is okay for me to take out some parts of the car to sell before having it towed?

    I heard that there is a rise of catalytic converters thefts going on for for Gen 2 and Gen 3 Prius and I wonder if it makes sense to have that removed and sold before I have the Prius towed? Not sure if there are any other parts that I should consider taking out of the Prius to sell.

    Car has about 230K miles on it though the engine has been swapped not long ago but the "new" engine in the car also has quite a bit of miles on it anyway. Still has the original hybrid battery pack.

    Thanks.
     
    #1 Rocketboy235, Sep 25, 2021
  2. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    of course it is okay to take parts out unless you are selling it.
    if the car is worth zero, definitely sell the cat, there are lots of places on line who buy them:catalytic-converter-massachusetts.shtml
     
    #2 bisco, Sep 25, 2021
    Rocketboy235 and Raytheeagle like this.
  3. Rocketboy235

    Rocketboy235 Junior Member

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    Ok, so it probably is worth the effort to at least take the Catalytic converter out. I do wonder how much they go for. Seems like several hundred but if it isn't too painful to take it out, then I'll probably be doing that. Thanks.
     
    #3 Rocketboy235, Sep 25, 2021
  4. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    some are worth close to a thousand, from what i've read in the stolen cat threads.

    not sure if gen 3 is worth as much as gen2, it depends on the heavy metals. make sure you get several offers if possible.
    if the battery has been sitting for two years, it is probably worthless
     
    #4 bisco, Sep 25, 2021
  5. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    I know it's done, but isn't it "technically" illegal to install a used Catalytic Converter. Appreciate it's mostly dogmantic beauracracy of the emissions control regulators.

    Some of it though, is dealing with the characters that buy these wholesale: some of them are not above taking orders and then doing a little "harvesting".
     
    #5 Mendel Leisk, Sep 25, 2021
  6. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    Gen3s are not as valuable as gen2 which has more of the valuable metals. They are not used as replacement cats, they are taken apart for their metals. Texas now has a new law where individuals can't legally sell cats to the fences, oops, "recyclers".
     
    #6 rjparker, Sep 25, 2021
  7. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    There seems to be two “price points”, a $100 or so to recyclers, and a grand or more, with the latter destined to be installed??
     
    #7 Mendel Leisk, Sep 25, 2021
  8. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    is the used egr worth anything? spare tire? tail lights? roller shade, etc.?
     
    #8 bisco, Sep 25, 2021
  9. Rocketboy235

    Rocketboy235 Junior Member

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    I also heard that it may just be better to call several junkyards and let them know what the car has and see how much they would offer. I guess if I have trouble finding any junkyards that would pay a reasonable amount then I might just take some parts out of the car then if that makes sense.
     
    #9 Rocketboy235, Sep 25, 2021
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  10. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    that sounds like a good plan. have you thought about trying to sell it? there's a lot of nice 2020's running around with 230 on the clock. you just need to find a competent diy'er
     
    #10 bisco, Sep 25, 2021
  11. Krall

    Krall Member

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    How much for the engine?

    What's the junkyard going to give you? I imagine parting it out will net you a much greater return especially in this crazy, upside down world.
     
    #11 Krall, Sep 26, 2021
  12. Rocketboy235

    Rocketboy235 Junior Member

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    So the engine is a swapped engine since the original basically blew up. At the time of the engine swap (late 2018), it had 110k miles on it (not sure which year it was made since it could be from 2010 to 2015) but I'm going to assume around 2010-2011. It has ~112k miles since I drove it (didn't make it far lol). I believe I paid $1800 for the engine (which I thought was a little bit steep) but maybe that is the fair price?
    The engine has been standing for 2 years now so it will probably have to be thoroughly cleaned(?) since the engine oil is probably no good.

    I still need to ask around and also maybe check with private sellers possibly like Facebook marketplace/Craigslist as some people suggested (asked on Reddit to see what they suggested).
     
    #12 Rocketboy235, Sep 26, 2021
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