2010 Toyota Prius worth it?

2010 Prius won't necessarily be a money pit, but there are issues that are very common for this year.

1. HV battery failure after 10 years old
2. Head gasket failure at higher mileage
3. Brake booster failure after 10 years
4. Oil burning issues

Those are the biggie items. To help prevent the #2 head gasket failure, there will be maintenance required. Clean EGR circuit/valve, intake manifold cleaning. This is a time consuming job but not very difficult.

Depending on the maintenance history, at 120k miles, many items are due. Spark plugs, transaxle fluid change, coolant changes, suspension???

So if you say this car is "care for", maybe most of these items are already done. If not, then this could be a money pit for someone that doesn't have much money

 

From your description of your situation in life and your daughters basically the answer to your question is yes look at Corolla or Yaris for the extra money that you're going to spend to maintain batteries ABS brakes and the head gasket on a Prius you will save all that money with a Corolla or a Yaris . The Corolla has the same engine as the Prius is just not Atkinson cycle which may be one of the problems with the Prius design I don't know or care but I have owned Toyotas for over 40 years That's the primary vehicle manufacturer that I have personally owned over my whole life I also own Prius but the situation you're describing is not Prius country believe it You need a Corolla or a Yaris. Not a Nissan Sentra GT not a Dodge charger or a Challenger but a Yaris or Corolla and your daughter will be extremely happy extremely satisfied she will love either of those cars. Point blank The wizard on Facebook just did a review of automobiles for first-time kids college students etc The Yaris is at the top of his list You can see this on the wizard channel on Facebook or hoovies garage please don't take my word for it Do your research look online talk to other Yaris owners Corolla owners I have owned Corolla like I say for 40 years It is one of the best cars on the road in the world for a reason believe that thank you and I hope you enjoy your experience and get this worked out.

 

Toyota introduced a new system with gen 3 (model year 2010~2015), Exhaust Gas Recirculation, with the aims of reducing emissions and achieving slightly better mpg.

That second aim relies on the EGR system working properly. Unfortunately Toyota rushed development of the system, and it has proven prone to clogging up with carbon, leading to head gasket failure.

The car you’re considering is getting into the head gasket danger zone, if the EGR system hasn’t been cleaned, albeit not by much. The head gaskets fail anywhere past 100k miles, but predominantly 150k~200k. Hard to say when the process starts though.

Another issue, with model year 2010 to partway through 2014: Toyota used “low tension piston rings”, again with aim to achieve slightly higher mpg. And sadly again, these have proven clog prone, leading to run-away oil consumption.

work arounds are:

1. Completely clean EGR system periodically, say every 50k miles.

2. Change oil at least twice as frequently as the yearly or 10k miles recommended by Toyota USA. At least…

3. Pray.

 

The good news is that most 2010 Priuseses aren't money pits yet.

The bad news is that many of the ones available for sale, are.

People are good at using them up to the last drop. The good ones are kept in the family, and the iffy ones get traded in. It's not impossible to find a good one in the wild, but it isn't likely to be easy.

Another bit to remember: the way an old Prius saves you money is with great gas mileage. If your daughter isn't driving a lot of miles, then there's not a lot of savings to capture vs. a simpler, cheaper-to-repair car.

 

I don't have a 2010 owner's manual, but I'd be willing to bet there are two oil change schedules in there, one for every year or 10,000 miles and one for every 6 months or every 5,000 miles. The problem is the majority of people fit into the 6 month/5,000 mile catagory but still wait a year to change their oil.

Me: 2006 used Prius that came with a damaged engine block because the previous owner(s) didn't change the oil every 6 months or 5,000 miles.

For the OP: When I got the Avalon I did get all the oil change records. If you have proof the oil was changed every 6 months or every 5,000 miles (whichever comes first) over the entire life of the vehicle, then good.

If you have proof the EGR system was cleaned out or replaced with new, then good.

If not, then walk away.

 

And the majority, aided and abetted by dealerships, just go miles, ignore months. That can be ok, to be fair, especially with real low use. I’m coming around to that.

FWIW, for 3rd gen, Toyota Canada specs regular oil change interval as 6 months or 8000 kms (~5000 miles), and halves those values for “extreme service”.

 

That reminds me of my VW Beetle that had oil change interavals of every 3,000 miles, 1,500 miles or 750 miles, depending on the conditions.

 

Gen 2 US schedule specd reg oil change at 5k miles or 6 months. With corresponding severe service reductions I think.

All of a sudden the oil can last twice as long? Gen 3 was a perfect storm, by design.

 

Get a 2016

 

corolla or the like

 

I got. 2010 Prius from original owner in 2019, 115K miles, already had big battery and brake booster replaced by Toyota under warranty. Paid $6500, original owner changed oil every 4-5,000 miles. I have done all maintenance myself since I got it (EGR, oil catch, plugs, all brakes, fluids, struts and a new battery from New Prius Batteries) current mileage 193K. If it was for my daughter, I would look for a Toyota Corolla/Yaris or Camry with documented 5K oil and filter changes.

 

Of course it is worth it. This is her chance to be a strong independent woman and learn to learn the entire egr circuit and cycle charge the hv battery all by herself.

 

congrats on the '22! everything is espensive these days, unfortunately.

not many '14's with head gaskets yet, don't know about fuel treatment, but it won't help the head gasket. if you're lucky, you got the updated rings and pistons which came sometime in 14.

what's wrong with the mini?

 

that's a tough order these days, maybe something like a corolla?