I have a 2012 Prius C - ~ 158k miles. The AC stopped working at some point (maybe a few months ago?) I live in the midwest and don't use the AC much but this summer has gotten quite hot lately. I don't drive far for work (~2 mi one way) - I average about 600 mi/month. I was told I need a new compressor. Estimate $2500+ (independent place). I do love my car which I paid for in full 5 years ago. I really don't want a monthly car payment, but I worry about putting that kind of money into a 13-14 YO car. I am leaning towards doing the fix and keeping the car. Should I be convinced otherwise? Could I even trade the car in with the AC broken?
Trade-in is fine. That's how most people make their problems go away lately. No shame in it, and to be honest there isn't even that much of a financial penalty vs. the alternatives. The car obviously has life left in it but at this age it is going to start having expensive problems more frequently. The most obvious solution I can think of for this situation is to pay an independent mechanic to install a used compressor from a crashed Prius. That should be considerably cheaper. A quick search on car-part.com shows a bunch in Wisconsin under $100 each. At the very least, shop around, get a 2nd opinion from another mechanic etc. You don't really even need a full-service mechanic, you could also talk to automotive A/C specialists. Good luck! EDIT: adding- Think about what killed your current compressor. Sometimes it's obvious- you hit some road debris or there was a frontal collision etc. But if that didn't happen, the next most common cause of failure is that it worked itself to death in response to low refrigerant levels: a system leak. Because the HVAC is automatic, the thing will always try to compensate for variable conditions, right up to the point where it wears itself out. So be suspicious and look for leaks unless you can explain the failure more directly. You don't want to have to do this again soon.
