Hi - My daughters 2004 CRV is starting to be a money pit; she would like to get a 3rd gen Prius. Would prefer mileage in the 120K range vs 200K+ Color isn't a major factor; maintenance history is key. We are new to Prius so any insights welcome. thanks!
A gen3 Prius with that kind of mileage can easily be two or three times a money pit than your CRV. Unfortunately maintenance history usually has no predictive function for these problems which include head gaskets, brake by wire systems (brake booster) or hybrid battery. Another failure mode is the hybrid inverter which can strand you without warning. The inverter is still covered but sudden stranding is annoying. I would look for a 2016 or newer Prius assuming a Prius is the only acceptable choice. Ideally a 2018 or newer Prius.
Having an official, Toyota-centric maintenance history can be overrated. There's a lot of 3rd gens, "religiously service", with neglected brakes, brake and transaxle fluid never touched, 10k oil change intervals, and head gaskets about to let go. Or they HAVE let go, and owner's poured in stop leak product, so it's running like a top. For the moment. If maintenance history is paramount, you wouldn't want mine. I have kept all receipts hand have a complete log, but that maybe doesn't cut it. Which is ok, when it's not for sale.
IMHO; if your used to Honda reliability and don't do any wrenching yourself - I'd steer clear of a gen3 Prius. That's the "black sheep" of the Prius line. Almost any mechanic can work on and repair a CRV, you'll need a specialist to nail-down an repair that gen3 Prius in one shot. The biggest and most expensive issues with that old gen3 is; traction battery, head gasket issues, electronic ABS-brake system - They're $2K-$4K issues each. And very common failures for that generation of Prius. The other issue with moving to a Prius is - It's gutless compared to the CRV. You need to jump on the accelerator pedal and time everything. I almost got T-boned making a uncontrolled left turn in heavy traffic my first time. I agree with RJ, a 2016 or newer has a lot less issues - a gen4. Good Luck......
