Expected Repair Costs and Schedule

how many items have YOU replaced so far?

 

I don't think there are any Prius parts that fail on a tight schedule; quite the opposite. It is certainly sensible to plan ahead for such potential costs though. As you want to budget forwards I would suggest 2 or 3 cents per mile driven. Set that aside and hope it's enough when and if you get a parts failure.

Another good approach is preventative maintenance, including transaxle fluid changes, belts and hoses, etc. There is some evidence that now might be about the right time (odometer) for you to get a new water pump on the inverter coolant loop.

 

When your car hit 100K and then 120K miles, did you do all of the scheduled service like replacing the engine and inverter coolants, iridium spark plugs, the filters, etc.? If anything on that schedule is still outstanding, it would be good to catch up on that work soon.

No statistics regarding failure rates, but from the stories shared on this forum it seems like the potential trouble spots include the engine coolant pump (which you apparently already replaced), the inverter coolant pump, coolant heat recovery pump, MFD, 12V battery, and (considering your odometer reading) the traction battery.

The 2G transaxle seems fairly bulletproof but I think that your transaxle will potentially last longer if you change the fluid periodically.

Assuming that the inverter coolant pump hasn't been changed yet, you might consider replacing that as a preventive move especially since you rely heavily on your car for commuting and I assume an unscheduled failure would cause you substantial inconvenience. If the 12V battery is more than 4 years old consider a preventive replacement for the same reason.

If the MFD or traction battery goes, you might cut repair costs substantially by having a salvage part installed, if you have an independent mechanic in your area who will work on Prius.

 

I've just purchased a used '07 with 27.5k miles. I'm getting a "Maintenance Required" dash light during startup. It goes out shortly after the vehicle goes READY and I'm wondering if that's normal or if I need to see somebody about it.

 

The MAINT REQD light comes on at 5K mile intervals, based upon an odometer "timer". The purpose of the light is to encourage you to get an engine oil/filter change.

The light will appear briefly, starting at 4,500 miles after last reset. When you get to 5K miles then the light will remain on.

The owner's manual explains how to reset the timer or else you can search this forum for reset info.