Hybrid battery, to replace or not replace

i would put in a new battery, and when other repairs get too expensive, look for a younger replacement that needs a battery.

 

TOYOTA PRIUS 2004 - 2009 LAN CHECK CODE CHART

Toyota Prius 2004-2009 Lan Check Codes and their meanings | PriusChat

You will need to find another way to read the DTC/INF's.

 

I would only put a battery in it if I planned to keep it. A new battery is about all the car is worth.

 

It was some what a no-brainer for me and my 06 with only 50k miles when I had to decide and purchased a new Toyota battery but for a car with north of 200k miles the question is a lot tougher. If you do go the new battery route, it will increase the value of your 07 upon resell or you can always remove and sell the batt (easily) to another owner when the 07 finally dies and recoup some of your costs either way. Plus it's a lot more reliable than a rebuilt batt.

 

I personally don't think you would increase the value of a Prius much with a new battery but it is a selling point that would maybe make it easier to sell. A Prius with 220,000 miles has an engine with 220,000 miles, another major expense, will you replace it if it fails?

 

That's increasing the value. A car that doesn't sell or is a major PITA to sell is of little value to the seller; especially most folks who don't have a lot of time to give to selling.

For example, I have a co-worker who had an identical 06 to mine but was a real POS with over 300k miles, cracked windshield, no brakes (accumulator failure), a broken a/c and a very trashed interior (did I mention it was a POS?) sitting in his driveway. For weeks, he couldn't sell it on CL. Then, he mentioned to me that it had a new, less than 2 years old Toyota battery so I suggested he immediately rewrite the ad and bump up the price. It sold for the asking price within hours. FWIW

 

If you're in construction and handy, there are ways to put in a brand new battery for half what you think, so you'd lose nothing. Just sayin'...

 

My opinion is if I was going to sell? No I wouldn't invest into a Hybrid Battery. You're description of overall well used condition would suggest to me that the investment wouldn't raise the value of the vehicle enough from a "value on the sellers market" standpoint to make the investment worth it.

You could probably do the math. I mean, cost to replace OEM vs. Refurbished, then comparison to similar Prius. But as a seller? I just don't think the "new" battery increases the value of a 11 year old vehicle with over 200,000 miles on it enough to make it worth it to me.

It might be worth doing if you felt you wanted to simply keep the vehicle. As in "worth it to you". But if your sure you are going to sell? I think it buying a new Hybrid Battery would be like putting new horse shoes on a horse heading for the Glue Factory.

 

I recently learned in another thread about a non-running Prius that Californians get $1,000 minimum for turning in a junked car. Makes the math even better!

 

These ongoing discussions about investment and worth are based on an incorrect premise.

A hybrid vehicle (HV) battery and a car are not investments. They are depreciating assets.

An investment is something that increases in value over time. A car can be an investment if it is a timeless classic that is desired by many.

A depreciating asset, such as a car, looses value over time.

The argument of whether spending money increases value, at the bottom end (that is already low value) almost never to the value of the money spent. The problem is, most people are not good at cutting their loses, and the asset has much more value to them than in real life. A car is never going to be more valuable than it is now. Waiting longer, or procrastinating, is only going to maximise the potential for getting less than you would, if you acted right now.

Then there is the market. You will never sell anything unless there are some willing buyers – the more the better. If you have a lot of willing buyers, competition might drive the price up a little. If the market is small you are stuck with the offer that is made.

However, the car that is at the bottom end (that is already low value), still may be worth spending on, if the rest of the car is in good functional condition, and the likelihood of something else major going wrong is low, Then the cost of repairing just comes down to whether you could buy something better for the same money.

If you look at it in the correct way, the answer becomes clearer.

 

I agree.

But The OP's question is phrased this way:

Given the specifics of that question my answer is still no, I don't think it's worth it.

And the description of the vehicle in it's current state, would suggest to me it isn't a case of the car being in above average condition or pristine for it's age in all other regards.
It's a 2007 with over 220,000 miles which once again the OP admits " (He's) been planning to sell this car and buy a new car for some time now."

If the OP was asking whether I think it valid to invest into a new Hybrid battery with the intention of keeping a otherwise well maintained Prius, I'd say exactly what you are pointing out.
But that isn't the situation or what the OP is asking about.

 

You seem to have missed the whole point of my post, demonstrated again by using the word invest:

... which, btw, the OP never said. He asked whether it was worthwhile:

... quite a different question.

Once again, when you think about it as whether is worthwhile to fix a broken piece of machinery, which, to all intent and purposes, has nill residual value, and not as investment, the answer is a lot clearer.

 

Phht...semantic nit picking....

If you are asking if it's "worthwhile" to replace a hybrid battery....you ARE asking whether you should invest into replacing it. Unless you have already paid for one laying around.

My opinion stands whether you want to say is it "worthwhile" or whether you should invest. Because in this case the two terms are very interchangeable.

No...I don't think it's "worthwhile" to "invest" into a new Hybrid Battery, given the age, mileage, condition and most notably the OP's parameters of buying the new Hybrid Battery to put in a vehicle he is planning to sell.

 

I'm not saying anything about your opinion. I'm fine with that. But the fact you think it is semantics and that worthwhile and invest are interchangeable, speaks volumes.

Further, I'm sure anyone else that actually read my post (and can comprehend it) can see from where I'm coming and the point I'm making. I don't think it warrants any further discussion.

 

You are probably missing the fact that the first thing I said about your post is....
I agree.

No need to get insulting, suggesting I can't "comprehend" your concept here.

The fact that you keep defensively saying anything I say "speaks volumes"...speaks volumes....

I understand that vehicles are depreciating assets....
But people do "invest" into those depreciating assets despite that reality.

You seem to be missing that the OP is over riding this reality, because he's asking very specifically for an opinion about whether he should "invest"...buy,- purhase, -have a magic chicken lay-, a new Hybrid Battery, into a aging Prius.

Like I said, I agree with the points you are making in your original post. However, it's YOU that I think need to read comprehend the OP's post.
He's not asking if it would be "worth it to him" to purchase a new Hybrid Battery and keep the vehicle, he's asking if it is worthwhile to do to sell the vehicle.
Therefore your speech about depreciating assets, and market value-although true- has little or nothing to do with the OP's actual query.