Keeping older Prius vs. trading in for new.

Look through the threads in this forum and you'll see the various problems that people have. Not everyone encounters all problems. See also the 100,000 and 200,000 mile posts.
And looking at the thousands of Gen IIs on the road, I'd say it's a pretty damn reliable car.

The Gen III has some nice upgrades and a few drawbacks. Only you can answer whether you want to plunk down a large sum to get those upgrades.

 

Have a 2004, (11/03, second month of production of the Gen 2) passed 250,000 miles last week. Had the airconditioner compressor replaced under extended warranty, struts, and engine water pump, inverter water cooling pump under re-call. This is one car you can rack up the miles on trouble free. The one out of the ordinary repair you can look forward to is the hybrid battery, after 7-10 years (according to Toyota), which can cost 35 to 4500$ for do it yourself temporary repair to the most expensive dealer quote we've heard about. The transmission is extroadinarily robust, with only one 80$ drain and fill at 200K.

Ron

 

...keeping mine until further notice w/ 110k miles.
Never heard 100k as magic point for resale but you can check with CarMax or Edmunds.

 

100,000 looks a lot larger than 98,000 and thus the perception of much greater wear and tear. A lot like $19.99 vs $20.00. Larger questions are "How much daily maintenance and gradual replacement do you want to hassel with?" and "Can you afford to make the payments and take a loss in the trade vs new car depreciation?" Older model cars even Prii will deteriate with age. Some owners are willing to put up with the occaisional shop time and save the cash while some would rather have newer and probably less shop time and inconvience. The differences in the two models are not great so it's really "possible hassels vs $."

 

My 2008 has 61,000 miles on it and almost paid off. I had only 1 problem with the gas pedal recall, that is it (if one can consider it a problem). That said, the car has been trouble free, dependable, and great on gas.

If yours is paid for, and you are happy with it, and very little problems, stick with it. By doing so, you won't incur higher insurance bills, vehicle excise taxes (if applicable), in other words you are ahead of the game.
Regular maintenance and care via the bible (owners' manual) gives you maximum value with your vehicle.

Hopes this helps,

DBCassidy

 

I'm also a retiree who drives a lot. I own a 2011 and plan on dumping it for a new one at just under 100k. I think that the older we get the less hassle we want from cars. If you can afford it , my vote is to swap it out, but I would sell your current car to a private party, as most of us can use the extra thousand or two you will save by not trading it in.

 

I have a 2006 with 130,000 miles and no problems. I expect to go 100K more. Friend has one at 216,000 also 2006, He never stated a problem but I am not certain. The only thing that would make me want to change would be the plug in a year or so after the new problems are gone.

Jim

 

That's a lot of miles, but not for a Prius?
I think the II is the best Prius, so maybe you should hold onto it.
Hybrids can only go up in resale value as the 2015 raised mpg standards get closer.

 

Any car is going to have wear and tear issues once they age, and the Prius is not an exception. If you look on Luscious Garage's page, they seem to replace transmissions, batteries, combo meters,etc all the time on the high mileage Prii. If you keep the car past 100k, you can plan on needing struts and a 12v battery at some point in the near future. Although not every vehicle experiences the problem, the HV battery and combo meter are not uncommon problems on the very high mileage cars.

 

Gen II is the most "proven" Prius so far IMO. I still see lots of GenII green or yellow taxi cabs around downtown LA and Torrance area and they're still going strong.

I seriously doubt the dealer's sales dept would pay much attention to a new water pump. Their methodology is to use Kelley's Blue Book's whole sale value as a guide & work their way down from that figure.

However, 100k does sound alot more than 90k, only if you plan on selling it or trading it for a Gen-III.

I say the best car is the one that's paid for, that is exactly the reason I bought a used 2006 instead of a brand new Gen-III, which I could easily afford to but I chose to pay cash and take advantage of a used one that has already taken a hit on depreciation.

Since the car is already out of the 5yr/60k powertran warranty, why not find a reliable source such as an independent mechanic to replace the water pump & keep on driving it ? That's what I would do..

 

I started my 2004 at 110K miles in 2010. At 160K now, The only thing I have to replace is the 12V battery. I did replace spark plug, as preventative maintenance. That's all.
If you want a new car, go for it, but mileage is really not an issue here.
Your car should worth more than $10000 for sure. I will not be surprised if someone pay for even $12000. Don't let dealer take advantage.

 

Are you asking about cost of ownership? It's always cheaper to keep a used car running until it falls apart than to buy a new one. Yours is far from falling apart.

 

A 2009 with 90k of what I suppose are mostly highway miles is a gently used car. As long as you like it now and are happy with it, I see no reason to get a new one. Just keep up with the preventative maintenance and check back in with us when you hit 180k in 2015.

 

If we trade one of ours (mine has 90k and my wife's has 130k) it isn't likely to be for economics. Let's say I have to spend $2500 for an HV battery on each car at 7-10 years, which I consider to be guaranteed. Maybe I'll drop another $2-3k at some later point for something else expensive that I may or may not be able to anticipate. That's still a lot cheaper than trading-in for any comparable new car today (which would be a minimum of $10k each) which would just get old and start needing repairs in another 5 to 7 years, too. Repairs are inconvenient, but they aren't more expensive than a new car.

Of course, what is inconvenience worth to me? Maybe I will decide I don't want to worry about those future repairs. Maybe that's subjectively worth spending five-figures up-front. But personally, I enjoy the company of greasy concrete under a paid-off car better than I like the company any car salesman I've ever met. I feel cleaner at the end of the day.

I say keep it if you like it and be prepared to spend some money on upkeep eventually. But if you just want a new car, make peace with the fact that you just want a new car.

 

I think a more practical question would be, who inherits the car ?

Seriously, it is barely broken in.