Reliability of a 2004 Prius w/ low miles, vs similar Corolla?

Twelve years old with an average of 6500 miles per year. Sounds like a steal, but I would be weary. That is not a lot of use and MY belief is that the hybrid battery lasts longer when used more. However, you could replace it if it does fail, with a new OEM one for $3000.00 or less, depending on where you purchase it. The Prius is an exceptionally reliable car, and the HV battery replacement rate is quite low, so I am not trying to scare you. But, it is a battery, and it is twelve years old. It will not last forever.

I am on my second Prius, and with a combined 138,000 miles, I have only had one unexpected trip to the dealer for an inverter pump, which was replaced under warranty, and then replaced again via a recall. Good luck!

 

^ ^ ^ What he said. ^ ^ ^

I will also add this. It sounds like your budget is limited at this point. As Eclipse illustrated the Prius does have some rather expensive parts that could fail which would in turn end up being a four digit repair. If you don't have a nest egg, I would pass on the 2004 Prius and go for the Corolla.

I too will say that the Prius is dependable. However any vehicle that is 12 model years old is definitely going to have to have some sort of work done at some point in time. It might only be a 500 dollar job, then again it might be a 5000 dollar job.

I think if you will look at your budget, the answer is there in front of you.

Best of luck to you and "Welcome to Prius Chat"!

 

i would stick with the corolla. while prius reliability is higher, there are a few expensive systems that could break your budget. all the best!

 

Well, to start. What car do you currently drive? If you are coming from a thirsty SUV then you will be saving a lot of money on gas. If you are coming from a four cylinder econobox, then the amount of money you are saving will be much less.

I came from driving a 4Runner with a V6 motor. Cost in gas alone, to commute to work when prices were $3.50-$4/g, was $200 a month. Now with low gas prices and driving a Prius, it's come down to about $60 a month in gas. Combined with cheaper insurance on the Prius, about $40 cheaper if I recall correctly, I'm saving about $180 a month. I'm taking that money and saving it for the eventuality of having to replace the hybrid battery and other possible components that can break down.

So, IMHO, if you are good and can save the money that you save by purchasing and driving the Prius, then I would say go ahead and do it. Just as long as you purchased the Prius with all good info and can shoulder the repair costs when they come at you.

 

It would be great if you could get in the door on the used one. You might not have any problems for quite some time, then again who knows. That's the problem with used cars, it seems like it's always something.

But in the end a new car is "used" once you drive it off the lot. So there is more than one way to look at it.

As funny as it sounds, with the price of fuel being where it is currently the hybrid premium is not being offset much unless you drive a boatload of miles each month. A year ago, the savings was quite a bit more than today's prices. I am speaking of coming in from a large SUV or similar vehicle. For someone who has no past to reference to then the "savings' factor really does not apply.

 

Your first car should be both economical and reliable, so the Prius is still an option. If you still have your heart set on the Prius, just get it checked out by somebody that knows their way around a Prius. The biggest items to look at are the hybrid battery, the brakes (especially the accumulator), and the inverter. Pull codes to see if anything has been stored. Take the VIN to a dealer and have them check to see what recalls have been performed and which still haven't.

Yeah, but you still have to budget fuel and insurance costs. Sure you might be able to plunk down $15k for a nice and newer SUV, but its going to get crap economy and cost a lot to insure.

 

Hmmm. No offense, but by quoting me the way you just did implies something totally different from what I said. I suggest you look at the entire paragraph. I was referring to the fact that a hybrid comes with a price increase that is NOT found in traditional vehicles. And when you consider that gas prices today are fairly cheap, the savings factor does not offset the price as much as it did when the fuel prices are higher.

I thought I was clear on the subject.

 

In your price range, what are the alternatives to the Prius? Maybe a different car will be cheaper to fix but if it "always needs something" those cheap repairs are going to nickle & dime you to death. Can you afford to replace a transmission or engine or repair the air conditioner in the other car? Are you concerned that you may have to?

Put the two cars side by side and compare purchase price, operating expenses (like gas & insurance), maintenance (oil changes, belts, hoses, filters, tires, wiper blades) and repairs. Is the other car's brakes going to last 100,000 miles or more? They should on the Prius.

Looking on truecar.com for cheap Hondas there is a 2003 Insight with 215919 miles for $1950. There's a 2004 Civic with 140840 miles for $1998. Here's a match, 2004 Civic with 76150 miles for $4999. It's cheap because it has a salvage title in NY and is imported into NJ.

There's a 2003 Civic with 99416 miles for $4995 with collision damaged reported.

My belief: In your price range you aren't going to find a better car. If it has a low selling price there's a reason for it and it isn't going to be good news. The used car with the low selling price is a money pit. You'll fix the first thing then the next thing breaks. To get your value out of the original purchase and the first repair you pay for the second repair. So now you are thinking, I just bought the car and paid to fix this & that so I'm about even. Then something else needs to be replaced. The next thing you know, you are restoring a car than has minimal value.

Decide how much you are willing to spend and how far you will go in repairing the car up front. When you get to that point sell, scrap, or donate the car.

Search through sites like truecar.com and read through carbuyingtips.com .

If you want continuing advice keep us posted.

 

If it is for sale in a wealthy neighborhood, that may be a good buy. Sometimes, people with a higher income, will sell an item for less that it is worth, just to get rid of it. Someone with a lower income may need the money more, as a down payment for example, on their next purchase. Run a VIN check, and make sure the vehicle has not been involved in an accident. If it hasn't, well, it looks better than the used cars that JimN pulled up in that price range!

 

You can register the VIN at Toyota Owners Official Web Site to see the service history & outstanding recalls. A new Prius will sit on the lot that long or longer. The lower the price of gas the harder it is to sell the car.

Eclipse pointed out that my statement shouldn't be taken as an absolute. Maybe Grandpa isn't driving anymore & everyone in the family has or wants a newer car. Around here the car would be worth $5300-$5600 in very good to excellent condition per kbb.com so she had it a bit high, you offered a bit low, and you ended up at a fair price.

In my case, I can't be bothered trying to sell a used car. If it is still serviceable I'll give it to someone who can use it.

 

@Soule First car, still learning to drive, $5,000 budget...do not buy this 2005 Prius. Prius components/repairs are expensive...and there are some four figure items coming soon. It's not just the miles, but the age. Stick with a low end Corolla or Civic. I'm speaking as a Father, Mechanic and owner of two Gen III Prius.

 

Here on Prius Chat the only hybrid replacement battery we mostly like is the genuine Toyota battery. If this car still has orig hybrid HV battery (not talking about the 12v battery) it should be considered as strong possibility it could fail. If it already did go bad, and was replaced with a new Prius battery that might be a more interesting proposition. But still there are some other things that fail like the combination meter etc etc so probably the non-hybrid is the way to go at this at this car age.

 

Corolla. In my observation people seem to think this car is a space ship that requires little maintenance.

The first thing that will get you bad is if the Hybrid battery needs to be replaced.

If your really serious about the car I would take it to a Toyota dealer and have them hook the Toyota Techstream laptop to the car and check all the hybrid battery parameters especially the Delta.
They'll take it for a ride with the laptop hooked to it. It will cost $125 Diagnostic fee. That $125 could save you a $3000 battery bill 3 months down the road.

Ride with the guy and duke him $10 and say hey...would you buy this car?

 

The folks that think that...are the same ones that don't take care of whatever they drive. The Corolla and Civic do have high reliability, low TCO, and are easier/cheaper to repair as it applies specifically to this thread though.

 

all the best!

 

MFD replacement itself is also pretty expensive. Best of luck to the new owner tho.