WWYD? 200k miles, needs $5k repairs

WWID?
Question was is the trade-in (or salvage ) value?

$5000 seems a lot to place into a 200K mileage and 2007 car.

I would be inclined to cut my loss and buy a replacement.
FWIW: If on a budget, noting your new Hybrid battery, perhaps buy another 2007 and use your current car as a parts car?

Good luck with your decision.

 

ok, so one thing different is that the engine uses a belt driven coolant pump, not electric. So, they're likely talking about replacing the inverter cooling water pump? They always make a humming noise when running. Some are louder than others. Was the photo showing an electric pump located directly behind the driver headlight? If so, those pumps are about $125 -140 from my local Toyota dealer. 3rd party imposters are available for as low as $40, but reliability is sketchy. Installation is about 1 hour. Uses the same coolant type as the engine loop, but it can usually be replaced while only losing a couple ounces of fluid if good techniques are used.

If they're talking about the pump that runs when the car is first started and again after the car shuts off, then that's also a different pump and is typically louder, sometimes annoyingly loud. It's transferring hot coolant to the storage tank, where it stays warm until the next time you start the car, and is then transferred back to the engine. This "system" is not critical to the operation of the car. If you have no check engine warning light/no codes for it, just leave it alone.

HID headlight bulbs can be replaced without removing the bumper or the headlight. I've done it, and I have gorilla hands. I've also done it by removing a couple fasteners and just flexing the side of the cover out of the way to remove the headlight. It can be easier to do it this way if you don't want to risk busting a knuckle or if your hand/arm flexibility is limited. Still only an hour job, even with a beer can in one hand.

Anyone trying to convince you to repair oil leaks that are a "seep" is taking advantage of you. I find it hard to believe you have any "seep" that actually warrants significant work. Most "seep" repairs are 100% money grabs.

I'm also curious how he determined your HID bulbs are getting "weak" and need replacement. A typical halogen bulb will eventually burn out because its element fails and will no longer pass current to get hot. An HID kind of fails in a similar way, where it will no longer stay lit. Think of it as an electric spark that is always sparking until it wears out and then wont spark anymore. When you initially turn on an HID, the ballast applies a very high voltage to get the arc initiated. Once it starts, it doesn't need as high of a voltage to maintain itself. When an HID is getting near end of life, the arc will just stop, but it can be started again by turning the light off and then back on again, because the ballast will provide that initial boost to light it off. So, if your HIDs are intermittently turning off, but turn on again if you cycle the light switch, then they are at end of life and need to be replaced. If they aren't doing that, they don't need to be replaced.

Engine mounts on a Gen 2 Prius? The one in your photo? Another 20 minute job.

You may need to reevaluate where your trust is placed.