Hi All,
I have two cars and need to sell one. I’m looking for some opinions on which one to sell. The first is a 2003 Toyota Prius with 95K miles on it-works fine- my mom is the second owner -we bought it at a dealership- they say the maintenance on it will cost the same as the maintenance on my other car- a 2004 Toyota Camry LE -4 cylinder with 33K miles- works well. We haven’t had either long- the Camry I bought from my great uncle who was the first owner and barely drove it.
I talked to a mechanic today who was passionately against Prius’-said they were special and so cost more to repair and that the dealerships could charge more because alot of regular mechanics won’t work on them. I am going to talk with some other mechanics and get additional opinions.
Gas/Longevity:
The Prius will save me about$4-500 a year in gas(so I’ve read) but I wonder how long Prius’s last compared to Camry’s? Has anyone heard?
I want to save gas, but I don’t want to have to buy another car for awhile. The gas thing is really the only better thing the Prius has going for it- I like the Camry better all around…
I hate car decisions…
Thanks for any ideas you have.
"- I like the Camry better all around…"
We’re Missing Some Information.
How far do you drive per week/month/year (choose one) ?
You like the Camry. It’s newer with far fewer miles. You want a reliable car for the long haul. If you don’t drive a ton of miles then the fuel savings of the Prius may not overcome all of the shortcomings when compared with the Camry.
CSA
Keep the Camry.
Keep the Camry. To save a few dollars on gas you end up with a smaller and less comfortable car if you kept the Prius. The money saved on gas is likely going to be made up with higher repair costs on the Prius due to the higher miles on the car.
The mechanic is correct in that there are a lot of “systems” and much more complicated components in a Prius. When you have problems often a Toyota dealer is the only place with the diagnostic equipment to find the problem and correct it.
Pretty much any good mechanic can work on a 4 cylinder Camry. For me this would be an easy decision - Camry.
Sell the Prius and keep the Camry. The Prius will bring a good price because they are so popular.
The Camry is practically new, and, with proper maintenance, will deliver many years of low-cost service.
Your mechanic is right; the few dollars you’d save buying gas aren’t worth the extra complexity of the Prius.
That’s easy. You like the Camry. It’s a solid, comfortable car with a good repair record. And, did I hear you already like the car?
For every 10,000 miles you drive, you should save about $690 in gas if you keep the Prius based on EPA average mileage and $4/gallon gas. If that is how you figured it, you drive about 6500 miles per year. As a young driver, you might drive that little. Another thing to check is insurance. How much does Mom’s insurer want for these cars? It is possible that the difference between them could influence your decision.
I’d keep the Camry. Why? Because the battery on your Prius isn’t going to last as long as you may wish to keep the car and the batteries for hybrid cars are very expensive. Of course, maybe you bought some special extended coverage for that, but since you didn’t say so, I’m assuming not.
The batteries in your Prius are nearing the end of their expected life. Look into how much that’ll cost, you’ll end up wanting the Camry instead.