I’ve got a 2006 Prius with 120K miles on it. It has had a new battery and 2 new water pumps recently installed. It might soon need a new transaxle which they estimate at about $5k. Would y’all put the money in or do a trade for a new or used Prius?
Thanks!
Tough one. Why do you think it’ll need a new transaxle?
Is this a dealer recomendation or have you gone to other mechanics. One of the reasons I don’t like hybrids is the lack of experience working on them by independent mechanics. Personally, I would trade it in…for a gas powered compact…like an Accord that gets as high as 40 mpg highway and is waaaay more comfortable.
Personally I don’t think you need a new vehicle. As long as the rest of the vehicle is running well and and you’ve kept up on your maintenance then it could/should last another 200k miles.
As for buying a new/used Prius. Personally I don’t think you drive enough miles to take advantage of what a Hybrid gives you. You’re just a little over 10k miles/year. Last time I calculated buying a hybrid…the minimum was 20k miles a year. You should just buy an Accord like dag said. You’ll save more money in the long run.
Prius drivetrains have proven to be pretty stout. What’s wrong with your transaxle? Perhaps one option would be the installation of a good used unit if you can find a shop willing to do that. That could save you some money.
The Prius has proven to be one of Toyota’s most durable and reliable cars. If you like yours I’d lean towards keeping it.
What is it with the water pumps?
What about the battery?
MiNH, 120kmiles/8 yrs=15kmiles/yr, not ~10kmiles
If the OP does a lot of stop and go/local driving, then the Prius might have the edge. I have done the math for a Camry vs a Prius in local driving.
The Prius has a CVT transmission, it has proven to be one of the more reliable ones but it could still fail. As others have inquired, we need to know what the basis for the assumption is.
MiNH, 120kmiles/8 yrs=15kmiles/yr, not ~10kmiles
2013 - 2006 = 7
How do you get 8???
Well, it’s actually about 2014, car wise, so 8 is about right.
Well, it's actually about 2014, car wise, so 8 is about right.
Says who??? My wife bought her 07 Lexus in March of 07. It had 2 miles on when we took delivery of it. So she’s been racking up miles for 6 years …NOT 7 by your calculations. I made no assumption on when the OP bought his vehicle. Neither should you. Model years span across year boundries…so it’s impossible to say how old a vehicle is. Yes the car may have been built in 2013…but we’re not talking about the age of the vehicle…but how many miles per year. So it doesn’t matter when the vehicle was built.
In either case…if it’s 10k miles/year or 15k miles/year…it’ll be cheaper to buy a non-hybrid vehicle.
it does not matter. Model years are odd.
I still like to know about the water pumps, battery, transaxle ?, ?
I still like to know about the water pumps, battery, transaxle
So would I.
One water pump I can understand. But why 2??
Which battery?
What’s wrong with the transaxle??
We bought our 2009 Prius (October 30, 2008) which is a 2008 model year. And a true 2009 model is a Prius 3 debut as 2009 but is a early 2010 model and is no longer called a P3 but P2.
We bought our P for the efficiency and for the size. We didn’t apply for the available tax incentive. We knew that there were other more cost effective choices. I want a Tesla and if I had the wealth, I’d buy one, even though a 50cc scooter will get me to the same place. I bought a scooter because I always wanted one…
the dealer will say its 8 years old
the dealer will say its 8 years old
Re-read the posts…The whole point of the argument is not about how old it is…but how many miles per year are put on the vehicle.
Why does how many miles per year always get thrown into the discussion? For a great many people the issue is gasoline consumption. Period. A Prius uses less gasoline than an Accord (or what have you). That is the point. That alone is enough for people to want to buy one, to support emerging and developing technology with their purchase, and to just use less gasoline.
Now if you decide you can’t afford to use less gas, that should be a separate discussion.
Why does how many miles per year always get thrown into the discussion? For a great many people the issue is gasoline consumption.
I take it you weren’t following the discussion.
A Hybrid is really only cost effective if drive a certain amount of miles per year. The extra cost you pay for a hybrid only makes sense when you’re driving over 20k miles per year. There just isn’t any savings with a hybrid when you only drive 10k miles a year.
For a great many people the issue is gasoline consumption. Period.
I suggest you get an accountant. You’re going to pay $5,000 MORE for a hybrid…and drive 10k miles a year…for a whopping savings of about $500/year. It’ll take you 10 years to make up the cost difference.
That alone is enough for people to want to buy one, to support emerging and developing technology with their purchase,
That’s a valid reason to buy one. But that wasn’t the argument. I only made the statement about mileage because of cost. Nothing else.
Prius looks to be paid for, please recalc your numbers for that Mike. your ‘numbers’ dont matter here because of that. The point here is the OP wanted to know if it is more reasonable to fix a used car or buy a new one. It is always better to get the old one fixed in these discussions especially if the repair history is known. It is important to know which battery the OP is referring to(there are 2) and which water pump has been changed 2x( there are 4 in this Prius). If any damage occurred due to the water pump failure(the one that fails, cools the inverter). I would normally vote to repair, but I question the maintenance of the vehicle.
also u did not show your math. I do not give you the $500/yr or $5000 price differential point in this argument either. also deviates from OP’s question of should he get another Prius or keep current Prius.
The Prius has two cooling systems, one for the engine, one for the inverter. It is possible both pumps failed, rather than one failing twice.
there is both a big NiMH battery and a small 12 volt AGM battery, I would say 8 years was a full life for any 12 volt battery.
I have no idea why he thinks a transaxle failure is imminent, but transaxles are available used.
Prius looks to be paid for, please recalc your numbers for that Mike. your 'numbers' dont matter here because of that.
HUH??? So what it’s paid for?? I was NEVER addressing the part about fixing it or buying a new one. The reason I didn’t address it is because there are too many unknowns about what has been repaired. The only thing I addressed was IF the OP decided to buy a new vehicle…that based on the mileage he/she drives every year…a hybrid is NOT a good financial choice.
It is always better to get the old one fixed in these discussions especially if the repair history is known.
No it isn’t. There are many times that repairing a vehicle just isn’t worth it anymore.
there are 4 in this Prius
4 water pumps?? Want to explain that one???
also u did not show your math.
I’m sorry…I thought that most people here were at a 7th grade math level.
Prius - 10k miles / 48mpg = 208 gallons * 3.60 = $750 per year.
Honda Civic - 10k miles / 32mpg = 312 gallons * 3.60 = $1125
$1125 - &750 = $375 (DIFFERENCE PER YEAR).
Honda Civic Price - $18,000
Toyota Prius Price - $24,000
Cost difference = $6,000
Number of years to make up that difference = $6000/$375 = 16 YEARS
I’m NOT against hybrids. I know 3 people that own them…2 of them have PERFECT commutes and drive about 25k miles/year. The payback for the cost difference for each is about 4 years. If you have the right commute…and drive over 20k miles/year…then a Hybrid may be right. We almost bought a Camry hybrid back in 07. But the 07 Camry hybrid had major trunk space issues due to the batteries. So instead we bought a Lexus ES-350. The NEW Camry hybrid and now the ES-350 hybrid;…there’s no longer a trunk space issue. But not going to buy a new vehicle for many years. We only have 160k miles on it…we usually keep them past 300k miles.