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I bet you have considered selling your old Toyota Prius. It may need a battery or new tires. It could use a good scrub down, or maybe you are just tired of it.
Whatever it is that is itching at you to sell that used Prius, take a word of advice from me. Do not scratch the itch...yet. In this article, I want to explain my two reasons you need to hold onto that aging Prius for just a bit longer.
Number One: Gasoline Prices Could Skyrocket
I will be honest, I have no idea what will happen in the next few months, and I bet that none of you do either. One thing is for sure, though; gas prices have started to climb back up. Albeit slowly, the steady increase in fuel costs will cause larger vehicle owners to re-think their choice of a daily driver.
If fuel prices soar, even if your Prius is only getting 35 mpg, that is still better than many of the other vehicles on the road now. A paid-off, low-maintenance car can be the difference between loads of debt and financial freedom.
I will be the first to admit that car repairs are not fun, but if you have an excellent hybrid battery and you have taken somewhat decent care of it, your Prius has plenty of life left in it.
Another point here, if you are into selling in a buyers market, keep it until there is a more significant demand for high fuel economy cars. You can then ask a premium for your Prius and get top dollar for it.
Number Two: If It Is Not Broke, Do Not Fix It
I drive older Toyota and Honda vehicles by choice. Some may call a "miser," but the main reason I drive older cars is that I know their track record.
I own two 2008 Toyota Prius, a 2006 Toyota Tundra, and a 2011 Honda Odyssey. I could at anytime buy a new car, and honestly, I would love a new Tesla or Supra.
The thing is, I do not care what I drive as long as I know it is reliable and looks decent (I have some standards). All of my cars have no issues, and they are all up to date on their maintenance.
I know that doing the little things will keep my cars running and driving as close to new for a lot longer. I gave up on competing with the Jones' a long time ago, so it does not bother me if my neighbors drive a newer vehicle than me. I have no payments.
Having a known good used Prius in your hands is something of value. The cars have outstanding track records, and if you look around for a little bit, you can score a great deal on one.
Conclusion
These may not be your reasons to keep your Prius, but they are mine, and I feel they are trustworthy. I always have at least one extra Prius on hand at all times to put up for sale or to do some R and D on.
What are your reasons for keeping your Prius? Drop me a line on Twitter @the_hybrid_guy and let me know! Until next time, stay safe out there.
Have you heard about the Lithium-Ion Battery that is coming out for older Prius?
Check out this wild new battery tech that Tesla has and why it will forever change the auto industry.
Peter Neilson is an automotive consultant specializing in electric cars and hybrid battery technologies. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Automotive Service Technology from Weber State University. Peter can be reached on Linkedin and you can tweet him at The_hybrid_guy on Twitter. Find his page on Facebook at Certified Auto Consulting. Read more of Peter's stories at Toyota news coverage on Torque News. Search Toyota Prius Torque News for more in depth Prius coverage from our reporters.
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Comments
I had a 2010 I thought I'd
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I had a 2010 I thought I'd keep until at least 200,000 miles, but my son totaled it at about 110,000. We got a 2012 Prius Plug In Advanced with only 27,000 on it, and I love it even more. The most practical car on the planet.
I will keep my 2014 Prius ,
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I will keep my 2014 Prius , getting 42 mpg, and that’s the reason I keep my 1987 Hardbody with
318,000 on odo. No bills and gets 24 mpg.
Keep them nice and age us just a opinion.
I have a prius c 2014 and get
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In reply to I will keep my 2014 Prius , by MarshallGulch (not verified)
I have a prius c 2014 and get 42 to 53 gallons depending on the season and how much i am driving, have 48000 miles on it, guess I gotta keep it even though I was itching for a plug in of some kind, I am not gonna scratch that.
Steve - I just had the
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Steve - I just had the Antilock Braking System fail in my 2010 Prius. Apparently this is a problem Toyota knew about and did extend the warrant to 10 years or 150,000 miles whichever comes 1st. BUT my car is 11 years old and only 85,000 miles so bad luck for me. The fix is expensive $3-4,000) and now my car is worth nothing.So I suggest you take your 2012 in ASAP for this to be fixed NOW.
I would amplify this message.
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In reply to Steve - I just had the by Ginny (not verified)
I would amplify this message. Take your Toyota into the dealer once a year for the basic oil change, inspection and ask them to review for recalls and tech-stream. Toyota has been super generous to me on recalls but you need to have the car in the shop occasionally to make this happen.
Ginny
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In reply to Steve - I just had the by Ginny (not verified)
Ginny
How did you realize the ant lock braking system was failing? Any precursors to it happening?
I am a former Nissan service
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In reply to Steve - I just had the by Ginny (not verified)
I am a former Nissan service manager.
Toyota may well still fix your car.
They fixed a coolant pump on our 2005 prius in 2017 with 125,000 miles.
Try contacting regional customer service not just the dealer. Be nice, you may find the right rep with discretion.
Good luck.
I had the same issue. Fixed
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In reply to Steve - I just had the by Ginny (not verified)
I had the same issue. Fixed it myself with a used part for $350.
My mechanic says the Prii
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In reply to Steve - I just had the by Ginny (not verified)
My mechanic says the Prii model from 2005 through 2009 turn out to be the most reliable. Could be he said that because ours are 2005 and 2009, but they're both still great. Ok, I did replace the 09s hybrid battery last year, but it was a no-brainer.
The parts to replace it are
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In reply to Steve - I just had the by Ginny (not verified)
The parts to replace it are right about $1000. It's not fun, but can be done in a weekend if you are fairly handy, but not a mechanic. Did mine a year ago, zero abs problems since.
I have a 2008 Prius and when
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I have a 2008 Prius and when I got it had 205,000 miles on it now after two years owning this car I have 266,000 miles and no issues what so ever I plan to hold on and guess what I get between 45 to 55 miles a gallon and I do Lyft
I own a 2001 first gen toyota
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I own a 2001 first gen toyota prius it has 268000 miles and still running top top. This little car looooove's the Highway.
Gen. 3 prius owners....
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Gen. 3 prius owners....
Be aware, head gasket failures are common with mileage... Clogged egr coolers, and weak electric water pumps are to blame for this. At 140k miles I would consider changing these parts if you can afford it.. because failure of the head gasket WILL result in damage to connecting rods it not caught soon enough.
Brake actuator/booster pump failures are common and have an active CSP out for them
This in top of HV battery pack degradation/failure...
Just being real with y'all. All these repairs will pocket you ATLEAST 2k in parts alone.
Sincerely, a dealership toyota master hybrid tech with 15yrs
Thank you for the information
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In reply to Gen. 3 prius owners.... by Jon (not verified)
Thank you for the information. How much should I expect to pay for these replacements?
Gen. 3 prius owners....
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Gen. 3 prius owners....
Be aware, head gasket failures are common with mileage... Clogged egr coolers, and weak electric water pumps are to blame for this. At 140k miles I would consider changing these parts if you can afford it.. because failure of the head gasket WILL result in damage to connecting rods it not caught soon enough.
Brake actuator/booster pump failures are common and have an active CSP out for them
This in top of HV battery pack degradation/failure...
Just being real with y'all. All these repairs will pocket you ATLEAST 2k in parts alone.
Sincerely, a dealership toyota master hybrid tech with 15yrs
Yes 3rd gen cars are not as
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In reply to Gen. 3 prius owners.... by Jon (not verified)
Yes 3rd gen cars are not as reliable as 2nd gen. I owned a 2008 Prius and it was very reliable. My 2013 Prius 3rd gen started using oil at 102,000 miles and Toyota dealer said that it needs a new engine. They said it is a common problem with 3rd gen Prius and that the problem is with piston rings that need to be replaced. We had a car since 2014 and changed oil every 10k miles as per Toyota. Apparently if we changed oil every 5k miles the problem might have happened later in the life of the car. I would not keep gen 3 cars for as long as I would gen 2 cars. This is from my personal experience owning both gen 2 and gen 3 cars.
I own a 2011 Prius bought new
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I own a 2011 Prius bought new. The car was built well, very well indeed. There has not been a major problem yet at 150,000 miles. It now averages 45.3 m.p.g. Ihad thought of getting rid of it because of costs of maintaining two cars. Now, I better not because of accelerating gas prices and the other car a GX470 drinks gas.4
My 08 Prius just turned over
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My 08 Prius just turned over 300,000 miles and she runs like a champ. I have no doubt she will easily make it to 400,000
Wow, that's amazing! I own
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In reply to My 08 Prius just turned over by Beth (not verified)
Wow, that's amazing! I own 2007 and my only problem is it starts to burn oil after 2,000 miles. I have 260K miles on it, do you have any suggestions on how to remedy the problem as I plan to keep my prius for as long as it is moving lol!
I have no issues keeping my
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I have no issues keeping my prius, but in San Francisco I got my Catalytic Converter stolen twice in 2020. I have a shield and so for the past 2 months it's been fine. Each time cost me $500 out of pocket plus my time and frustration.
Sorry to hear. I.just had my
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In reply to I have no issues keeping my by Kevin (not verified)
Sorry to hear. I.just had my catalytic converter stolen for the first time 2 weeks ago. How.did.younreplace yours for.$500? Here in LA. CA they want $1500! After I replace it, I'm definitely getting a shield!
Try tough, as well. My 2006
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Try tough, as well. My 2006 Prius with 40,000 miles got broad sided by a small Ford trying to beat a red light on a peaceful, sunny morning. My passenger did not bat an eyelash. I had to avoid a building, mount a sidewalk.
The Ford was front totaled. My four door needed two doors. Fender Menders here in Queens, NY, did an excellent job, though they did have to find two doors in after market. Point: the structure was tough, sound. There was a witness, thanks be, and a true and fair police report, but of course insurance ...
You mentioned hybrid battery
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You mentioned hybrid battery re-conditioning and said you would show later how to do that. But I cannot find the article. Could you please send me that link?
My 2005 Prius has 251,000 mi
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My 2005 Prius has 251,000 mi on it.... The motor is burning oil.... I think it's time to sell it.
With zero percent financing
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With zero percent financing available I'm going to soon replace my 2004 Prius that has 275,000 miles on it with a new Hybrid Corolla. 17 and a half years was a good run for my car. While I still get 45+ MPG, it's time for a change
I have a 2014 Plug-in Hybrid
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I have a 2014 Plug-in Hybrid Prius and love it. We bought it used to go on long drives and vacations. I also use it to go on umpiring gigs.
I am consistently gettin 50 + mpg.
I AM concerned about battery failure so I try to keep it charged and maintained.
When the time comes I will rather get an upgraded battery than a new car.
We own 2 Toyotas, the other vehicle is a 2011 Rav4. Both cars look great and run well.
I too stopped trying to "keep up to the Joneses" many years ago. I love not having a car payment.
we have a 08 Prius. My wife
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we have a 08 Prius. My wife bought it in '10 with 36k on it . it now has 200k on it. Never a problem. I ues it to commute to work. l was so impressed with it i bought. her a '18 Rav 4 hybrid.
the prius. A car for little
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the prius. A car for little people. I'm 6"2" and have never been able to get into one.
I NEED HELP BAD!
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I NEED HELP BAD!
I HAVE AN 2006 TOYATO PRIUS WITH LITTLE MONEY AND I JUST CAN NOT AFFORED THIS BATTERY. I LOVE MY CAR THATS SITTING FOR 9 MONTHS NOW. HELP PLEASE! Because I'm driving my mom's car to death.
My 06 Prius needed a new
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In reply to I NEED HELP BAD! by Tevin smith (not verified)
My 06 Prius needed a new battery 4+ yes ago at 200k mi. Dealer wanted 4600 bucks yikes! ( they are nut!). Greentec came to my house, 40 mins changed the battery( Toyota wanted 6 hrs labor!?!?!?!) $1800, not a problem since! 280k and still going strong! Green tec! Check em out