The $3700 Prius Experiment

[DavidAnnArbor]

I got a 2014 Prius of almost the same color that I bought last year. The newer one cost me $11K, but only had 50K miles on it. So I guess I'm doing another experiment.  It just boggles my mind that a 2016 or 2017 Prius on the lot was $23K-35K at the time I bought my car, but a two year old (maybe 3 realistically actual age) car with intermediate options package was such a small fraction of that price. Crazy.

I'm really surprised you could get a Prius with so few miles for that cheap. I assume this was not at a dealership.

[memorytoast]

Posting to follow! I didn't realize you could get a Prius with so many miles and have it last!

[Zamboni]

I got a 2014 Prius of almost the same color that I bought last year. The newer one cost me $11K, but only had 50K miles on it. So I guess I'm doing another experiment.  It just boggles my mind that a 2016 or 2017 Prius on the lot was $23K-35K at the time I bought my car, but a two year old (maybe 3 realistically actual age) car with intermediate options package was such a small fraction of that price. Crazy.

I'm really surprised you could get a Prius with so few miles for that cheap. I assume this was not at a dealership.

It was at a very small used car lot . . . maybe 20-30 cars on what looked like an old gas station property at the edge of town. I think he was a flipper, basically, and maybe bought cars at auction? He even fixed a couple of small things for me (buffed out a small scratch and did some other minor thing my mechanic recommended.)

This one was apparently an unpopular color (but my favorite color, pale green.) His lot was full and I think maybe it had been sitting on his lot for a bit and he just wanted to clear the space for something more profitable. He had a couple of other colors with slightly higher mileage that also had higher price tags. The carfax was clean. It was right when the new body style came out. I guess that is the time the market gets suddenly flooded with used versions of the old body style as all of the dealers also had a bunch of them, and they weren't that much more $$$. Just luck on the timing, though, as I was only looking because my older one died.

[Rockies]

I'm a '05 prius owner living in snowy cold Canada. I use Michelin X-ice xi3 tires all winter and they do surprisingly good. I've driven thousands of kilometers over gnarly winter roads in all conditions and never had an issue. I've never had the rumoured issue with a car not starting again from a stop on a slippery roadway. I've tested this hundreds of times, even starting on black ice going uphill and if you give it time things will get moving. The Prius with winter tires handles WAY better than my previous AWD subaru  with all season tires. I'm sure an AWD car with winter tires would do better than the Prius, but most people forget that AWD doesn't help you stop, so in my opinion in cold snowy places like Canada there is no need for AWD, just some good winter tires.

The other thing I love about the Michelin X-ice xi3 tires is they are low rolling resistance and get quite decent fuel consumption. When I was researching a lot of other comparable quality winter tires (like Bridgestone Blizzaks) were not rated as low rolling resistance so I chose those. In the summer I run Pirelli P4 tires which are also low rolling resistance but can handle most adverse conditions just fine.

So yeah, I am a Prius convert, I'm even working on camperizing mine. I've slept in the back a few times (I am 6 feet tall) with no problems (you just need to fill up the footwells with appropriately sized containers and pull the front seats up and there is tons of room), but am getting a better matress and various 12v accessories (and an inverter for charging my laptop)

For a super great video on how to camperize a Prius check out this one, I really love the setup he's got, and how he includes Amazon links to all the products he used. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W86B-6BHrJA

[Zamboni]

^Awesome video!

[FIREby35]

Hilarious video!

[farmecologist]

For a super great video on how to camperize a Prius check out this one, I really love the setup he's got, and how he includes Amazon links to all the products he used. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W86B-6BHrJA

I like the fact that he doesn't use a 'custom' solution to fill in the gap behind the front seats ( at 6:03 in the video ).   His solution? A pillow on top of a cooler..and a folding cot-size mattress.  Nice!

[hgjjgkj]

I just bought my 2nd prius for 2,550. Pretty excited about it and hope to drive it for a while. Car itself has 130k miles but the battery is brand new and has less than 20k. I am hoping it lasts a decade.

[bmiles62]

I have a 2008 Prius with 177000 miles on it that my wife and I are pulling a small camper around doing a National Park Tour. We just drove it across country with no problems what so ever. Of course now we have to drive back ha ha! I love this car!

[DavidAnnArbor]

Wow that sounds like a wonderful trip.

What were some of parks you went to?  How did you enjoy them ?

[bmiles62]

Wow that sounds like a wonderful trip.

What were some of parks you went to?  How did you enjoy them ?

We started at The Great Sand Dunes NP and then went to The Arches then to Capitol Reef, Bryce Canyon, Mt Zion, Yosemite and are now at Crater Lake. I blogged about it here if you want to skim through. http://twomilesandfourfeetfromhome.blogspot.com/2017/07/on-road-again.html They have all been good but we really liked Capitol Reef and Mt Zion and especially Highway 12 between Arches and Mt Zion. It was amazing. We are touring Crater Lake tomorrow and then headed to Yellowstone. The car has done great so far.

[Laura Ingalls]

How are they in the snow?  I heard that they are not very good.  Now I'm a snow tire believer and I don't know if who I've talked to had snow tires but I highly doubt it.  Anyone here with experience care to elaborate?

I think they do fine if the snow is not deep or drifted. Ground clearance will be an issue before traction.

[topshot]

He said you can switch into battery mode when you are driving.

I asked him about how to charge the battery.   He mentioned it is self-charging.  Is it?  (I don't understand how this works.)

I assume he was referring to EV Mode, but that is only for slow speeds for limited distance. I think up to a couple miles at 25 mph or less. There is a button on the console you push for that. I've tried that a couple times but have a hard time keeping it under that speed.

The Prius itself will switch into whatever mode is most efficient for the conditions. It can run without the ICE at up to 42 mph, which makes me wonder why the EV Mode button is different. The somewhat annoying thing to me is it doesn't always switch to battery, but I saw on a video that you can often trick it to switch to battery (if going <=42) by letting off the accelerator until it switches (though it won't if battery needs charging).

Charging the hybrid battery happens via the ICE running and/or "braking". When you coast or press the brake pedal, one of the electric motors acts as a generator. You have to press pretty hard to actually use the mechanical brakes.

[kevj1085]

Wish I could say the same. Our Prius at like 100k miles literally wouldn't let me use the brake once when I was driving, fortunately it came back enough for me to pull over. Had to pay $2500 for the brake actuator, which fortunately was recalled and I got that money back. Now at 144k miles the inverter water pump went out, cost us $500, then a new 12v battery plus inspection for $300, then the combination meter where the odometer and gas indicator and mph lights show went out which I have read can make the whole car stop working in mid drive is going to cost at least $700. All of this within one week. The worst part is that the dealership has had my Prius for a week and a half now and they can't release it back to me until the replacement combination meter comes in because they program it to my current mileage at a 3rd party factory and if I drive it at all it screws up the true reading. I'm about to sell it because I was offered a Hyundai Elantra with only 33k miles on it barely slowly driven, a 2007, for free. I'm sure the Prius after these fixes will probably run well for many more years, but at this point I'd kind of enjoy a basic parts car that has simple fixes along the way. Plus the fact that my wife and I work together so carpooling essentially doubles our gas mileage compared to the normal family.

[DavidAnnArbor]

Now at 144k miles the inverter water pump went out, cost us $500, then a new 12v battery plus inspection for $300,

Yes I had to make these repairs.

[Peony]

Following! Yesterday I put down a deposit on a ridiculously well-cared-for 2007 Prius, with 178,000 miles, and I hope to complete the purchase next week ($3,700). I am so looking forward to driving that car.

[sailorlee15]

Quick Update: We've driven the 2005 Prius 22,000 miles since we bought it last year and the ONLY thing I have done is change the oil! My love affair with the car grows. I'll check back in on the next 20,000 or when we have a repair.
Cheers,
Lee

[DavidAnnArbor]

It's a great car. You can change the oil yourself easily, and use the best oil, fully synthetic 5w30. and replace the oil filter as well. I used to do that with my 2007 Prius, which I had til the 280,000 mile point.

[Car Jack]

The Prius with winter tires handles WAY better than my previous AWD subaru  with all season tires. I'm sure an AWD car with winter tires would do better than the Prius, but most people forget that AWD doesn't help you stop, so in my opinion in cold snowy places like Canada there is no need for AWD, just some good winter tires.

I saw proof of this recently.  My son's girlfriend's father has a dodge 4x4 pickup with wide all season tires on it.  We have a long driveway with a hill and it gets snowy and with the temp changes, the snow melted a bit and turned to ice.  She called to ask if we could come get her at the bottom of the driveway as the 4x4 dodge failed to get up after several attempts.  I drove down in our FWD (1 wheel drive) 09 Ford Fusion with Dunlop Graspic snows.  Getting down the driveway was no-drama and getting back up was no problem whatsoever.

[kaypinkHH]

Yay old priuses!! (Prii?)

We bought a 2007 for 7k in 2016.  Can't remember the kms on it at the time.- Maybe just under 100kms?

It is an obnoxious bright (aka the best) custom colour. We are definitely the only car around that is that colour...and we love it.

Biggest issue thus far: We kept having aux power/start-up/programming errors pop up. We were worried it was the whole computer/electrical on the fritz. After spending lots of money on towing/investigation that went no where by dealerships...turns out we had leaky back taillights and after big rain events water was getting into the compartment with the Aux Battery. A quick clear marine sealant applied around the light, a shop vac to clear out the water, and a nice sunny day to dry out and we were up and running.  Lesson learned: GOOGLE EVERYTHING before going to the dealer.

Our car also has an extra battery in the back to convert to a plug in. Haven't yet gotten that to work out, but that may be a 2018 goal.

Also as for snow handling, it has so far survived Canadian winters with a good set of winter tires.

We do notice our mileage goes way down in the cold, making it on par with our 2009 Fit for highway driving, but city driving in more temperate conditions, the prius mileage can't be beat!

[Dexterous]

I'm a '05 prius owner living in snowy cold Canada. I use Michelin X-ice xi3 tires all winter and they do surprisingly good.

Agreed!  I've got a 2013 Prius C with those same tires, and live next to the Italian Alps with heavy snowfall.  I've drove in the snow/ice during the last 2 weeks, and the performance of the tires with the Prius is great.

If anybody is commuting at interstate speeds like me, then I suggest you consider the regular model Prius over the Prius C.  The stability of the C at high speeds is poor, but manageable if you are an experienced driver.  I've had zero maintenance issues with 100,000 miles of driving 2x Prius C vehicles.  Of note, I change the oil a few thousand miles earlier than required and also change the transmission fluid after ~40,000 miles.  The car supposedly has "lifetime" ATF fluid, but some tests I've seen indicate otherwise -- and the cost to replace it is only about $30.

[farmecologist]

The Prius with winter tires handles WAY better than my previous AWD subaru  with all season tires. I'm sure an AWD car with winter tires would do better than the Prius, but most people forget that AWD doesn't help you stop, so in my opinion in cold snowy places like Canada there is no need for AWD, just some good winter tires.

I saw proof of this recently.  My son's girlfriend's father has a dodge 4x4 pickup with wide all season tires on it.  We have a long driveway with a hill and it gets snowy and with the temp changes, the snow melted a bit and turned to ice.  She called to ask if we could come get her at the bottom of the driveway as the 4x4 dodge failed to get up after several attempts.  I drove down in our FWD (1 wheel drive) 09 Ford Fusion with Dunlop Graspic snows.  Getting down the driveway was no-drama and getting back up was no problem whatsoever.

Lets just say that in times of slippery winter driving conditions I have seen quite a few large, expensive, 4x4 pickup trucks and SUVs in the ditch around here along with all the usual vehicles in the ditch.  I suspect folks pay top $$$ for a big truck/SUV and then cheap out on tires. 

The strange thing is... I have literally never seen a Prius in the ditch!  Maybe it has to do with the aggressiveness of the typical Prius driver?  :-)  It is a strange phenomenon...quite a few Prius vehicles around here too.  However, I must admit that our Prius does handle winter driving better than our two other sedans.  I suspect that it has much to do with the tires though as the Prius has Michelin Defenders on vs. the *really* crappy OEM ones that the other vehicles still have on.
 
 

[LovinPSDs]

Our car also has an extra battery in the back to convert to a plug in. Haven't yet gotten that to work out, but that may be a 2018 goal.

To someone who doesn't know a thing about a Prius, what's this all about?

[daverobev]

Our car also has an extra battery in the back to convert to a plug in. Haven't yet gotten that to work out, but that may be a 2018 goal.

To someone who doesn't know a thing about a Prius, what's this all about?

Prius = hybrid. The wheels are turned by an electric motor, which draws power from a battery. But - normally - the battery power comes from a gasoline engine. Converting means making the battery work more as a battery (the normal Prius battery only goes between two very conservative points in order to preserve the battery life, it's basically a large buffer between the gasoline and electric motors), which you charge by plugging the car in to mains electricity. So it becomes a 'plug in hybrid' where a significant amount of driving - or in fact all - can be done on electricity which - in theory - does not come from fossil fuels.

[LovinPSDs]

Sorry, I should have been more clear.. I know cars well, what I'm wondering about is the original post saying the is a second (aftermarket) battery designed for all electric added to a car that was originally gas/electric hybrid? Meaning it can go all electric or gas but also has much larger than normal batteries? 

Wondering if this is a Prius modification or what exactly that post meant

[kaypinkHH]

I'm back, I will try to answer questions best I can about the 2nd battery.

It was an aftermarket product- Hymotion Conversion kit that was added by a pervious owner. Due to the ridiculous colour of our car, I'm thinking perhaps the person may have owned the vehicle and sold hymotion products? Our car was sold at auction so maybe the business didn't go very well.

Here is an article on how it is suppose to work:
https://gizmodo.com/384457/hymotion-prius-plug-in-conversion-kit-gives-100%252B-mpg-for-short-distances
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A123_Hymotion

Here is a video:
https://youtu.be/LtfWDo_IclQ

The dealership we bought the car from couldn't get it to work either, so they sold it to us priced as a normal prius. If we can get this thing working it would be awesome!!

Biggest drawback so far of having a giant battery paperweight in the truck (other than no space for a spare tire, and extra weight), is that when we had the leaking tail lights/electrical issues, normal Toyota dealerships wouldn't touch the electrical due to the "risk" of the added battery pack, which means we need to find a more cow-boy operation to do any maintenance that comes up.

We tried to find a prius tech who had seen this product before, and done a bit of digging on the prius forums, but no luck in finding a concrete path forward to get this thing working.  Hymotion was acquired by a company called A123 tech back in 2013, so information is limited on this product, but we haven't dug too deeply. I'm sure there is a way to get this working! Unfortunately based on the archived hymotion website, a certified shop is now 12 hour+ drive away from us. Herm.

Our goal for 2018 is to get this thing working. A civil and mechanical engineer working on electrical stuff...what could go wrong!!   

[LovinPSDs]

I knew there was more to the story... Thanks for sharing!

[Bicycle_B]

Quick Update: We've driven the 2005 Prius 22,000 miles since we bought it last year and the ONLY thing I have done is change the oil! My love affair with the car grows. I'll check back in on the next 20,000 or when we have a repair.
Cheers,
Lee

Thanks for the update!  As a possible future used-Prius-buyer, really appreciate it.

[farmecologist]

Our car also has an extra battery in the back to convert to a plug in. Haven't yet gotten that to work out, but that may be a 2018 goal.

To someone who doesn't know a thing about a Prius, what's this all about?

Prius = hybrid. The wheels are turned by an electric motor, which draws power from a battery. But - normally - the battery power comes from a gasoline engine. Converting means making the battery work more as a battery (the normal Prius battery only goes between two very conservative points in order to preserve the battery life, it's basically a large buffer between the gasoline and electric motors), which you charge by plugging the car in to mains electricity. So it becomes a 'plug in hybrid' where a significant amount of driving - or in fact all - can be done on electricity which - in theory - does not come from fossil fuels.

Not entirely true.  Yes, the wheels *can* be turned by the electric motors.  However, not entirely.  In fact, the electric motor in most Prius is only used exclusively at very low speeds...mostly when coasting.  Of course, the plug-in models are different in that they have a beefed-up motor and battery...but other than that the internals are quite similar.

You see, the big breakthrough of the Prius ( and some other hybrids ) is a "power split device" (PSD). This PSD is a planetary gearset which allows power to be delivered by the electric motor, gasoline engine (ICE), or any combination thereof.  It also allows easy charging of the battery via engine (ICE) or regenerative braking.

The amazing thing is the mechanical simplicity of the system...as there is no "transmission" as we normally think about it.  The complexity is in the electronics/programs that determine what combination of electric vs. ICE (engine) power to deliver at any given moment. This is also the reason why the Prius is so reliable and you still see a huge number of very old Prius on the road.  Also, in 2010+ Prius vehicles *all* auxiliary components are electric and therefore is a truly 'beltless' system...no belts at all to maintain!  And regenerative braking vastly decreases mechanical brake wear and is the reason why many Prius can go many years with absolutely no brake maintenance.

If you are still interested...see this video demonstration of the actual Prius drivetrain...pretty fascinating stuff if you are into that sort of thing!  Around minute 23 he has the entire drive train assembled and then demonstrates it.

  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLNDGUISTYM

As you can see..extremely mechanically simple!

By the way, note that other Hybrid systems like the Hyundai Ioniq, Kia Niro, and others, employ a "dual clutch" system which is a more traditional transmission tied to a battery.  These systems need *much* more routine maintenance than the Prius ( belts, dual clutch maintenance, etc...) and are currently unproven long-term.  I do like the Ioniq but will not consider buying one for many years until they have been proven reliable long-term.

Hope this helps!


 

[ReP]

This is making me feel like a really dummy for buying one that was only 2 years old w 24K on it! We briefly thought about getting a much older one but it felt "too scary" (And yes we got a car loan too. We're idiots).

[DavidAnnArbor]

This is making me feel like a really dummy for buying one that was only 2 years old w 24K on it! We briefly thought about getting a much older one but it felt "too scary" (And yes we got a car loan too. We're idiots).

Not necessarily, I think there's about $3,000 of value for every 25,000 miles less you have on the odometer.

[innkeeper77]

We are considering buying a prius- we would like to have a better roadtrip car, and I have an old Subaru that REALLY needs to be replaced (18 years old, 225k miles, burns oil, terrible MPG, and is generally done. It isn't a mustachian car, and is worth maybe $1500). Our other car is a 06 civic, which works well, but is LOUD on the highway, not the safest car around, and the MPG isn't quite as awesome. I'll miss the manual transmission I have always had, but... the environmental and monetary upside of a prius is too good to pass up. I was scared of their transmissions (We have manuals since they were traditionally more reliable) but this thread has facepunched me into realizing an automatic prius is a good long term car.

What are the thoughts on Gen 2 vs gen 3? Has anyone here driven both? The Gen 2 can be had very cheap, but I wonder if a newer vehicle could be a better long term bet (Still used and depreciated!) Features I would like include the improved MPG, better ride, improved safety, beltless design, and less engine miles- I don't want an oil burner if I can help it, and the gen 3's have less abuse built into them by nature of being less old. I wish I could get a plug in version, but those all seem to still be quite pricey.  - My thought is a Gen 3 may be a better car to have long term, as we would like to drive it into the ground. I would be doing most of my own work on it as well.

The big issue I see is people claim the gen 3 may be less reliable, and has a worse interior. I will test drive both, but the reliability issue.. I have trouble deciphering it, and I see conflicting reports depending on where I look. Thoughts?

Local prices: Gen 3's for sub 100k - 150 miles seem to go for under $6000-$9000, but Gen 2's go from $3000 to $6000- but with more miles. If the reliability of the gen 3 is on par with the gen 2, would spending the extra on a 3 make sense? (We would be buying in cash)

[CogentCap]

Metric Mouse - I'm a musicain so we drive all over the place. Doing about 30,000 a year!

Just put my first $17 into the tank!

I feel you!  I'm also a musician, driving all over, and about a year ago I bought a 2003 Prius with 155k miles on it for $3700 total.  So far, so good!  Nothing feels as amazing at the gas station as putting in a full tank for under $17!

Plus, I love the way the car looks--cute, small, slightly outdated, but not trashy.  Every time I see it in the parking lot between these hulking SUVs and pickups, I feel a surge of pride and think, "There's my Frugal Beast!"

[midwesterner1982]

Posting so I can follow along.  I commuted with a coworker who had a Prius for a few years.  Car was really nice, big inside, and apeals to my nerdy engr side.  Considering one for my next car.  Thanks to all for sharing your experiences with a Prius.

[DavidAnnArbor]

If the reliability of the gen 3 is on par with the gen 2, would spending the extra on a 3 make sense? (We would be buying in cash)

Yes I think so. You'll have the car longer as a result.

[farmecologist]

If the reliability of the gen 3 is on par with the gen 2, would spending the extra on a 3 make sense? (We would be buying in cash)

Yes I think so. You'll have the car longer as a result. 

The reliability of the Gen3's are fine.  However, some of us Gen3 owners are having problems with oil consumption and are discussing it over on priuschat.com.   This is primarily on the 2010 model year ( the first year of Gen3 ).  The jury is out as to what it causing it.  Then again, there are plenty of 2010 owners with absolutely no problems.

Note that the Gen2 does have *slightly* more maintenance chores to take care of.   Mostly due to the fact that the Gen2 is not 'beltless' ...it does have one belt to maintain.  No biggie though...just something to be aware of.

BTW - Check out PriusChat for WAY more info than you ever wanted on Prius vehicles.  One of the very best auto communities out there too.

[Sid Hoffman]

I'm at over 168,000 miles on my 2010 Prius, no real issues to report.  Granted I bought mine with 148,000 miles on it already.  The only thing outside of regular maintenance I've done is replacing a transmission seal at around 155,000 miles.  I checked the oil level recently and it was still right around the full line.  I follow the manual in doing oil changes every 10,000 miles so I checked the oil level at maybe 8000 miles since the previous oil change.

If you asked me, seeing the level largely unchanged with only another 2000 miles until the next oil change seems fine to me.  If some of the 2010's have high oil consumption then mine isn't one of them.  My ex also has a 2010 Prius and I think she's around 130,000 miles currently with no issues I know of other than recently replacing the 12V battery.  The Prius was recently named the least expensive car to maintain over 10 years which also matches other reports I've seen.

[farmecologist]

I'm at over 168,000 miles on my 2010 Prius, no real issues to report.  Granted I bought mine with 148,000 miles on it already.  The only thing outside of regular maintenance I've done is replacing a transmission seal at around 155,000 miles.  I checked the oil level recently and it was still right around the full line.  I follow the manual in doing oil changes every 10,000 miles so I checked the oil level at maybe 8000 miles since the previous oil change.

If you asked me, seeing the level largely unchanged with only another 2000 miles until the next oil change seems fine to me.  If some of the 2010's have high oil consumption then mine isn't one of them.  My ex also has a 2010 Prius and I think she's around 130,000 miles currently with no issues I know of other than recently replacing the 12V battery.  The Prius was recently named the least expensive car to maintain over 10 years which also matches other reports I've seen.

Yep.  The large majority of 2010s are just fine.  Remember that priuschat, as with most auto forums, deals primarily with issues owners are facing.  However, the strange thing is that the 2010s get far more oil consumption discussion than any other model year.  More than just a coincidence?  Who knows...but it certainly seems that way.  Anyway, I think I owed it to potential owners to bring it up...mostly so they can remember to check their oil frequently.  :-)



 

[DavidAnnArbor]

MY 2007 Prius definitely had oil consumption, toward the end of my ownership of it. Or maybe I just noticed it more. I had it til 280,000 miles, and I changed my own oil.

[CCCA]

What kind of city mpg do these older models get (say < 2008)

I have a 2008 that I bought new in 2008 and it now has 160,000 miles on it. The miles per gallon has stayed exactly the same. I almost always get 44 mpg from day one until now. We are actually getting ready to take it on a camping trip across the USA in July. I have total faith in it. (We will be pulling a small pop up camper by the way!)

Just saw this.  I'm very interested in learning more about this.  How did it go?  It looks like the pop up that you are towing is homemade?  Did you make it?  How fast can you drive and still feel in control, with braking and steering and such?


Looking forward to hearing more about this.  thanks

[K-ice]

Happy to find this forum.

Any more comments on the Prius C?  The cost, even new, is just so tempting.

Most of our driving is under 70km but we are in cold and snowy Canada and do hit the highway about 2x a month to visit family 30 min out of town. 

2x a year we hit the highway for road trips and could rent if necessary.

We currently have a Forester and are happy for the AWD as it actually helps us get into our snowy/muddy alley & driveway a few weeks a year. Better winter tires would help but we are a bit worried about bottoming out.

Prius C base price $22K
Prius AWD base price $29K
Prius V base price is $30K

[kendallf]

Saw this thread got bumped, so I'll update my Prius fleet: down to 2 currently as my wife and daughter both wrecked theirs!  Not a recommended method of Prius disposal.  My daughter had full insurance coverage, the other driver was at fault, and they gave her an excellent payment and totalled her car.  I did not have full coverage on my wife's and so I parted it out, eventually getting about $2k from the various things we sold from it.  Sort of a pain in the ass and the shell sat at my buddy's house for several months.  When it was picked clean I sold the rolling shell to Go-Pull-It for $150.

In the process, a co-worker gave us another 2008 Prius with a bad brake actuator and traction battery.  It received some donated parts and the "Frius" is now my daily driver; my old 2004 will go up for sale shortly when we've had time to get another good hybrid battery put together from the several that we now have kicking around.  My buddy bought a couple of R/C charger/dischargers and we've been building good packs from the remnants of bad ones. 

Still love these cars.

[Slow&Steady]

I posted early about how much we love the Prius too, so here is our update.

2006: Was "murdered" by a teenage driver that thought drifting (as they do in car racing) was completely something that he could accomplish after having a driver's license for a couple months, in a Prius! I might still be a little upset about losing this car.  She was taken in to the scrap metal place at 12 years old and ~310k miles, her hybrid battery was replaced around 10 years old.

2008: Was sold to a nephew who needed a car.  I believe she still has under or maybe very close to 100k miles on it and the kid LOVES his gas bill and insurance cost.

I am missing have a Prius greatly.  I stopped driving the 2008 when I got a Nissan Leaf as an environmental upgrade but I am seriously considering going back to a Prius because I love those cars.

[Apple_Tango]

Jumping in! 2009 gen 2 prius with 100,000 miles was bought by yours truly in 2018 for $7,000 from a dealer. All maintenance was done at dealership regularly during the car’s previous life, clean car fax, yada yada

Loving it!!! My gas bill is usually $20-$40 per month. So far I’ve just one oil change, and my state inspection just passed with no major issues. Insurance is $80 per month.

The only thing weird that I had to do was buy a key from amazon and program it using the chicken dance, which saved me about $250 rather than getting one from the dealer. Only one key came with the car and I like to have a back up.

I have heard that the hybrid battery tends to fail at around 10 years old...and mine is now 10 years old so we’ll see how much longer it lasts!

[Buffaloski Boris]

I think one of these might be a future car for us. Enjoying these tales greatly.

[DavidAnnArbor]

Jumping in! 2009 gen 2 prius with 100,000 miles was bought by yours truly in 2018 for $7,000 from a dealer. All maintenance was done at dealership regularly during the car’s previous life, clean car fax, yada yada

Loving it!!! My gas bill is usually $20-$40 per month. So far I’ve just one oil change, and my state inspection just passed with no major issues. Insurance is $80 per month.

The only thing weird that I had to do was buy a key from amazon and program it using the chicken dance, which saved me about $250 rather than getting one from the dealer. Only one key came with the car and I like to have a back up.

I have heard that the hybrid battery tends to fail at around 10 years old...and mine is now 10 years old so we’ll see how much longer it lasts!

My Prius Gen. 2 had about 250,000 miles before the battery showed about a 10% decline in efficiency.

[happy]

Another Prius groupie here! I'm onto my second one. I had a 2009 Gen 3 i-tech which I bought second hand at around 55 k miles and traded it for another at 125k miles. Here in Australia the battery failure myth means they are good value to buy second hand. I loved it to bits but ran into issues with it burning a lot of oil: unfortunately I didn't discover it was burning oil until the yellow triangle of death came on...so I probably cooked the engine a bit. My bad, I hadn't been checking the oil since it was regularly serviced every 6000mile ( as recommended here) and I had never checked oil between services on a car with such low mileage.  Despite regular servicing, its performance seemed to be declining and it was using ever increasing amounts of oil so that I was checking and adding a couple of  litres of oil  the oil every 1500 miles.

So I found a 2011 with only 30k miles, which had been log booked serviced every 6 months and traded the old one in.  And I'm still in love: I love its low petrol use, and how it runs so smoothly. I love that it has a sneaky power mode button that turns it into a raging beast and I can flummox those silly young folk hassling me in their sporty models by pulling away from them from a stop (I'm so mature for a 60 year old lady). I love its radar controlled cruise control and it slightly weird star-trek interior. I love that its like a tardis, looks small on the outside but so big on the inside ...... I will stop before your eyes glaze over.

Real Issues:
-If you are over 6 foot tall, do not buy this car - there is not enough headroom. Ask my 6 foot 2 son how he knows this.
- low ground clearance is really a pain.

[happy]

I have a 2008 Prius with 177000 miles on it that my wife and I are pulling a small camper around doing a National Park Tour. We just drove it across country with no problems what so ever. Of course now we have to drive back ha ha! I love this car!

I'm interested in how you go with a tow bar. Any issues with finding trailers to hook up with the car being so low? I love to be able to tow a trailer ( not a camper) with mine from time to time.

[Johnny Aloha]

We brought our Prius to our mechanic just to check it over.  He said "If all cars were Priuses, I would retire."

They have been ranked least expensive to maintain by a number of publications.  They really do make good sense just from a maintenance standpoint, and the low cost to fuel them is like icing on the cake.

Yep..the Prius ( at least 2010+ models ) is a completely "beltless" engine design.  Also, the brakes last 'forever' due to the regenerative braking.  I've seen Prius vehicles go 100s of thousands of miles without needing any major brake maintenance.

I just replaced brakes on my 2010 with 100k miles.  I know the mechanic didn't rip me off because several different mechanics told me the brakes were getting close, then they started the squealing.  Hopefully they last 200k.

[Slow&Steady]

...
I have heard that the hybrid battery tends to fail at around 10 years old...and mine is now 10 years old so we’ll see how much longer it lasts!

My Prius Gen. 2 had about 250,000 miles before the battery showed about a 10% decline in efficiency.

We only had to replace the hybrid battery on the 2006 Prius (murdered by a teen driver @ 300k+ miles) because we "accidentally" let it sit (without ever turning it on/moving it) for around 6 months... they need to be driven, at least occasionally or the battery will completely drain and then it can not be "recharged".