2008 Prius needs $2500 repair, fix or sell?

[LibStache]

Hi friends,
My beloved 2008 Prius with 195,000 miles needs a new brake assembly. We were quoted $2500 by one shop and $3000 by a dealership to repair. Is it worth it to fix or should we sell it for what we can and buy a new hybrid or electric car to replace it?  Also unsure about whether to buy new or used. Right now it almost seems like buying new makes more sense than buying used. Really don’t want a car payment but sinking $2500 into a car this old makes me nervous. Would love to hear your advice!

[ak907]

  What does a new brake assembly mean? I am assuming that is calipers. If it is just rotors and pads those prices are ludicrous.
If it is calipers and you don't want to do it yourself, work with a buddy, I would probably sell and by something else newer personally. Not worth the repair cost IMO.

[Bradlinc4]

Have you replaced the battery yet? What is the rest of the shape of the car? I had a 2010 that burned oil after 120K miles but that is a rarity. My understanding is that the years before and after have a more solid engine (it was a head gasket issue).

[EchoStache]

  What does a new brake assembly mean? I am assuming that is calipers. If it is just rotors and pads those prices are ludicrous.
If it is calipers and you don't want to do it yourself, work with a buddy, I would probably sell and by something else newer personally. Not worth the repair cost IMO.

What he is referring to is an expensive and somewhat complex brake controller system that interfaces between the brake pedal, electric regen system, and the mechanical brakes.

As to the op, for me I'd have to consider what kind of fuel economy you are still getting.  At that age, the battery may be degraded enough that you are getting significantly lower fuel economy.  For example, a new hybrid such as Prius prime or Hyundai Ionic get 55-60 mpg. 

Used cars are a tough pill to swallow right now.  Typically much cheaper 3 year old cars are selling above new cost.  Seems as though you have to drop to 10+ years old with high mileage to even get below $10k, possibly buying someone else's headache that may need expensive repairs.  In January, a brand new full electric car with 260 miles range can be purchased for $20k(Chevy Bolt).

[monarda]

We replaced our battery on our 2004 Prius in 2015. Cost us about $2500 (was a generic battery)- the car had 250K miles at the time. By the end of 2016, some other things went wrong with the car (AC, started burning oil, don't remember what else), and we sold it for $2500, I think.  It bought us some time to find another car.

[JAYSLOL]

Depends a lot on how the battery is doing, and the overall condition of the rest of the car.  Personally, I’d rather sink $2500 into fixing a good old car, even if it means another $2500 next year, rather than spend $15k to get a barely-better replacement or $40k or whatever to get a new car.  I routinely see Prius taxis in my area that are being sold in running condition with 400 or 500k on them.  A couple $2.5k repair bills and some other regular maintenance to get another 200k out of a car seem like a better choice than buying a new/newer car when these repairs come up.  The math changes if you live somewhere where 2008 cars are completely rusted out underneath and are going to be totalled due to rust any minute anyways.

[K_in_the_kitchen]

We bought a used Prius from a friend, so we knew it had been well maintained.  The battery had also been replaced.  Yes the car is 14 years old with 150K+ miles, but if we needed to sink $2500 into for repairs I would do it.  That might not have been true 5 years ago, but I'm not paying current overvalued used car prices, and I'm not buying a new car at MSRP or MSRP+.  It helps that we have a shop we absolutely trust.

[AnotherEngineer]

I'm in the "devil you know" camp. Our only vehicle is a 2007 Honda Odyssey with 175k that we have had for 65k miles and seven years. We need it to be reliable as we regularly take 1,000-3,000 mile road trips (>10k road trips miles in last year). If the market was normal, we probably would have gotten a ~2012 ~100k van in 2020 for $10k. As it is, we've put about $4,000 into it since then (timing belt, A/C fix, valve gasket, etc) in stages. We know what the next issues might be and would think twice about spending more that $1,000 (it threw P0430 last month but has cleared itself), but plan on keeping it another year or two until prices correct. EVs are appealing and new cars seem "cheap" by comparison, but even $2,500/year in repairs is less than just depreciation on a new car once a normal market returns.

[JLee]

The actuator assembly is under $500 (used) on eBay - if you're mechanically inclined, I'd try a DIY fix.

https://parts.olathetoyota.com/blog/replace-prius-actuator-assembly

[pdxvandal]

I get the conundrum of whether to buy newer or fix the old. I have a 2008 Prius as well and just replaced the battery this summer with a refurbished one for $1,300. Easy call for me and feel like I could easily go another 100k-200k on it, and it has a lifetime warranty. The brake assembly seems odd ... I'd get a few more quotes, but if it's indeed the problem, I'd get it fixed. I'm on the West Coast, so maybe that's more of an issue in the Midwest or Northeast with salted roads in the winter. If you keep the car for a bit, great, if not, you can sell a nicely working vehicle.

[LibStache]

I realized I never posted an update to this thread. Thank you all for your replies!  I did end up paying to have the Prius fixed. All in, the cost was around $3200 for the entire ABS system to be replaced. I’m glad I did it with the cost of used vehicles right now. It also seems like I’ve seen improvement in the battery’s levels as well since the fix. Not sure if that has to do with the regenerative braking or not. Anyway, really grateful to still have a working car that’s paid for and that gets 45+ mpg. Hoping to see another 100k mikes with this car. Thanks again!

[JAYSLOL]

I realized I never posted an update to this thread. Thank you all for your replies!  I did end up paying to have the Prius fixed. All in, the cost was around $3200 for the entire ABS system to be replaced. I’m glad I did it with the cost of used vehicles right now. It also seems like I’ve seen improvement in the battery’s levels as well since the fix. Not sure if that has to do with the regenerative braking or not. Anyway, really grateful to still have a working car that’s paid for and that gets 45+ mpg. Hoping to see another 100k mikes with this car. Thanks again!

That’s great to hear, definitely new and used car prices continue to be nuts, so repair rather than replace is a great move at the moment

[clarkfan1979]

I realized I never posted an update to this thread. Thank you all for your replies!  I did end up paying to have the Prius fixed. All in, the cost was around $3200 for the entire ABS system to be replaced. I’m glad I did it with the cost of used vehicles right now. It also seems like I’ve seen improvement in the battery’s levels as well since the fix. Not sure if that has to do with the regenerative braking or not. Anyway, really grateful to still have a working car that’s paid for and that gets 45+ mpg. Hoping to see another 100k mikes with this car. Thanks again!

Thanks for the update. Based on the prices of used car right now, that is probably what I would have done. It is a tough pill to swallow, but I think it's better than the alternative of spending 10K for a used car that might have the same issue in the near future.