Author Topic: What to do with old Prius  (Read 1356 times)

historienne

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What to do with old Prius
« on: October 23, 2019, 08:42:47 AM »
We own a 2008 Prius with 150,000 miles.  Due to spending its life in the snowy North, it now has a rusty underbelly, which is causing or exacerbating a variety of problems.  These problems are, probably, fixable; but doing so will cost somewhere around $2,000.  We are not going to attempt to DIY any repairs; we just don't have the spare time or mental capacity to handle it right now.  These repairs are necessary for it to pass inspection, which will need to happen before a new owner can register it, or in spring of 2020 if we still own it at that point.

For entirely separate reasons, we would like to get a different car.  Reasonably frequently, we need to take 6 people someplace, and its starting to be a pain not to be able to fit everyone in our car.  Current plan is to buy a used Mazda5, which seems like the smallest & most fuel-efficient 6+ seater to be had for a reasonable price.

So, my question is about the best way to get rid of our old Prius.  For environmental reasons, we'd like to extend its life as long as possible, so we don't want to just junk it, even if that's the easiest or cheapest route.  Should try to sell it as is, hoping that if it is priced sufficiently cheaply ($1000?), someone with DIY skills will want to fix it up?  Or should we do the repairs ourselves, then try sell it for slightly more money ($3000?) as a functional vehicle?  In either case, we won't be repairing cosmetic issues, and the car does have quite a few small scrapes due to years of street parking.

Thoughts?  Would also welcome suggestions on alternate 6 seaters.

terran

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Re: What to do with old Prius
« Reply #1 on: October 23, 2019, 08:47:25 AM »
I wouldn't bother trying to fix it. If it's worth your time to fix it you should fix it and keep driving it, but you've already said it's not. Throw it up on craigslist as is and see what happens.

RWD

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Re: What to do with old Prius
« Reply #2 on: October 23, 2019, 09:36:10 AM »
Rust issues prompted you to car shop and you're considering a used Mazda? Uhhhh, you might want to rethink that. Do a search for Mazda rust lawsuits.

Also, whichever car you get consider applying fluid film to prevent rust (do not use rubberized undercoating, it accelerates rusting).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QiIym5JiMOc

historienne

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Re: What to do with old Prius
« Reply #3 on: October 23, 2019, 09:40:02 AM »
On rust - we used to live in a place with tons of snow, and therefore pervasive rust issues.  That's where we bought the Prius.  We've subsequently moved to a much milder climate, so we're less concerned about rust in a car that we buy down here. 

We would fix the Prius and keep driving it indefinitely, except that we need a larger car. 

Bernard

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Re: What to do with old Prius
« Reply #4 on: October 23, 2019, 08:16:54 PM »
It's much easier to sell a cheap Prius (as long as the batteries are still good) for $1K to a DIYer or flipper, than selling a rust-repaired $3K Prius.

soopy

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Re: What to do with old Prius
« Reply #5 on: October 24, 2019, 07:33:22 AM »
Where's the car if I may ask?

nereo

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Re: What to do with old Prius
« Reply #6 on: October 24, 2019, 07:42:55 AM »
You could donate it and get a tax write-off.  This won’t garner you the most money, but it will help fund groups/causes we believe in.

We typically donate our cars to our local NPR station - typically only after we’ve driven them past 200,000 miles.  A phone call, a signature and the car is gone, and a warm fuzzy feeling remains.