Gen II Prius Life Expectancy

[RH77]

I know the question has been asked before, but time has passed...

We're looking for a replacement for Teggy, but instead: 4-doors, newer, and efficient (the preference is for it to remain a hatch).

I recently spoke to the owner of an '06 with about 100K miles (and who just bought a Gen-III). The consensus is that the battery pack is bench-tested to 150K miles (beyond the 100K warranty).

Most affordable and easily found models are at the 100K mark. Herein lies the problem: we are keeping cars for a while now (6-8 years+). That could mean 120K miles or more on top of the existing clock.

So, Hybrid Experts out there, buy a used one, or pay a bit more for a new model? What about the new Insight in comparison? If the budget permits, these cars are considered -- otherwise, it's going to have to be new Honda Fit.

Despite the weight addition of these items, it has been decided that the following are required: side/front airbags, ABS, A/C, automatic (not entirely my choice) and a good crash rating -- otherwise, I'd look at a older Civic or similar.

RH77

[Daox]

The Toyota packs have held up a lot better than the 1st gen Insight and even gen1 Civic packs. The hybrid synergy drives have a very aggressive control over what happens to them to avoid any damage to the battery and to extend life. I fully expect mine to last me to 200k+ miles. However, I specifically did look for one with as low of mileage as I could find. But, that is more because we drive around 30k miles a year.

[MetroMPG]

Since you have to have an automatic, that'd steer me to the Prius by default.

I'd say start searching now for a gen 2 Prius, and be prepared to buy when a good one crops up (one will). You'll enjoy it much more than a Fit (I don't want to read your constant complaining about their undergeared transmission needlessly sucking away precious fuel! ). Plus the Toyota has an excellent reliability track record.

[RH77]

I haven't been by for a while -- there's a "Thanks" function! I couldn't help but use it

I also drive 30-35K miles a year, but generally in rentals. With a new work assignment (hopefully), I'll be commuting to 6 locations around the city, with minimal travel out of town. I've heard 200K in the past with HSD, but how common?

I'm really tempted by the Gen-III/Base. In the never-ending quest to save some cash, the Fit seems the best new car in the price-range, but may lose-out to a used Gen-II Prius. 5-door options are few. The Matrix/Vibe is OK, but I've rented it enough to know it's not my style.

I spend a lot of time at the 65-70 mph max range on the highway (the speed helps with hill climbs with about 55-60 on the load-up, slow side. But yeah, not the most efficient overall).

...So the high gearing of the Fit would definitely drive me nuts. The aero and city FE ability of a hybrid seem to be a good compromise.

Sigh. What happened to the simplicity of yesteryear? Why can't we get a Diesel Honda over here? Yeah, I know...

RH77

[alohaspirit]

ive done my research in this as well

100k is when the warranty runs out

some batteries have gone 300k+


if i had the money, id get a prius

[Rokeby]

RH77,

I've been driving my '08 Prius Touring for some 21 months, 30k miles. I'm
also a poster at PRIUSchat.com where I read virtually every thread on the
problems that are reported on Gen II Prii no matter their mileage...

As in any used car purchase, the watch words are "Buyer Beware," with a
few extra twists. In addition to all the typical cautions for buying a used car
-- like careful inspection for body/frame damage/repairs -- here are a few
Prius specific items:

* Inspect the actual title to ensure the car does not have a "salvage" title.
* Ask to see all the service records; 5k routine services done by dealer or
owner?
* Have a Prius tech go over the car, and get an "official" printout from the
dealer of the car's service record.
* How the car was treated for the first 100k miles will determine whether it
goes another 100k. Most folks don't know it, but it's not the High Voltage
battery that is likely to give trouble.

At ~100k miles there are a number of other things that are more likely to
cause trouble:
* the inverter cooling pump is somewhat of a weak link, and some Prius
gurus recommend replacing it and the special coolant at 100k as a
preventative measure before it leaves you stranded.
* The "transmission" fluid is due for renewal. Again the maintenence gurus
recommend that it be changed a least once, and better yet twice, before
100k miles for logevity purposes.
* The service life on the small 12v battery is ~ 4 years. Extended high or
low ambient temps lower that figure. The car cannot be started if the 12v
battery dies as it "boots" the computer that brings the big HV battery on line
for starting, etc.
* If the alignment, including the rear wheels is off, even slightly, this car
can really chew up tires -- like to the tune of only 25-30k miles a set. No
way to know what the history is here but unevenly worn tires would be a
give away.

None of the above is a reason not to be buying a used Prius. It is meant only
to help you identify a good used Prius to buy -- if you get a good
one, I'm sure you'll love it.

Lastly, even though you may only be just looking now, you should at least
go lurk on the Gen II maintenance forum at PRIUSchat.com and use the
search function to dig into the many older threads. Here's a good one to get
you started:

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-p...you-don-t.html

[EDIT: A note on PRIUSchat; it is a wholly different kind of forum than here.
There's a whole lot of ChattyCathy stuff. Don't be put off. There are also some extremely competent posters in the maintenance threads.]

[Magician]

My wife's 2008 Prius has 334,000 miles and still on original battery, which seems to run pretty strong. We bought it with 315,000 miles and only oil changes have been needed.

[mpg_numbers_guy]

My mom is also looking at buying a Prius. She will also be driving it about 30K miles per year. I have only seen 1 Prius that has had indicated a dead battery pack before 175K miles, and that was an '04 with 120K miles (<10K miles/yr, bad for battery health).

She's considering either a Prius or a 2nd gen Insight. The Prius would be preferred due to better city fuel economy and more room, but they're also a bit pricier used than Insights.

Then again I see you already have a 2nd Gen Insight, so I'm assuming you have a reason for focusing in on a Prius. If you get a Prius, avoid the 2010 and 2011 model years; if you get an Insight avoid 2012 and 2013 model years, as they are notorious for burning oil as they age.

[S Keith]

Sample size: 167

Mostly Gen2 Prius
About 12 Gen3 Prius
About 6 Camry
Two Highlanders

High degree of confidence that the batteries were original. Known reconditions or replacements were omitted from the data.

One of note: 2008 had its pack replaced with Toyota new in 2014. Failed in 2018 after approximately 4.5 years; however, the pack went 120,000 miles.

Average mileage at battery failure: 160,000 miles
Minimum: 91,000
Maximum: 290,000

New hybrid = high benefit potential, low risk potential
Used hybrid = high risk potential, low benefit potential

Factor in other somewhat common issues like failed inverters, ABS actuators, head gaskets, combo meters, etc., the chances of multiple multi-thousand $ major repairs are substantially higher.

Easy to say "my car this" or "my car that", but it's a sample data point of 1, and it has zero meaning beyond your own experience.

[MetroMPG]

Wow, zombie thread!

---

I talked to a guy recently who has an '09 Prius with 420,000 km on it. That's 260k miles. Bought it new and has done nothing but routine maintenance/repairs. Still on its original exhaust system.

He said he was planning to trade it in soon and I asked him to let me know what he wants for it.