My beloved '02, with 180,000 miles has a cat. conv. problem. Estimate to replace it is around $1600 (ouch!). Trying to figure out if it's worth replacing, or just trade in for newer one. Trade in is not much because of high miles. It's a lot to spend on any car with 180,000 miles. Are there a lot of gen. 1s out there that are well into the 200s? Any problems w/ batteries? (I would hate to spend the money on the repair & then have something else major go wrong) Any thoughts or advice welcome!
Art's Automotive once did a repair with an aftermarket cat, but it is now illegal in Calif to use anything but OEM. Still, if you know a good repair shop, maybe they could still do it legally in NY. Prius: 1st gen - Replacing the Catalytic Converters BTW, Jesse's 1st Gen Prius went 349k before a young kid ran into him and totalled it. That is the highest mileage one that I know of. http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...ter-349-531-miles-but-not-natural-causes.html
Only you can answer this question. I note you drive a lot. Is it on long stretches of highway far from help? It is cheaper in the long run to keep fixing it but be prepared for a string of fixes as the car gets older and older. Have you changed the transaxel oil? The water pump? These things will come up. Cost is not the only consideration. Later models are safer. If you are in an accident, I would prefer to be in the latest model. Getting stranded in the middle of nowhere is not fun either. Missing a day off of work because your car is not reliable is not cheap. Like others have said, get a good used Prius if you want to save money. From a pure economical point of view, it depends on whether you have more time or more money.
i need to pull the code on my car but i have 179,000 miles on my 01 and if that is the case, i will drive it until it falls into the ground. I dont mind looking at the cel so i will just run it until it breaks then get a new one. I went to carmax to get a quote and the guy laughed at me (i was lauging too so it wasnt too bad) so i assume it is a part out and scrap only option here for me (or take the 1,000 trade in at the dealer).
How much would you be willing to spend to buy a different car? Then consider how many repairs that amount would buy on this one. You can't buy much of a car for $4000.
You might not mind looking at it, but you can't pass inspection with a CEL. The smog check exemption for hybrids expires at the end of the year.
Buy NEW, NEW!! Or Low mileage used. What do you expect, a trans axle maybe , battery pack or ??? whats next! How much repair do you really want to put into it to keep it running? Chances are high something else can or will fail soon.
$1600 is an expensive repair, but cars are expensive. Just the carrying costs for one year on a $25k loan is about $1200. If I thought the car was otherwise in good shape, I would repair the G1 Prius. btw PriusChat folk, is cat replacement a repair that independent mechanics might undertake ? The Toyota dealer mechanic is likely to be quite a bit more expensive than other garages.
thanks for the info Politburo, didnt see that date on the end of smog exemptions. May be time to see if it is a cat issue or an O2 sensor issue, that code is based on both O2 sensors having similar readings, thus if the front sensor is shot you can get this code as there is no diference in readings.
If you look at complete coverage for ins and the interest on a loan that would be way more than 1600 not to mension all the goodies you will buy her. I wouldn't have any problem putting 1600 in my 1988 243,000 mile camry because it has many many more years left in Betsy.
I provided the link to Art's Automotive earlier. They showed how they replaced the 1st Gen cat with a cheaper aftermarket cat, but they no longer offer the repair since it is illegal in Calif. I have also heard of others replacing the cat with a salvaged one with success. I think it is doable, but no one can guarantee that nothing else on the car will go bad. If it were mine and everything else was in good condition, I would try to find someone to install an aftermarket cat. But I am able to do a lot of DIY repairs, so I am not so dependent on the dealer.
Thx everyone. So far, I've gotten a couple more opinions from ind. mechanics, & looked at the new 3rd gens. Both mechanics would charge exactly the same as the dealership - interesting.... And the new Prius is SO nice! Still deciding - I figure I've got a few months to figure out what I'm going to do.
If you have the time to deal with repairs, then repair it. If you don't have time, then buy a new one.
Thx everyone. So, I ended up going with a new one (actually a used demo w/ 1000 m.). I was perfectly happy to do the repair & keep driving the '02, but figured it was worth looking. It's a IV & was able to get it at almost the negotiated price on a new III. I pick it up in the morning after I clean all the crap out of mine. I'm really excited - the gen IIIs are so nice! And it's got the all weather mats - really good for all my muddy boots, skis & climbing gear!!! Happy & Healthy New Year to all!
