I sold my prius, but i'm not leavin.

Rob, no offense, but I don't really get your point. You say that you are glad that you got rid of your Prius because of all the things the COULD have gone wrong, but at the same time nothing did go wrong.
Also, you say you'd buy a Prius again when you can afford buying an newer one with warranty, but you also mention that your first Prius was a new one?
Anyway, best of luck with your Kia!
Oh, and you might want to talk with somebody about your anxiety issues

 

The sensible thing to do is an expected value calculation with the best data you can find. Humans are notoriously bad at assessing risks. By reacting to perceived risks you could well be putting yourself into a higher risk situation.

Before I bought my Prius, I compared many cars based on total cost of ownership (for my situation) including expected repairs, and the cheapest car available to me on that basis.

 

Peace of mind is actually why I bought a Prius.

Prior to that, I owned a 94 Taurus... which certainly educated me on repair concerns & issues. That led me to research for something better. The hope was to get an EV, but back in 98 the market hadn't expanded here yet... despite the fact that the Ranger EV came from just down the road. Anywho, I discovered Prius in October of 99 and never looked back.

 

i think your overall point is you prefer to drive a car under warranty? if so, i feel the same way.

 

I think the important issue for an old Prius is the availability of service. Dealer service is really expensive, mainly because they only use new replacement parts. So if you need something like the inverter replaced, it runs several thousand dollars at a dealer. But if there is a competent independent shop available, they could either repair it or use a unit from a salvage yard.

Independent shop service costs about the same for the Prius as for any other car. A conventional car may need a $1500 transmission replacement, while the Prius may need a $1500 battery. They're both going to need a lot of the same maintenance such as tires, oil changes, and the like. An old Prius may actually be a bit less expensive, since things like the brakes typically last over 100K.

But you've got to have a shop available that can service it. The San Francisco and Boston areas are well covered. Elsewhere it can be rather sparse.

The biggest roadblock to having independent shops that can service a Prius is the long warranty and the fact that they don't break very often. One way that Luscious Garage in SF makes it as a hybrid specialty shop is that they service the SF fleet of taxicabs. Somebody's got to replace those speedometers that die at 200,000 miles...

 

Troll.




Kind of ironic though, I have a 06 Kia Sedona now out of main warranty (3 year/36K) and I am scared to death if that sucker drops dead. Fortunately the seals blew when it was under warranty. It doesn't matter what make you have, it is gonna cost a pretty penny IF something goes wrong period.

 

Rob,

you are dilusional...don't worry about the what if...worry about what is.

you went from a car that had no problems to a car that eventually will have issues that Kia won't cover. How do I know you might ask?

I traded in a brand new 2011 Hyundai Sonata SE with nav with 12k miles for my 06 Prius with 77k certified. I would never look back. In the year I owned my sonata, the driver seat tore at the seam, the shifter wouldn't go into park 60% of the time, the gas mileage went from 40mpg to 23mpg (and I run synthetic oil and shell vpower 89 gas), and the rotors were warped at 12k which Hyundai refused to cover (and my pads had plenty of meat left so it wasn't my a$$holish driving)



either way good luck with your new purchase

 

This is a story about human anxiety, not Prius reliability. That same anxiety could be directed at any other piece of equipment. The OP's Prius was working as advertised, showed no signs of trouble, and had no history of trouble. Some free floating anxiety attached to the Prius, or perhaps it was buyer's remorse.

Tom

 

Go to cleanmpg.com, they talk about hypermiling all types of cars there.

My thoughts exactly. I've owned many a used car, and that was because they're cheaper to buy and own than a new car, and usually just as reliable. If something breaks on any car, half the time its something that wouldn't be covered by a warranty anyway.

 

I am just confused.

 

You can buy the extended warranty if you have the warranty anxiety.

 

+1
Yep:
That same enxiety could be directed at an other THING, not just equipment. Health issues, family relation ships, sinking dollar value, national debt, old age - poverty ......... oh, GOD GET ME A ROPE !! (kidding ... again)



My folks, are in their 80's (good physical/mental health still) and my mom STILL worries about many things ... I'll bet she's worrying right now, about where she'll be buried. I think I'd prefer to take up serious drinking before prefering to worrying too much. See? being an ignorant fool like me has its advantages!

.

 

I think the OP's "point" is more make sure you can afford to repair the vehicle you own. Which is a legitimate point. I mean that's probably the reason I don't rob a bank and buy a Lamborghini...

And I think there is some legitimacy to the idea that given the Hybrid components and a higher degree of engineering, there is the "potential" for expensive repairs to manifest.

But The Prius has excellent reputation in relationship to reliability.

While I agree, that people should factor in Ownership Costs, which should include expected and potential maintenance and repair costs. But this is where the OP's concerns IMO "break down".

The truth is, any unwarranted vehicle whether it be a Prius or anything, runs the risk of any degree of potential break down. True, that The Prius can give you the "Red Triangle of Death"...and it could be anything from minor to major...

But you run similar or almost identical risk with any vehicle. All vehicles today are complicated products. The comparative simplicity of a traditional ICE vs. the apparent complexity of a Hybrid, IMO isn't enough to warrant fear of the Hybrid product.

The conventional pro-hybrid thinking is that since the whole design of a Hybrid is to create a vehicle that remains as efficient as possible as often as possible...the system itself is somewhat self protective.

For example, it's likely or reported that you are likely to get much more typical life out of brake pads given the fact that Prius brakes using the more complicated regenerative braking system..

It's your choice whether you want to enjoy the "potential" of greater brake life...or obssese over the "potential" of a more expensive break down..."if" something went wrong.

I think if I owned a used Prius..or aging Prius...outside of warranty...at some point I'd start to think about the potential of Traction Battery replacement. But would I obssese about this? No. Basically any vehicle out of warranty and outside of 4-5 years old runs the risk of a potential costly break down. All cars are machines and exposed to reality which includes wear....this can be to Hybrid Components...at various potential cost...or this can be to "Traditional" Components such as Transmissions and ICE's...at various potential cost.

At least with a used Prius....you can be reasonably sure that the vehicle itself was designed to try to maintain reasonable RPM's...and has a highly touted computerized planetary gear based transmission, along with dual braking systems both sharing the load...

I think it valid to project maintenance as a potential cost of ownership...but I don't find Prius to go significantly beyond the potential "norm" one would find with any vehicle as it ages...infact given it's decade + long reputation for reliability..once could argue this is a strong plus of Prius ownership.

 

I own a 1995 Acura Legend that I still buy brand new OEM from the dealer parts for...hell each control arm alone cost me $600!!! I didn't complain...I knew I owned a luxury car (even though its 16 yrs old) so I am paying so I can play....

Similarly, if you own a prius you need to factor in the maintenance costs...if they aren't affordable for you, then you need to re-evaluate what is.

But if you are a hypocondriac (sp?), then you would probably want to avoid BMW, MB, Lexus, Infiniti, etc.... G-d forbid if you saw a BMW "general maintenance" bill from the dealer or a competent BMW tech.

 

The poker equivalent is your playing ability, the stakes and your bankroll.

Your playing ability is a combination of innate ability (general reliability) and practice (how well do you maintain the car.).

The stakes are the amount of money you play for (cost of parts v gas savings/pleasure)

Your bankroll determines how well you can deal with the misfortune (expensive failures). Even great players can be unlucky.

The OP doesn't feel they have the ability or bankroll to play mid-stakes poker. You're playing high stakes and love it.

 

If you save some money in the bank, you can insure the repairs yourself. However, if you live by monthly bills, the warranty is necessary.