Do you think a Prius could go 1,000,000 miles?

You make some very good points.

 

You have experienced the longevity of a vehicle. You know. No argument from me.

 

I think one of the problems is that our psyche tells us that expensive repairs are not warranted because if one thing fails, chances are something else will too and eventually it'll all cost more than a new car. Even a rusted car can be repaired, so there is no technical reason any car can't go 1,000,000 miles or more if you want to spend the money.

I seriously considered doing just that with our van. Even though it was a 1999 model, I could have spent less fixing it up, including new audio system , navigation, etc., but in the end, it still wasn't going to give me 45+ mpg, we were tired of the extended size, we no longer needed even half the space, and so a new Prius won out. I believe a new transmission ran around $6,000 and I know a new V6 engine was $5,000+, if either are both still available. If not, then we're talking junk yard and that brings it's own set of potential problems. I simply saw no value in replacing or rebuilding either because to make it "right" would have also required CV joints, struts, brakes as well as body mounts, etc. While I thought it was in good shape, a simple drive told the story of its age and what it needed to be returned to like-new. So, I donated it. Maybe some backyard mechanic who need sa family van will buy it at auction and give it further life.

 

I just get tired after driving the same car after a few years and I want something new and different. I don't want to be bothered by a lot of repairs. Just me. I'm old so running a car for a super long time is pointless for me.

 

That thinking tends to lead to erroneous conclusions because it ignores the depreciation cost of the new vehicle while the old vehicle is running on the most recent repair. That was a mouthful

I was talking about it with my wife the other day and suggested she consider this approach:
Say a new car costs 20k USD and can go 200k miles before major repairs pop up. That means a new car costs 10 cents a mile.

Now a major repair of $1000 comes along. If it seems reasonable for the car to run 10k miles before the next major repair then the choices are somewhat equal on paper, but at least in my mind favor the old car because insurance is cheaper, opportunity costs favor the old car, and perhaps most important these days, purchase delay of a new car give technology time to improve.

 

Me either, and my wife loses faith with a car after the first time she is stranded (women !). My answer is to be a bear about preventive maintenance, and not let early problems become big annoyances.

Cars really are engineered to have a relatively small and predictable pattern of wear items, that if replaced in a rational manner protect the major components until the car becomes a pile of rust or says goodbye in an accident. Genius, really. The only aspect of old cars one has to accept is increasing noise from aging plastics.

 

I wasn't saying what I believe, and no, I don't discount depreciation, etc. I was just expressing my impression of how many Americans have tended to view car purchases over the years. For me, cost to repair vs cost to buy is only a minor consideration, most is emotional. When I was much younger, it was simply a desire to have the hottest new model, cost didn't really factor in. Then the mid-70's hit and took the wind out of that sail with rather mundane designs. Now we've got a lot of options and many factors to consider, way more than when it was basically Chrysler, Ford and GM. The psyche has changed because cars generally last a lot longer and 200k is not unheard of. Back in the day, 100k was a big deal because most people I grew up around in Wisconsin traded often. Many of my relatives still think 100k is a benchmark and I try to convince them times have changed. They don't really care, they want a new car just because. And so did I.

And while I get your math, I don't think it applies to my 1999 Montana van. I did approximately $1k worth of repairs to it last year based on your financial model. However, and its just supposition based on my experience driving the van, I'm pretty sure I was looking at major transmission and engine repairs in the near future, not counting the road noise, etc., caused by just plain old age. Like I said, I could have put $20k into our van and basically had a new car, so your math probably works, but it would still have been a 1999 model and we take too many road trips to worry about a serious breakdown. If the van were a "classic" (is there such a thing? ), it might have been a different story.

I guess the bottom line for me is some people just don't want to keep the same car that long, especially if it's their only vehicle. I'll admit that I'm not sure what I would have done if I hadn't had the money for the Prius. I probably would have kept the van running as best I could. But back in 2010 when we rented a Prius, I decided I'd save the money to buy a 2013. However, when that time came, I heard about the redesign for 2015, so I delayed our purchase. When I heard about the delay and saw what was happening to the van, I decided we couldn't risk waiting and I simply didn't want to put any more money into it. So, we bought a 2014. I'm already saving for a "possible" trade in 3-5 years. That decision won't be made based on any cost to repair vs mileage though. It will be based strictly on what we think we're missing with the model Four we bought vs what is available at the time, maybe a "V". I fully believe the Prius we have will last until I'm gone, so a new purchase won't be based on finances at all.

 

^^ Oh, I'm well aware that TCO is only one of the considerations, even if people do not formalize (or are even conscious of) their other priorities.
I was only saying that a rational approach to TCO can be gained by the method mentioned.

 

And that it can. It's actually probably used by more people than you might think, though I think you're right when you say they aren't aware of it.

 

This topic came up because my wife mentioned a GF of hers who rationalized a new car by her recent experience of pouring $300 - $500 into the old car three times in the past year. My first response was "that does not sound so bad ...," and then I tried to explain why when my wife said "but the money could have been spent on a new car instead!"

My wife is very representative of Joe & Joeanna Average when it comes to money and stuff. She admits it readily, but woe to me if I say so.

 

Too funny. Of course, she's right if you're in the market for a new car, but I'd have to agree that the costs didn't sound too bad. Like I said, I just put over $1,000 into our van last year, so I'm sure you might have been inclined to have kept it another 1o,ooo miles. Unfortunately, I've been itching for a new car since we rented the Prius in 2010. I only put the $1,000 into it because my wife said we had to make one more fully loaded trip to Georgia. Once that was done, I didn't want to give her the option to come up with another such trip. Based on our plans, we have 4, maybe 5, trips over 5,000 miles before the 2015, now 2016, is supposed to be released. I just didn't feel safe anymore.

 

I don't know what the record miles are but my 2006 has 350,000.

 

I don't know either but there are a bunch that have gone well past that at Lifespan/Operating costs - Prius Wiki.

 

Only problem with most of these arguments is most people don't buy or do based on logic or cost. It's feeling. As in "I feel like a new car is in order!" So only "enthusiasts" will get to experience the mega-mile stage. Or some forced to do so.

 

Here in Virginia, cars used in taxi service are strictly limited to now more than 3 years old, IIRC. The drivers I chatted with rolled up a max of 150,000 - 200,000 miles per year, and usually turn the cars over around 500,000 miles. So getting to 1,000,000 miles for our taxi Prii is not likely.

 

Bought mine at RLT.

But I have a ways to go. Right now I am at 3350 miles

 

North Oaks
David Latta [seemed very candid and not too pushy]