I recently (1.5 months) bought a base 2006 Prius with 150,000km or 93,000mi, and after a scary situation where the ICE stalled on the highway (rodent nest in the throttle body, dealer stored car outside), It got me thinking about whether I should upgrade to a gen 3 for repair bills (hybrid battery, etc), safety, tech, and comfort. I plan on keeping the car till it dies or becomes too expensive but I also want to get the most valiue out of it (for example a gen 2 lasts 4 years and costs $8000 cdn, a gen 3 lasts 9 and costs $10000 cdn) We bought our 2006 for $8000 Canadian dollars (6300 US dollars) and it is in very goood condition. The average price for a gen 2 is $9500 ($7400 USD), and the average price for a gen 3 is $16000 ($12600 USD). So do you think I should upgrade?
all cars are subject to rodent damage, and prius most especially. i don't really understand your question, sorry.
What I mean is will it make more sense to upgrade to a newer, safer car with most likely less repairs in the future
that is a subjective question. objectively, the newer and lower the mileage, the less likely repairs you will have. but whether it makes sense is up to you, as you will see that we have owners here ranging from 2001's to 2017's.
That's a non sequitur - it does not follow that a newer car will always need get repairs, neither will those repairs always cost less.
From a pure financial perspective, it doesn't make sense to upgrade unless you have a car that needs super expensive repairs. Drive the wheels off it. But, if the features of a Gen 3 are worth the cost to you, then that's up to you. It's a question of if you want a spiffier car or more money in the bank. But newer won't guarantee fewer repairs, as @RCO pointed out.
I would either 1. Keep what you have 2. Upgrade to a better Gen II 3. Skip gen III and pick up a Gen IV 2017 Toyota Prius Two For Sale In Chantilly | Cars.com If you wait till February you might find one in the $12k area (like last year) Good Luck
You're talking a $6k delta between your car and the gen3. That buys a lot of repairs. If you like the gen 2, keep it and budget that money for a new traction battery ($3k), both engine and inverter coolant pumps ($500) and all the other usual maintenance items.
It's simple. Financially, the longer you own the vehicle the less it will cost you accounting for repairs and maintenance versus new car payments. What you are asking is subjective in terms of safety. Some say there is no price for the safety of my family in a car. Others like me would say the income from my job isn't secure either. The safest car in the world does my family no good if I can't work and can't afford food or rent. I would keep the car I own as long as possible until it is unreliable or cost to repair exceeds it's value.
Gosh, I hope you're talking about me. I know birthdays are especially good for people The more you have the longer you live!
Thanks for all of the suggestions for what I should do, I think more likely I’ll keep my current prius, or just trade in for a higher package model.
