Divorce Vehicle - Need Tips

Ok got it. I've done that. I lived in many places without AC which was fine for 99.9% of the time, but you'd get a couple nights that were hot, and it was death. I did actually sleep in the Prius on a few occasions. Pulled it out of the garage, setup a sleeping bag and pillow and fell asleep with the AC blasting. Awesome. Now I have an AC unit just for the master bedroom to keep that sucker at 10.5C (51F) in the summer, and open to the -20C air in the winter. I specially insulated the room so I wouldn't freeze pipes and things and have awoken to a snowdrift inside before.

A Gen-2 is 2004 through 2009. Basically the same all the way through. There was a "refresh" in 2006 that changed some styling, adding the "hybrid" badges on the fender, etc. Also the traction control improved over time. I have an 06 and it works fine climbing mountains in the snow and ice if you know how to drive. You won't be really driving yours but on the icy NJ roads, the traction control does not limit slip, it just kills all forward motive power. No trying to cross 4 lanes of Jersey traffic in a tight pocket with ice on the road, you'll be t-boned without good tires.

Stupid tangent, but have you seen the BBC show "Detectorists"? Running gag in the show, "Are you the detectors?" "No, Detectorists. That's the detector".

What you say is true, but how you're looking complicates things. I have seen lots of Prii advertised as "new battery" when it is a used battery module put into the failing pack. This buys you weeks or months usually. So while it is recently repaired, it is a ticking time bomb. This is where a dealer will actually be beneficial. If the Prius was traded in because of a failing battery, the dealership quoted the owner $2500+ to replace. For the dealership it is a $1600 job using free labour when the shop is slow. And it would be logged on the official Toyota maintenance area.

I personally would be extra cautious of any advertised Prius with a battery replacement unless they have a receipt for how much they paid and to whom. $200 to a Craigslist huckster or $1600 to me or $2500 to the Toyota dealer down the road... Makes a difference.

If the battery goes out of balance, it will throw a code. Generally the car can still be driven in a very slow limp mode. It will have all the gusto of a 1950's VW Beetle hauling around a tank of a car which is essentially what you've got. In some cases it is an immediate death. Sometimes other codes are thrown at the same time like an HV isolation fault which will prevent the car from starting the next time. Sometimes the imbalance is so bad, it refuses to move. Usually you can clear the codes and keep going a bit. But the car has told you it's about to die. The battery when being used this way will generally run hotter and this can lead to catastrophic battery failure, like venting gas or literal explosions. So the answer to can you drive it with a failed battery is yes, but more importantly you shouldn't unless you have super good reason and if so then be on high alert.

The batteries do die over time. Except by the time you notice it is failing, it has been failing for quite some time. Most people will get 2-3 years out of a failing battery without ever even noticing. The miles per gallon may drop a bit, it may charge and discharge more quickly than when new, etc. But this is frogs in a boiling pot versus heating them up over the fire. When the degradation happens slowly and linearly over many years, you don't really notice anything is off. One day, it will be so bad, the christmas tree will illuminate and that's when the battery needs replacing.

 

I've bought 2 vehicles sight unseen on eBay. One from a dealer, one from a private party. In both instances flew out to pick them up and drove them back.

 

the battery doesn't usually quit. you get warnings like lower mpg's, engine revving more and fluctuating charge estimate gauge.
generally, there's plenty of time to find another.

the problem with rebuilt batteries is the old cells that are okay, but still old. you can't determine how much life they have in them, even if they balance out properly. and to properly rebuild a battery, it is so time consuming, the labor closes in on the cost of a new one.

 

I scanned this, but I gather from first page you are planning on living in the car.
Look at a book by Tynan, The Tiniest Mansion.
It’s about his living in a small RV.
While looking up Tynan’s book, I found this one: How to Live in a Car, Van or RV - And Get Out of Debt, Travel, and Find True Freedom by Robert Wells
Good Luck

 

Some of the advice in this thread is pretty whack.

If considering vehicles of the same size, there is no better vehicle than the Prius for what you want to do, mostly because of the easy climate control.

You are not going to harm the car by leaving it in the ON position all night. Depending on the difference in temperature, the engine will start about once an hour or so, run for a few minutes (to charge the traction battery that the ac/heat runs on), and then shut itself off. That gives you all night ac/heat.

Another option is to wait until the heat/cold wakes you up, then either have a remote starter or a stick to press the brake pedal down, and blast the climate control for a few minutes, then turn the car off and go back to sleep. This option is best for when you need to be very stealth and don't want the car starting every hour.

In milder weather, you might be able to get by with just a 12v fan, which you can run from an external LiFePo4 battery that recharges during the day when the Prius is on. With that option the engine never starts at night. Never run anything from the car's 12v unless the Prius is in the ON position. The 12v Prius battery is tiny will drain quickly.

Finally, you are making a huge mistake to consider a Prius Plug-in, IMHO. You want the added cargo area of a Gen III Prius. This is where you will be living and storing your stuff. The added height of the roof in the Gen III will be hugely beneficial in terms of moving around and having space.

You may want to Google "Prius Stealth Camping" for some ideas. Brent Macaloney has an excellent blog with suggestions.

 

The budget is $4k and under. Also, the loss of cargo space would be a big negative when we're talking such a small space to begin with. I think the v is a better choice but those aren't in the $4k region either (unless they're in a crumbled ball).

Going by my previous advice of finding the youngest Gen 2 (09), in decent shape, and fewest miles as the criteria, I found this one the NJ CL (dealer though):

 

Subies may never break but their head gaskets do....often, usually around 100k.

 

the warranty is only as good as the company standing behind it. if they are mobile with no location, they might not show up.
sometimes they claim it's not the battery, other times, they claim something in the car is killing the battery.
and even when they live up to it, the downtime is a pita.

some companies are better than others, and legitimately try to rebuild the battery as well as can be done, but they still have issues, and the work they put into it is reflected in the price.

there are a few happy stories here though, and of course, most people without issues don't come here, or don't come back.

better to look now for salvage than when you need it. see for yourself.

 

General rule of thumb on battery life:

1) time
2) heat
3) use (or lack of)

A recondition/rebuilt battery has had one or more of the 28 modules replaced with another working module. Good shops match the 28 modules from their supply of used ones and balance them through careful charging/discharging cycles so they will work best as a team. One that is too high or too low can throw a code. The weakest link in a chain analogy....... Higher quality builds have new bus bars, wiring harness, etc that are known areas for issues.

Toyota (and its supplier) do not sell new modules. Period. The will only sell you a new pack of 28 modules. Some rebuilders are using new chinese modules that look like three D cell batteries wrapped end to end and often referred to as cylindrical modules. These cannot be swapped individually with the original pack modules. One member here (2k1toaster) began selling his own kit last fall for $1600 that isn't plug n play but close and is great alternative with backorders. No long term reliability yet of course.

The best case scenario for used is to find a newer Gen 3 or 4 battery (NOT LiON) and swap over all 28 modules to the Gen 2 case. Most junk yards now know the value of these packs so finding one dirt cheap isn't easy but sometimes possible. In 2018, I would avoid a gen 2 pack that's been sitting in a wreck at all costs. There is usually no way to test these packs before purchase. Buyer beware.

New Toyota pack. No worries for the next 10 years. Always can resell the pack when the car is used up to recoup some $$$. You'll have a waiting line of buyers as by then Gen3 owners will be in the same boat as Gen2 owners today.

 

Upwards of $5000 for something with 284,000 miles?
That's not exactly what I was thinking about.

Plus the fact that it use to be a ambulance, which means people have probably died in it, and so it's going to be haunted.

 

i think the reason is simply because people have different experiences. and geography is important as well.

it does make it difficult, because no one knows what their experience will be unless they buy new.