Aegean, thanks for laying out the numbers so clearly. I have been putting a lot of numbers together, too. It gets a bit overwhelming, though, because there are a lot of unknowns (such as how much the insurance premiums will go up, how much insurance would pay if we did make a claim, how much would I have to spend for a decent, safe replacement car, etc.). It is a lot of guess-work, which makes my numbers less than helpful in making a decision about which course of action is best. I don't know what the write-off value is. Is there a way I can find that out without actually asking the insurance company? The car has 225,000 miles on it, so no, not low mileage. No body damage, though.
#1: I'm assuming no police report was filed and your son was not ticketed for the accident? Also assuming you never contacted your insurance. If this is not the case, your insurance rates are likely to be increased regardless of if you claim or not. Based on the damage you described, I'd be very surprised if your insurance doesn't write off the car. For the write-off value I'd get a very rough idea by checking your local Autotrader, Facebook, and Craigslist to see what people are asking for similar year/mileage Prii. Insurance will likely offer a percent of the current value (I recall seeing 75% as common). Maybe someone on these forums knows an insurance agent/adjuster who can give you a more accurate estimate or someone with a Prius recently totaled. Of course your car was in pristine shape with no check engine lights etc before the accident, lol. I do understand your dilemma and the risk of going through your insurance if they don't offer you enough. A 2005 with 225k, battery going bad, bad cat, and extensive damage for which the mechanic can't really give you an exact quote on repair cost.... maybe it's best to start looking for another car. As someone else pointed out, your cat alone is worth $800 scrap.
It is correct that there has not been a police report and my son was not ticketed. I spoke with someone today who is an insurance agent for a different insurance company. She said that she expects that we would be paid about $1300 for the car if we were to make a claim. Meanwhile, my son's rates would increase by about 40%, she thought. So I believe this confirms that in the long run it isn't in my son's best interest to file an insurance claim. GIven the information that you all shared about catalytic converters, our current plan is to ask the mechanic to return the car to its pre-accident condition (replacing the damaged lower control arm, ball joint, strut assembly, swaybar link, bearing and hub assembly, etc. with USED parts just on the damaged side). He says that he expects all this will cost around $1,200. He says it may be possible that replacing the axle may also be necessary, which would bring our total up to $1,550. Then, once it is drivable and we can get the car back home, we can replace the catalytic converter ourselves to get rid of that check engine light (P0420), and sell the old cat to reimburse ourselves for part of the repair cost. IF we can recoup, as I have read on Priuschat is possible, around $800 for the cat, then our repair cost comes down to $750. That is much less scary than the original $3,000 price that I was given (new parts on both sides of the front suspension). So that is our plan at this point. We are thinking that we will keep driving the car, but have also toyed with the idea of selling it once the cost of replacement cars come down a bit. We will see. We also are buying ourselves time to figure out what, if anything, we need to do for the battery. Thank you to everyone who contributed your thoughts. You all really helped me think through all the dizzying options of what we needed to do here.
$1300 seems way too low based on what I'm seeing out there, Anyway, if that mechanic can in fact do the work for only $1550 that would be a no brainer. Keep us up to date on how things progress. As far as the hybrid battery is concerned, hopefully you've been running the car for a few minutes every day so that hybrid battery doesn't completely die while waiting to be repaired. Then once repaired, just drive until you get a bad hybrid battery code - might be weeks, months, or even a year or two.
$350 to replace a used axle seem a bit on the high side, especially if numerous other related parts are being removed and replaced already. https://www.autozone.com/drivetrain/cv-axle/toyota/prius/2005 Above is a new aftermarket axle (w/ lifetime warranty) for $100+ each. In the past I've had mechanics do a side for 60 each, and tell me they could do it without new seals, it leaked at some point, and they redid the job with my supplied new seal(s). I would shop that job around, especially if you're getting a 'used' OEM axle installed for that price. I always recommend buying NEW axles, never rebuilt. Try oriellys, pepboys, carquest, AAP, etc for even better pricing. Get the lifetime warranty, go with new seals. Each side may take 30 mins.
Rockauto has reman Cardone axles for $29, (wholesaler closeout). New axles under $60. Not sure of shipping 2008 TOYOTA PRIUS 1.5L L4 ELECTRIC/GAS Drivetrain Parts | RockAuto
Unfortunately, I do not have a trusted mechanic in Northern Virginia. If any member can recommend a hybrid or regular service shop I am always interested. The reason that I never had a trusted mechanic with reasonable prices, forced me to learn to work on my cars. Now I prefer to spend hours on factory manuals, YouTube and forums to diagnose and repair an issue on my cars and spend my money in quality parts and tools instead of taking to the dealer or other shops. I also try to own reliable proven Japanese vehicles to minimize repairs.
