2007 prius in shop --- fix or get rid of it?

Yes Connecticut thinking No problem there The old girls probably in great shape . Other than New England winter damage You have a lot of rust let the old girl go there's no fixing that but other than that on your multifunction display did you notice your green car or turtle is now red probably not this is indicating that more than likely you're inverter pump is gone bad If you're willing to spend 3K on air conditioning in Connecticut I would think that spending $400 on an inverter pump and it's install at a shop in Connecticut shouldn't be a huge issue because that's probably your problem there are codes that the Toyota dealer should have given you not just told you the one that they thought You should have received a printout on paper or a text sent to your phone with all the codes there would be a few probably this is very important to get when you're not capable of scanning the vehicle with the proper tool yourself because you don't own it so when you go to these places and have this done you want to get all the information kind of like when you get an alignment they give you a printout even in color with things in red and green the things in red need to be adjusted the things in green are within specification It's the same with codes it's just not in color and you're not worried about green and red you're worried about black numerals and letters If you get those things become a lot easier.

 

Lots of other 2007s are used up and done. 16 years is a great career for these. You should feel like you got your moneys' worth.

Now, you can reinvest in this car and make it trustworthy again, but don't kid yourself: it is likely to cost quite a lot, and then you've still got 2007-grade safety tech.

Lately that option is still cheaper than buying a newer, less-used car, but not by much.

 

Cars are not an investment.

The right secondhand car (bought outright) is less of a cash drain than buying new on credit.

 

The market is awful now. When new cars are scarce, used cars get even more scarce. And good used cars? incredibly rare. Everyone keeps the nice ones and trades in their problems.

Lately I tell friends and family to stick with the devil they know; fix up the old one. With an old Prius that action comes with even greater expense, making it a tougher call.

 

Do your car purchase research first, then come around to a comparison of the two options.
Don’t make the mistake of selling it and regretting it down the road.
A 2007 with low miles like yours has a lot of life left in it, but even after making the necessary repairs, you have to weigh the potential future repairs and breakdowns vs what you are willing to spend on another car for your daughter.
For my own daughter, I went with a gasser that would be easier and cheaper to repair if she had to find service on her own

 

Yeah, a new inverter pump OEM from dealer should cost $134.64 at Olathe Toyota. and an hour to put in DIY. See if they will price match.

Drive Motor Inverter Cooler Water Pump
Part Number: G9020-47031
Other Names: Pump, Pump Assembly Water W M
Replaces: G9020-47030
Description: Fits PriusHybrid Inverter Coolant Pump - Repair or ReplaceYour hybrid vehicle has a pump that circulates Coolant to preVent the Inverter... More Info
MSRP $179.52
$134.64
112K miles is ALMOST EXACTLY when my wife's Prius did the same thing.
At 115K I replaced mine before it died and left me stranded.

 

Your best bet it's an old Scion XA I think looks like a little station wagon or a Yaris If you want easy fixes generally no problems near a hundred mile an hour capability and longevity like a Corolla these are good choices today for a beater for a kid or young adult this is a car they can wreck and you won't feel so bad about any of it after they make it through this if they want to talk Corolla hybrid or something that's for another day.

Adding an inverter pump and a used compressor and gassing it up and going is never going to be $3,000 and it will work but then you've got hybrid battery and brake accumulator possibilities on the horizon and for a single female far from home they would be expensive repairs unless.....

These are pretty clean cars too so unless you're internal engine working everything else is pretty clean job changing your air conditioning compressor for an amateur with just basic tools on the socket set will be a pretty quick job generally speaking The inverter pump same thing need a long extension for the 10 mm socket It's about it if you're smart you leave the bracket for the pump in just pull the pump up off the bracket disconnect the hoses pop the new hoses on put the 3 10s back in the bracket top up inverter put the plug on make sure it runs and then slide your clamps forward You have a few hours on a Saturday afternoon in this thing with the tasks at hand.

 

Huh?https://parts.olathetoyota.com/oem-parts/toyota-compressor-8837047010?c=bD0xJm49U2VhcmNoIFJlc3VsdHMmYT10b3lvdGEmbz1wcml1cyZ5PTIwMDcmdD1iYXNlJmU9MS01bC1sNC1lbGVjdHJpYy1nYXM%3D A brand new AC compressor is $541. with only 112K miles I would hold on to that for sure.

 

Yes it makes sense. You should be able to find an independent shop to assist you in CT. A new inverter pump shouldn't be more than an hour of labor. That I know. Not sure what their book calls for in labor charges. Same with a new AC Compressor I would think. I'm sure someone on here can recommend a shop in South Windsor CT.

 

112K is very low mileage for a Prius. I think you should keep it, if you can find someone trustworthy to work on it. The dealers are not a very good source for that. It is too good a car to be scrapped just because of an AC humming problem. Too bad you are in CT and I am down near DC. It is a bit too far to buy it from you. I'll beat any scrap price you can find ;-)

PS. In case you wonder what do I know about Prius? I got a 2007 Prius August 2021 that the owner had not driven for 2 years (when he was out of US due to pandemic) and thought it was a junk. I got it for free and started to work on it at my spare time. It just needed a jump to start, and we found immediately that its catalytic converter was cut off because it has been sitting roadside for two years. The dealer quoted over $3,000 replace the cat and muffler, $4,000 to replace the hybrid battery. But eventually, I was able to get an Amazon replacement to get it to past MD State inspection and get it titled. The battery does need to be reconditioned (you should check out Dr. Prius App and Prolong battery reconditioning on YouTube). There are a few small problems too, but I got to know the car and really love what a quality engineered car it is. My son started driving it when he returned to college last year. We are working on reconditioning the hybrid battery during weekends. From what I can tell, the car can run over 300 K miles on the original battery pack easily, maybe with a few modules replaced (<$40 each module on eBay) and proper maintenance and regular (once a year?) conditioning with the prolong kit.

 

I do agree that you should pay someone to do the work but not the dealers. They are typically way overpriced the parts and labor. Ask around for good independent mechanics that are honest and competent. Keep trying until you find a good one. I am not too handy either, but I am always asking how they work on cars. A honest and competent mechanic will be willing to show you what they do and why they do it. I have been able to find good mechanics that can save me money and do it right over 40 years around this area.

 

Where are y'all located over near Old Lyme or more over to the Massachusetts border like Hartford or down towards New York New Haven?

 

Silly to junk a Prius because of a failed inverter pump unless it already has tons of other issues. That would be like junking a car because it needs two new tires. 112K is not a lot of miles for a 2007. If it is rusting out that is another issue, but we have no information on that. The AC on our 2007 failed, it made no noise, the evaporator would leak out all the refrigerant. This is a common failure and is expensive to fix because it requires lots of labor - the entire dash needs to come out. A bad compressor would be expensive too, but much less labor.

All that said, the prices of new and used cars are still through the roof and if the car is structurally sound it may still make sense to fix even major problems. Also, not to be too sexist about this, but you want to send a car off to college with a girl who, if she fits your description, has no mechanical aptitude. I sent a car off with a daughter like that and she beat the crap out of it. At one point the belt for the water pump and alternator broke and she continued to drive it until the battery died. It was so hot under the hood that the paint on top discolored. With all hell breaking loose under the hood the thing she noticed first was that the radio wasn't working well! My point being, if the car is still safe to drive (that rust thing again) there is something to be said for not investing much money in a car for her college experience. Better spend it later when she will have enough maturity to take care of a car. Yes, I know there are women and even guys who never learn how to do that. Most do though.

One other thought on sending a Prius off to college. Unless she is going to drive it often, and drive it fairly far, it will eat 12V batteries. Also the HV pack must be used for a while at least every 3 weeks. (I think that was the period, the manual not at hand.) If she is just going to drive it there, and park it for two months, that will not work out well. It would be marginal for a regular car like a Civic or Corolla, but it is downright bad for a Prius.

 

That changes things. It still won't be terribly cheap to get this car back up to scratch, but with that kind of utilization plan you've got a shot at making it pay off.