I think this is my father's influence messing with my head more than anything, but I'm curious to hear other's thoughts on driving a 2005 Prius with 140k miles on an 800 mile trip from Chicago to Annapolis, MD. I'm the second owner, and have primarily driven the car on the highways around Chicago rather than in the city. I frequently travel 40-50 miles at a time but really not further than that usually. The car has had issues in the past 5 years (needed new brakes, new wheel bearings, new 12v battery, replaced oxygen sensors and catlytic converter due to theft), but is seen 2x/year at the dealer and no major things reported on our last visit other than a leaky boot, which was replaced. I make this drive 2x year, but I always rent a car just to be safe. My dad always advised against driving older cars long distances, so I've never risked it. This time I am moving, so I am only making the drive there and not returning, so will be taking my Prius. I'm going in tomorrow for a courtesy inspection to catch anything that looks like it would cause trouble, but just curious if seasoned owners would think there's anything else to be cautious of before I drive my 18 year old girl 800 miles through 6 states. Much of the highway goes through areas where cell reception is super spotty, so imagine me carrying two cats along the road if we break down. (Will likely break up the trip into 2 days, since I am traveling with multiple pets).
Your dad's view is from a time when cars didn't go much further beyond 100K miles before falling apart... Most cars today, especially hybrids can go 300K miles with nothing more than oil changes and replacing the spark plugs and filters and cleaining regularly. More to the point Prius seem to run better on long road trips than on shorter trips and the only huge problem you're inevitably going to run into is taking a car that old to a dealership for maintenance. That's going to lead to them eventually ripping you off for more than the car's worth because they're warranty repair specialist who maximize repair costs and use new parts when its not worth the price, rather than a local reputable mechanic who will give you a range of repair / maintenance options and will often use used parts if they are the most expensive parts if brand new. Not sure you ever have a reason to drive to Wisconsin, but I'd at least start future repair needs with a call to Eric Powers at https://www.evpowers.com/ who always answers his phone and always is honest about repair options/cost.
I'll jump in my gen to right now and drive up to Maryland just did it a few weeks ago from North Carolina not quite as far as you but thank goodness with two people in the car will go 600 mi in a day no problem car won't give us any trouble.
Thanks! No concerns about the HV battery or inverter pump? I did a little bit of digging in other threads and saw a few posts cautioning against taking a Gen 2 more than 10 years old on the road long distance for fear of those 2 going up on the road.
Oh, 100% the dealer sees me coming a mile away and knows they (usually) have got me. I have been lucky to find a couple local guys who I take it to after the dealer diagnoses something, and get it repaired or replaced for much less. Wisconsin is close enough to Chicago, except that I'm on my way out! Too bad.
there's always concerns, unless you're ignorant or able to bury them. still you have to accept some level of risk in most anything you do. i think your odds are good, based on prius reliability. especially if you maintain the car properly as toyota recommends
Have you driven the car recently for an extended period on a hot day? If the A/C worked the whole time and there were no codes then your inverter pump is currently working. When was it last changed? They do wear out eventually. If that is somehow the original inverter pump then probably it would be wise to replace it before the trip. If you are handy you could do it yourself, otherwise have a local mechanic do it. But only use an OEM pump purchased from a known Toyota source. (At your dealer's parts counter, or mail order from another one.) There are fakes for sale on the web, and my experience with a Dorman pump was bad. Sounds like you still have the original pack. If so, due to its age it is probably not in the best of shape. Our 2007 has about the same number of miles and Dr. Prius puts it at about 50%. Clearly it doesn't have as much capacity as it used to, and SOC will occasionally drop on the display pretty rapidly if loaded (like running the A/C in park). Highway driving (unless in stop and go traffic) isn't that hard on the pack. Big elevation changes are. If you have to go up something steep stay in the right lane and pretend to be a truck. Ours was on a 900 mile round trip pretty recently, including a couple of very steep climbs, and there were no problems.
You might take Priuscampers suggestion and have Eric test your HV battery, and give you an expert opnion, maybe save you a lot of grief. [email protected] 608-729-4082
Of course the most likely time you'll have hybrid battery problems is on short trips around town, especially if the car has been sitting for a long time. When it comes to long road trip at freeway speed, I've rarely seen moments when a hybrid is happier. Even for several days after a long drive, everything just seems to perform better after a Prius battery pack goes on a long drive. Suspect that's why taxi cabs can get 400K miles out of a battery pack without it going bad.
The real question is how many miles a month do you currently drive the car? If you drive 1000 miles a month, you can easily and reliably drive 800 miles in two or three days. If you only drive 100 miles a month, I might be a little more concerned. It's an old car and anything could happen in your everyday motoring or while on the highway to your new home. But the odds are 100 to 1 you will have no problem. Bottom line if you're moving and you have to get your car there just go for it.
I'd second the OEM ONLY Invertor pump. They last about 100k. My wifes died at 97K. My car was at 112K so I replaced mine preventatively. Might be a good idea for peace of mind. Lots of videos on yooo toob. I would lower the bumper cover and remove the drivers headlight for sure....so much easier. And I reused the mounting bracket. Fresh grease on the bolts you are good to go.
The risk of something breaking down on a 2005 Prius is low but exists. I would calculate it as 1 repair per year/12000 miles at this vehicle age for a 2005 Prius. So, in a 750 mile trip the chance of breaking down would be around 6%. I would go for it. The only issue would be the cost of a repair on the road. For example, replacing an inventer pump with DYI and an OEM part at home is $150. On the road, a repair like that would be close to $1000. ($650 parts and labor, $125 towing, $120 motel, $100 local taxi/Uber).
And I was almost smashed by an SUV today when its driver decided to merge into my lane regardless of the Prius already in that space. Avoided contact by maybe an inch - my braking foot was faster than his slow merge. Not that either of our experiences are really all that predictive for what the OP might encounter on the proposed drive. I just noticed that the OP is in Chicago. That isn't a city where cars tend to last a long time - not because of mechanical problems, but because they rust out unless the owners take very good care of them. How is the corrosion situation? It would kind of suck to have the car fall apart halfway through the trip, especially because that sort of failure often cannot be fixed easily even by throwing money at it. The father's advice might stem in part from this common corrosion issue in that area.
