I am the only owner of a 2014 Prius. The car has 185k miles. I have done all the recommended maintenance- EGR cleaned, spark plugs, transaxle fluid replaced and all other fluids replaced. I see the battery test is something I could do. But what is the best practice on replacing the car. When is the right time in general to not lose all its value? I realize there are a zillion directions this could go. What’s the consensus? This is my 4th Prius and the longest I have owned any car.
i'd say right about now. lots of people looking for decent used cars, and new car sales are slowing, so there should be some deals out there.
Replace now for maximum value. Ideally sell private party. If you lose the head gasket the value at a dealer goes to zero; private party maybe $1000. The hybrid battery is actually less of a concern since it could be “fixed” for sale purposes for maybe $1000.
If your plan is to trade the car in for its replacement, don't bother. It won't make a nickel's difference to the trade value. Might be different for private sale to another individual.
Preemptive head gasket and new pistons and rings as well. Seriously if it’s not broke don’t fix it. But if this was a needed daily driver and you wanted another three to five years out of it, building a substantial repair fund might make sense. Some value reliability over lowest possible cost of ownership. Others believe safety and reliability trumps saving a new car expense.
