Totaled Prius- need advice

I would not try resurrecting it to service. Both batteries and the four tires if sold individually would net you more than a grand, but you'd be stuck with the chore of sales and logistics. I might push the $800 offer up a bit but I'd be inclined to be rid of the thing and count my blessings the loss was merely financial.

 

I will just list the parts that are damaged in such an impact and you can estimate how much it would cost to repair.

1. hood with hinges
2. hood lock (its cable... may be)
3. both headlights (broken tabs)
4. bumper cover
5. radiator support
6. upper radiator support
7. condenser
8. radiator
9. radiator fans.
10. throttle body (could be the cause of no start)
11. maf sensor
12. air filter box (may be)
13. inverter mount brackets (the rear one may be realigned by pulling the inverter)


The shop must confirm the transmission issue with fault codes. Have you seen the fault codes?

 

an non-running car with an offer of $800 seems fair BUT are you a DIY person? because this can be repaired easily without a body shop. If not then you can sell it whole for $800 OBO or sell it for parts.. the HV Battery alone can be sold for $400 - $1000, cats, ABS, engine, tires, etc.. which will add up and could be thousands more. You need a scan tool to figure out what codes are present first.

Are the brakes or/and ABS lights on before the accident? or the rear brakes are working at all? that could contribute to not braking fast/early.

 

It's doubtful that the people offering you money are going to resurrect the car- more likely spend a day or two cutting parts out of it to fix other ones & crush the remainder.

If you haven't got the time/energy to pull out the good parts yourself, the best bet is to take the best offer you get from any of them.

Make certain you take your license plate off the car (if you haven't already) and do a proper transfer of ownership to whomever buys it. You don't want to take the chance that anyone does anything you don't know about to that car while it is still your legal responsibility.

 

^ That.
If you're not certain you can repair the car then I would sell the hulk and put the money down for another beater.
Since your car isn't costing you anything but driveway space at the moment I would think about parting it out.
Tires and wheels alone might be worth most of the what you've been offered thus far to say nothing of some of the other parts (catalytic converter, for example!)

Selling it as a whole as-is/where-is car might also be more convenient but you may also be leaving some money on the table.

THIS Forum has a 'for sale' sub-forum where you could probably sell parts or the whole car to a Prius enthusiast who might really NEED some of the parts - or the whole car.

Good Luck!

 

if you had inspections saying it wouldn't come to a full stop, you probably shouldn't have been driving it.
if it's a defect,you would have to contact an atty.
the cat alone is very valuable, you can cntact metal scrap yards, they sell the precious metals.
try ebay, facebook marketplace and etc. and take the best offer.

 

If you got an offer for $800 put it up on Craigslist for $1200 and if you don't get any takers in a few weeks sell it for $800. Then buy another one for your daughter.

 

Always listen to the qman . . . lol

When you're in no rush take your time and let the dough roll in