The Miata battery (i think the model car is called MX 5?) that they sell at Costco fits in the Prius compartment (at least the newer / '04 version & above) for about 40% of what Toyota will rip you off for. You'll have to change out your +/- terminals though, to the U.S. standard, as U.S. uses bigger ones. But I'm sure Toyota didn't use tiny terminals just to keep you from buying a more powerful / less expensive battery.
I drive 70 miles one way to the office (I've been doing this since last July). I bought a 2003 Prius in late July with 152xxx miles. I just turned 173100 miles this morning on my in to the office. Count me in as one happy owner.
Re: 2001 at 100K Toyota paid for the hybrid drive to be replaced? The reason I ask is because I am interested in buying a prius, but not sure if I want used or new. My main concern with a used prius is what kind of warranty I can receive especially if something happens to the hybrid drive.
Hi PriusAddiction, A ceased up transmission in the Prius is usually due to the first generation Prius transmission sleeve bearings in the planetary gearset (commonly called a power split device) in combination with insufficient fluid changes. These bearings have been changed to roller bearings (commonly called needle bearings) in the Prius sold since 2004. So that issue should not be as common (actually rare) as it was. And transmission oil changes / upgrades (discussed in numerous posts on here) can extend the life.
Year: 2002 Mileage: 180,600 Major work: water pump for inverter replaced 12V battery replaced Current engine light causes: CAT out of tolerance occasional mis-fires on random plugs Wife's '05 has ~40k... might need to trade with her soon
My 2002 has over 121K miles on it. I bought it used from the first owner. I was told it had all the major recalls done to it. So far so good. No problems, knock on wood. I love my Prius.
I've got 173K miles on my '01 Prius. I love the car, and prefer it to the newer Prius because I have a hard time seeing out the rear window on them. My dilemma, if anyone cares to offer an opinion: I need a new catalytic converter (cost over $2,000). Is it worth investing such money in a car with this many miles, or should I buy a new car? I can't afford a new Prius in any case, so I'd have to downgrade to an ordinary gas guzzler.
480+ miles on my 2008 prius and had it only 9 days! Sorry, just had to add that in for humor. Does this count for any brownie points? 1977 Chevy Malibu Classic 190K miles, 9MPG Wastefull Auto (Car was a bomb! My first car in 1984) 1982 Nissan 200SX 590K miles, 37MPG 5sp. (Fun Car) Died in a Buss Accident 1984 Nissan 200SX 489K miles, 35MPG 5sp. (Fun Car+) Was Side swiped in a parking lot by a drunk driver who backed out into me PARKED 1988 Mazda RX7 359K miles, 15MPG City/22MPG Hwy. (FUN CAR++) Survived the South Florida Roads w/o incident 1997 Toyota 4 Runner 144K, 13MPG City/19MPG Hwy. and thats if I drove it like a Prius. (Great Road Trip Car) it had a big appetite for gas. Stolen in Miami only 2 months after I bought it, tracked down by me and recovered in 2.5 hrs. just before it was going to leave on a boat to Columbia. Thank god for Bumber Beepers! Later, Died in an accident with a Ford Explorer, was brought back to life on the table and healed well. Drove for 5 more wonderful years before I passed the torch onto someone else. Now 2008 Silver PKG 5 Prius. PKG5 with NAV/Bluetooth the works. 49.38MPG first 1/3 of a tank, calculated just last week the old fashioned way. Keeping my fingers crossed that it has no mishaps. Is there any award for someone who personally drove over 1.7 million miles in just under 23 years? Hmmmm. I didn't think so. Well my Prius is a keeper, it will be here with us till the bottom falls out, gets wrecked or until there is an even greater fuel economic car out there. My goal is unlimited MPG. I'm going to convert my Prius to an electric Prius that can plug in to my Solar Rooftop of my home and put a solar panel on the top of the Prius to supplement when its not being used. I am for 100% energy independance. That's my goal and I'm more than 1/2 way there! I really enjoy these forums. I plan to contribute to them to the best of my abilities as my experience with my Prius expands.
My NHW11, 2003 Prius passed 100,000 miles last night: bought used with 49,700 miles, $17,300 2 years, 5 months ownership, Oct 5, 2005 -> March 7, 2008 50,000 miles at 52.3 MPG replaced tires, windshield wipers, changed lubricants installed 1 kw modified sine-wave inverter A satisfied Prius owner who would do it again. Bob Wilson ps. Do I have to post again when I've driven 100,000 Prius miles???
2005 Prius (Purchased May, 2005): 110,690 miles right now 0 unscheduled maintenance stops (just the usual fluid changes) Replaced tires once with Hydroedges at 39k Replaced cracked fog light lenses once for annual inspection Lifetime MPG - estimated @ 52MPG (90% highway) Would I buy another Prius....Absolutely!!! Ugly on the outside, but very cool on the inside. Many gadgets and items to discover. One complaint - gas mileage in the winter stinks at 48 MPG.
236000 Miles on recently deceased '01 Prius. Replaced the front brakes for the first time at 230000 miles. Original rear brakes. Original batteries (both 12V and Hybrid) Only taken to the dealer for service once. This was for a noisy rack&pinion joint. The Hybrid batteries and ECU finally kicked the bucket at 236K miles. 420 Miles on new Prius.
I can't take credit for the miles, but I've just acquired an '01 at 125,000. (This is a trade up in several ways from my '84 Bronco II at either 275,000 or 375,000 - cant be quite sure because only 5-digit odometer. Rarely let me down and I'll kind of miss it, but not the fuel expense.) Under the prior ownership, the Prius had both the crank sensor and battery sealing SSCs done. It has an ECM with a number ending in 54. The windshield says Pilkerton instead of Toyota so I'm guessing that's been replaced. All the fluids I checked were clean, everything appears to work perfectly, and it easily topped 50 mpg on the highway home from where I bought it. The brake pads are thick (haven't looked at the shoes yet) but probably a bit glazed and the rotors are lightly scored; the brakes will probably be quieter after a little hand sanding (probably not even lathe turning). I haven't done that yet. The tires are Potenzas with probably 30% remaining. The ICE and cabin air filters are clean. The hood has attracted its share of stones and I should probably get a quote on repairing the hood finish rather than trying to do that myself - mechanical work is more where my own confidence lies. Service I have had to perform since buying: - replace passenger side map light bulb - replace one license light bulb - repair one windshield chip incurred last Friday - find the trim push-clips down in the spare tire well and use them to reattach the aux battery cover trim - find rear cupholder under passenger seat and pop back into console -Chap
I replaced my battery with a standard battery from Auto zone or sears for $65.00. Just had to cut the hold down juttings off the bottom. 146k miles. ED
OT for the thread, but just make sure you use a sealed battery. A regular wet battery in the passenger compartment is usually considered a big no-no. There is a decent possibility of it venting Hydrogen gas into the passenger compartment, and in an accident splashing sulfuric acid around the inside of the car. Sealed AGM type batteries are designed to greatly reduce the chances of either of these things happening. Rob
146,000 mi. 2003. Bought used from a convent Connecticut and in Ohio now. Main Battery pack replaced in 2004 on possible leakage recall. Now Owned by 68 year old retired mechanic (NOT Tech, thats why I retired) and driven approx 5000 mi a year inter city. My first one and am learning. 45 - 49 mph. What I hate is the day time running lights which I think they did away with. Seems they run at about 75% capacity of head lights instead of 20 to 30% like GM. Am going to try to tap into low beam wires and install a dash switch to turn them off. Should be good for maybe 1 more mpg as will not deplete aux battery as fast. Other wise, so far so good. ED
Forgot to mention Rob, I have a 2003 (146K mi) with the battery in the trunk. The battery I bought is a wet battery but has the required vent tube that fits thru the inside of the trunk wall to the outside. Thanks, ED
