Battery - Wondering if getting the Prius was a mistake

Everything on a car fails eventually, so yes, you'll have to replace the battery after "x" years. However, "x" may be 10 or more. There's no indication that the battery has a short life, and Toyota warrants it for 8 years/100k miles (or more in some states). There are cabs that have gone over 200k miles without a battery failure.

The MSRP for the battery is $2000. Contrast that to a transmission rebuild a conventional car would probably require.

 

You didn't, the majority of batteries have been known to last well over 100,000 and more, there is a battery warranty that is way longer than the 3yrs/36,000, look it up in the manual, and a replacement battery is less then $3000, even if it were out of warranty.

The Prius battery is designed to last the life of the car. According to Toyota, this is around 180,000 Miles.

Hybrid-Related Component Coverage: Hybrid-related components, including the HV battery, battery control module, hybrid control module and inverter with converter, are covered for 8 years/100,000 miles. The HV battery may have longer coverage under emissions warranty. Refer to applicable Owner's Warranty Information booklet for details.
....
California Emission Control Coverage: In California and any other state that adopts California emission warranty provisions, defect and performance
warranty is 15 years/150,000 miles. The Hybrid Vehicle Battery is warranted for 10 years/150,000 miles.

I don't really see where you went wrong, even if gas sold for 50 cents, you are still technically paying 25 cents for gas.

 

As others have said, their is no reason to worry about the battery.

As to the Civic vs. Prius question, there is no doubt that it would cost you less overall to drive the Civic.

That is why I routinely kick myself for buying my Prius. It is a perfectly acceptable car but not what I should have bought. I went shopping for a $10K used Civic Coupe and ended up with a $20K used Prius. The Civic would have been paid off by now, while I'm still paying on the Prius. I got all excited about hybrids when I rented a Civic Hybrid in CA and got 49 mpg.

 

I have a subscription to Consumer Reports Online. Where - exactly - did this person find the "information?" Nowhere that I could find

Like any vehicle, it's rare for it to "pay" for itself. In that regard, the best vehicle is NONE AT ALL. If you're in my situation, and you can depreciate a vehicle while claiming mileage, the Prius is a very good bet. Mine certainly "paid" for itself in that way

I could have purchased a giant SUV, and would have broke-even with it. For example, if I started driving my FJ all the time for work, I could write it off. In the end, it's entirely up to what you want

BTW: a Civic is quite a bit smaller inside compared to a Prius, and there is no efficient hatchback design in the Civic. That Civic trunk is pretty small

 

No, the battery will be fine for probably more than 10 years. Yes, a Prius is not the cheapest possible vehicle. But gas prices will go up again and then you'll feel better about it.

Before any large purchase one should spend a lot of time thinking about real needs, wants, finances, and priorities, and investigating facts and alternatives. After the purchase is often too late :_>

 

I'm glad you guys answered this one. The wording on the OP was so confusing I had to read it three times to get the thrust of the question.

As to my answer, if you are just trying to save money, buy a used Honda Civic. An old car is always more cost effective than buying a new car. Get one with a beat up body but good mechanics, drive it into the ground, and do the same thing again.

If you want a new, reliable, and efficient car that is still economically sound for a new car, then the Prius was a good choice. The cost of a new automatic transmission for a conventional car will be worse than a new battery for the Prius, and it will happen much sooner.

Tom

 

I got a prius in Jan 2006 and I have 70k on the car now. not as many miles per year as you but still plenty. My buddy got his in 2004 and he has 240k miles on the car and still on its original battery.

I'm not saying that your battery will last that long. If I get even 150k out of my prius' battery, I'll be very happy.

 

Good choice. You are one of the folks who like me, drive a lot of miles each year.

A new battery from Toyota goes for about $2,200 plus labor to install. The price continues to decline and we're finding the best way to drive to minimizes battery stress, if you are interested.

It is false!!!

Bob Wilson

 

The only mistake you made was listening to people who don't know what they are talking about. You should also be enjoying low maintenance costs.

The only maintenance/repairs I'm expecting to pay for is fluids & filters for many years to come. Enjoy the low gas prices. Right now I'd have a tough time pumping $12 worth of gas into the car.

The only downside I experienced was that I can't qualify for the promo item when a 10 gallon fill-up is required.

 

I'm not quite sure what you are asking. My question is: "Do you feel like you overspent on your car purchase?" If you did sell it and buy something cheaper. There's nothing wrong with an older Civic or Accord. Do what makes you happy or at least reduces your worries. Peace!

 

I rebuilt a 2005 and the hv battery had been discharged to the point of ruin. Autobeyours put me in a used hv with only 17,595 miles for $1050 installed. Not to worry there are more and more wrecked prius with good hv batteries, There is a big rebate for used up batteries due to reclaming valuable materials. Seems that I read that toyota pays up to $600

 

Responses are amazing. Ty brothers, Amen.

 

I would say 'no'. Like others said, the info you got is bad, repeated from a source that heard it from a source that heard it from ..... Only two batteries have failed in Australia, both in cabs. One at 350K kilometers and one at 550K. I believe this is out of 10,000 Prii sold in Australia.
Toyota Prius taxi tops 340,000mi, dispels battery myth - MotorAuthority - Car news, reviews, spy shots

Granted a used Civic would get maybe 50% better mileage than my old '95 Odyssey, but here is what I have saved based on the Prius mileage and the Odyssey mileage. Other vehicles I was looking at to replace the Odyssey would have gotten mileage similar to the Odyssey.

Over 4 years and 82,065.7 miles I have saved:
2427.34 gallons of gas
$6,492.53

What that means is that my 'loaded' car cost the equivalent of $20K just based on the money I have saved on gas. If I had purchased the base model, the cost would have been $15K.

Granted gas is way cheaper now than it was 2 months ago, but not much cheaper than it was when I bought the car. It WILL go back up. It is down now because there is less demand... NOW. First due to the skyrocketing prices, and now due to the horrid economy. The only way gas will stay cheap is if we, and everyone else in the world, stop using it. That is highly unlikely and both China and India (totaling about 40% of the world's population) are starting to use a lot more.

I have also saved money due to fewer oil changes and fewer other maintenance items. One way to save money is to wash and reuse the cabin air filters and NEVER let the dealer charge you 15 minutes of time to replace it. You can do it yourself in 3 minutes, no tools required.

I presume you have also noticed how much usable space there is in your Prius, space you would NOT have had in the Civic. Shy of 4x8 sheet goods and a greenhouse window, there is nothing I have purchased in the last 4 years that would not fit inside my Prius, most of the time with the hatch closed.

 

This I'm not sure about?

Me, I have a new 2009 Prius sitting in 4ft of snow at the top of my steep snow filled driveway. In the 600 miles of driving so far, I'm getting 43.5mpg(US) at 5deg(F) on Blizzaks. The wife likes the car, my kids like the green concept - what's not to like about that.

EanJay

 

Hi suvs...,

Check out this link:

http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-main-forum/29373-100-000-mile-club.html

 

I would hope some day this kind of thread won't be needed.

 

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Missing from this post is any description of vehicle MPG. If driven at high speeds, '30,000 miles in one year', then a Honda Civic might have been a fine choice.

No.

I spent four years in the Marine Corps after an unfortunate relationship fell through. Your 'problem' is trivial and easier to solve.

Bob Wilson

 

+1 to that. Everything I have read from CR states the Prius is one of the most reliable cars out there, is the cheapest mid-sized/family car to own and operate, and has one of the highest customer satisfaction rates of any car ever.

Rob