I have an appointment to trade in my wife's Camry for a Prius tomorrow evening. I was curious if there are any maintenance items on a Prius that cost more than usual. I've been told that the Tires wear faster by a friend but I think that's bogus. I figure tires will be Cheaper to replace as her Camry has 16" and the Prius has 15" wheels I believe.
Well the first 25k miles the maintance is free, my orig spec tires, now with 27k miles. I expect, at the current rate will last to 45k. I've gathered from this forum that brakes last approx 100k, and in California your Hybrid battery has a 10 year 150 mile warranty. I'm expecting my maintaince will be lower than my last car, a 2001 Camry Solara Convertible. The gas cost is certainly waaaaay down. The one pricy item is the 12 volt battery, which is expected to last 4 to 6 years and will cost between 2 and $300 installed.
OEMs tires will last around 40K +/- miles, like most new cars. Most other "maintenance" items are on par with regular cars, but remember to maintain it. Lot's of good reading hear, but do not fall for the no maintenance needed for 100K BS. You'll be happy with the Prius if you liked the Camry. Not as luxurious but great mileage.
No. Inspections are frequent. I would personally change the ATF at 30,000 miles, then every 60,000 miles. I would change the 12 volt battery every 5 years.
How many miles do the recommend an oil change? My wife has a 09 Camry and changes it every 5k miles with a regular oil but my brother has 10' Camry and has to use synthetic oil though its every 10k miles
Maintenance+repairs is dirt cheap. This is my all-inclusive spreadsheet covering 8.5 years and about 152k miles. It is working out to right about 1 penny a mile. Tyres will last a long time if you check pressures when you fuel up and inflate closer to sidewall maximum rather than the mushy pressures Toyota recommends.
My first Prius (2004) is still using the same 12V battery, after 290,000 kms. No problems whatsoever. In the Netherlands the Toyota dealers use the same maintenance schedule (and prices) as the Vitz for the Prius2. Not sure what the prices for the Prius3 are, but probably comparable.
Well a base model of Camry is a lot LESS luxurious than a base model of Prius Two in my opinion. I had one while my 3 days old 2012 prius' front bumper was fixed !!! I do not remember which model LS or something but I know that was the lowest model maybe 2011 something. Did not much like the ride either.
One thing with the new prii that you don't have to have replaced... like EVER are belts. No serpentine or accessory belts period!
