My coworker just asked me: "What is Prius in one sentence?" "A normal car with 50% gas coupon!" She liked that.
A normal car that needs a battery replacement after 10 years that will cost $3000 - $4000 at the dealers. Oh and you get a 50% off coupon on gas too.......
That's unfair, because if you have a lead foot like taxi drivers who operates company Prius, you may need to replace engine/transmission 10 years later at same or more cost.
The battery replacement is a given....just a matter of time. As an added repair bonus, the Prius also has an engine and transaxle that can fail like any other car.
What is new info? The car can break down like any other car? It's all mechanical, of course it can fail
jc is being very negative here, the prius can break down and need repairs, it is not a given that you will need a new battery after 10 years. my '04 is still running like new, and so are many many others.
It's neither fair nor unfair. Batteries fail. It's not "the world being unfair against Priuses." It's simple engineering. OTOH, if you keep a Prius long enough and have a three-digit IQ and some basic hand tools you can probably replace the battery for less than the dealer price. Read the forum. Priuses seem to suffer from higher than industry average oil usage after the first 100,000 miles, which IMHO is more a function of the lack of oil volume maintenance than some flaw in design or extended fluid replacement periodicity. Prius drivers tend to be a very thin-skinned bunch. Don't fall into that trap, and do some basic maintenance (including engine and transaxle maintenance!!!) and your car will reward those efforts with great efficiency, a better than average lifespan, and adequate safety and comfort, all of which will easily make up for the higher buy-in cost if you drive it long enough. That's enough for me.
Well statistically, I would think all these darn reliable Prius cars would break down due to engine, transaxle, or battery failure. Even at 300k+ miles, people are buying them and hoping to drive them until the engine, transaxle or battery gives out. So I would say 1 of these failures will occur to majority of these cars on the road today. That's what will ultimately take them out of service.
It's like tell your patients no matter which life style they choose to live, they will all be dead, eventually, because of illness.
Well it's more like an NBA player that's in his 40s. Nobody is suppose to pick him up for any amount of money because he's too old or injured to function properly. But in the life of a Prius, this 40s NBA player is still demanding the 1 million dollar veteran's minimum pay and there's a line waiting to sign him up......until he suffers a catastrophic injury that results in death, he'll continue to be a wanted veteran.
I gave you a like for this, only because it is the most unconnected, almost non-sequitor, sports analogy I've heard in a long time. Leave out some periods, and don't capitalize a few words and it's like an E.E. Cummings poem.
If you are saying used Prius is over valued on current market, I tend to agree. I've seen a 2010 II with 150K miles sold quickly for $10500. But if you say Gen III battery will likely fail in 10 years with normal driving, I've not seen any evidence (except used as taxi). Plus, my Gen II at 224K still drive very well, with a little weaker battery and some oil burning.
I don't think the general public thinks 150k on a Prius is high mileage. That's why it can still sell at a premium at that mileage. The taxi services are probably a contributing factor to the high prices (and quick sale) on the used market. Who wouldn't want a car with a 50% off gas coupon?
i don't think we can glean anything from priuschat forums about average prius oil usage. statistically irrelevant.
The battery can be refurbished for cheap, if it fails. A friend has a gen1 prius, still going strong!
