I hope to get some opinions on our, ummm, confusion. Currently own an 08 level 4 with +181000 miles and we just found out it needs a catalytic converter to the tune of $2000.00. (I did call around to various dealers and independent shops and the price was within $100) Would you put the money into old faithful or opt for a 2015v? Good incentives here in n CA on the 2015s but $25000 on a v-level 5 phew....... What to do What to do. It's been so nice not to have car payments for so long but I need to have reliable transportation as the caregiver for my parents. (Not to mention the extra cargo room for walkers) Went and looked at a few v's today and boy are they pretty. Is the new car smell getting to me??? Opinions please.
If you need reliable transportation, I would get the new car. The prius is designed to go 180k miles, so you are at the point where you'll need to start spending money to keep it running
Thanks JC. Just noticed that I posted this in the wrong section. Is there a way to move it to the general v discussion?
If you will click "Report", the mods will be made aware of it. I looked at the V when I was considering getting a newer Prius a couple of years back. Almost bought one too, I really like the station wagon feel to it. Settled for the 2013 that I am driving now. And yes, they are pricey. IMO, at 180K you have gotten your money's worth. Sounds like it might be time to move on, especially if you don't want to spend four digits on a traction battery or something worse. Best of luck to you dalenel
If you have a relative out of state, it might be wise to sell it to them, as outside of CA it is an under $500 repair, but then you can't bring it back to CA. There are aftermarket Cats, they just are not on CARB lists, so can't be sold in CA (or NY). 2004-2009 Toyota Prius Catalytic Converter - Exhaust - Walker 04-09 Prius Catalytic Converter - 18054-05138235 - PartsGeek
Great idea but family is across the country. Still not sure which way to go but if we can get a good price on a 2015 I think we are going to pull the trigger. Now that the 16's are out any ideas how much of a discount we should expect on the 15?
One approach is to ask Toyota for out-of-warranty assistance on the converter. A few folks have leveraged that request by getting a new Prius then they get Toyota help on the old one, and keep it in the family. Usually we're talking HV battery on this, but perhaps converter too. Gotta tell you my 2006 is getting to the point where I am about ready to take a look at a v just to see if my wife likes it.
Go to truecar.com to get their prices. Have you checked the 2015 liftback's cargo capacity? Around here a 2015 v Five has a MSRP of $32074 (including mats) and sells for $28357 (net of $1500 incentive) so if you can get one for $25000 I would say take it as that appears to be a very good deal. I don't think the 2016 MY has come this far.
You have cited reliability and ease of loading a bulky cargo as really desirable. On the negative the MPG of the v is lower. Zero repair expenses within the warranty period a plus. Payments a minus. Demand for a hybrid is low so a minus on the trade, a plus on the purchase. A $$-cat-needing car with that mileage is going to be of far less trade-in than one needing nothing. All the dealer will do is auction the car to someone who will take it somewhere requiring less repair and then try to sell it. Had two friends who just went through the high mileage with something wrong trade in scenario. Neither did well on the trade in but both were after reliability/convenience and keep cars for 10 years so the hit is absorbed over time.
All good points. I think whether we repair the cat or not we won't get much of a trade given the condition of the car and high mileage. It is just spent the last 8 years driving up a rough dirt road. I would donate it but with the high price of the v every little bit helps lower the car payments. Besides I think having the dealer take it off our hands is much easier than trying to get rid of it ourselves having car payments will be an adjustment. I'm not much of a gambler but if it weren't for the fact that I need a reliable vehicle to transport parents to doctors appointments etc I would take a chance and repair the cat just see how far I can go in the 08. We donated a Subaru was over a 310000 miles and it was still running fine. Too bad the mpg was so bad. The Prius is really spoiled me. Now anything that doesn't start with a 4 as far as mpg goes leaves me totally unsatisfied. Let the search begin for a new v.
If you can get the new car at 25k and at least 2k for the trade, go for it. Kelly Blue Book says $4k private party resell.
