After 250,000 miles (Update: now 293,000), should I just drive it 'til it drops?

The wheel bearings need replacement more often than my brakes. Car is now over 280,000 mi. Still needs a muffler. Original 12v battery was replaced in June 2011 as a precaution with a new Oem as it was being used for mail delivery 6 days a week and traveling over 150mi/day. I'll have to keep an eye on it since it's over 5 years old. Just ordered a new set of winter tires for it last night. I think it will make it through the winter.

 

Not much oil at all. I have always changed the oil every 5,000 mi or so (Mobil 1) with an OEM filter. I check the oil and add if needed. Less than 4 ounces between changes. I have never overfilled nor has the level ever gone too low. Mostly higher speed daily driving. During the break-in period, the car did mostly highway miles. Not sure if that made a difference. Oddly enough, I never cleaned or replaced any of the sensors.

 

I turn it on, get myself ready and leave. No warm ups except the mornings when the temps dip well below freezing. The coldest has been -40F!

 

They are tough! When I first bought the car, I handled it with kid gloves but after a few years on the mail route, I realized that these cars are a lot tougher than they appear. Driving a rural mail route is brutal on ANY car!

 

I agree. The salt really does a job on a lot of vehicles. I'm in Upstate NY as well. Close to Vermont and about 20 minutes or so to the Canadian border. I recently saw information on the Chevy Bolt. If this car can hold out until the Spring, that may be my next purchase... Of course, I will drive this one until it expires so the Bolt will have to wait. When it finally does "go", I'll keep as a parts car for the '08 and sell parts to those that need them.

 

Shane - It looks like you are standing next to MY Prius!

The battery is doing fine as far as I can tell. I did have 2 incidents during the summer when I got into the car after the first start of the day and the SOC actually dropped as I was driving into the purple range. After a bit of driving, the SOC returned to normal. I thought the battery was on its way out with only (maybe if I was lucky) a few weeks left to make a decision. I am amazed every day that the car is still going.

The rear fan has never been triggered to turn on, so I assume that the battery has never overheated. I have yet to hear it (let's keep it that way). Now that the weather is cooling down, the SOC is constant and the car runs fine. No warning lights or other engine / electrical related problems. If the car lasts through the winter, I 'll get a new muffler in the Spring. Even with the hole in the muffler, the car is not loud enough to attract attention...

Good idea to keep a charger on hand. Kudos for being proactive and taking the time to learn about the care of your vehicle. So many cars experience premature failure due to lack of maintenance. Monitoring fluid levels, keeping the air pressure in your tires constant and knowing when you need to get professional assistance will keep any car going for a long time! Fluids are the life blood of any vehicle and if degraded or severely depleted will surely kill the drive train.

 

Nope. Never cleaned it but do not have pets or kids. I have found that changing the engine air filter on a regular basis helps with keeping the MAF sensor clean. I have thought about putting some sort of a homemade filter on the rear vent for the hybrid battery fan but after 11 years, why bother. The vent itself looks clean. I'm sure there has to be a layer of dust after all this time but so far, so good. When I removed and replaced the blower motor last year, it also had very little in the way of accumulated gunk.

 

Ah, Shane - you're Prius is just getting started! There are so many people who try to dump the car before 10 years or 100,000 miles (150,000 in a CARB state). Most of them have only seen 1/2 of their expected "lifespan". There was one guy locally whose car had just reached150,000 miles. He offered it on Craigslist for 3,500. The car is owned by an older couple and had been meticulously maintained. All service records were included. They were selling because the hybrid system was no longer under warranty. Not sure if he ever sold it. It was posted for 3 weeks.

Unfortunately, it's not my time to get another vehicle. If I did, one would have to "sit" for a while. Either that or each vehicle would get driven every other day. Not good for the hybrid battery. Not a cost-saving measure, either since I would have to shell out for yet ANOTHER insurance policy and registration as well. It was tempting, but I passed.

Since I am committed to getting a solar system installed on my house in the Spring, the new Chevy Bolt looks promising.