I require help

Wait, let me get this straight ... you've got the car, it's working great for you, but now you've been reading stuff on PriusChat and that's made you all anxious about it?

As you've only got about 116,300 miles on your car, I'd say keep driving at a range of varying speeds and braking gently until it is fully broken in, about 20,000 miles from now, then just drive it till it drops, if you live that long.

I had to give up my Gen 1 at around 232,572 miles, but that was because it was beaten fair and square by a Dodge Dakota. Wasn't using oil noticeably, but just in that last year I had noticed slightly uneven compression readings for the first time, so the engine was getting a bit tired. Person who bought it from me said the HV battery hadn't much left, but it had caused me no problems in the 8 years I owned it.

The inverter doesn't really seem to have a limited life span; like anything, an occasional one may break for some reason, but it's not like there's a clock ticking. It's solid state and may go virtually forever. Do check for turbulence in its coolant jug now and then, to make sure its cooling pump is working. The pump's not very expensive if you ever happen to need it.

The HV battery is a wear item, but nobody can really tell you by when. Consumer Reports was finding about 4% of them used up in year 11, rising only to 5% by year 12. We've got a few more years on the earliest cars now, but they didn't give any figures for what the 5% rises to by year 14 or 15, say.

Meanwhile, you're just as likely to see perfectly ordinary, other car problems (bearings or what not). Start an account at the bank (or a jar, or just a number you keep track of as a reserved amount in your bank account), add to it the amount you're not spending on gas or other typical maintenance expenses every month, and you've got a good chance you will have what you need when a maintenance expense comes up. If you are worried because you bought an "old" car (though 116k isn't old for a Prius), just front-load that account a little more heavily in case some expense comes up sooner. Then just drive it and enjoy!

You say something about the heater not working? Can you describe that a bit more? No reason for anything not to work in a 116k Prius. You have checked the engine coolant level, right?

-Chap

 

I am not an veteran and expert like Chap is. My 03 has 147,500 miles on it, and I've had it about 5 weeks. Mine is one of those "Holy Crap this thing is like a new car!" Gen 1 Pri's And I'll keep it til something happens that I can't afford to fix. I've been guilty of doing some wondering about the battery. The one in mine has had some maintenance--the copper buss bars for the traction battery have been cleaned and the corrosion removed. And the battery has been balanced. (Do a search.) As with any car you've just bought, you should consider servicing the oil and other fluids, and checking the condition and level of the coolant.

I was at Discount Tire the other day for a little tire work, the tire technician couldn't find my car in the parking lot. Doesn't look like a Prius!

YMMV, but my impression of my Gen1 is that the quality and attention to detail suggests that Toyota took building these cars very seriously. For a little city car, the ease of operation makes it a great choice and I can't argue with the fuel economy. I've decided to settle in and enjoy the ride.

From what I've read, tho, driving 75 is probably getting a little over enthusiastic. We have these cars at least partially to save fuel and for the clean environmental aspects. Running at high speed negates the fuel economy, wears the tires, and spews out more CO2 and other garbage.

 

Shaan, I'm not sure what you've been reading, but I'm an original owner of a 2002 with 93,000 miles and I've had absolutely no issues. I love my Prius and it's a fantastic car. Now I don't know how your car has been treated and how many owners. I don't see any reason to buy a new car at this point in my life either. I don't drive many miles and have no need for a new car. And if I needed to get a new car, I would absolutely seriously consider purchasing another Prius or a Toyota hybrid. Best of luck to you with your Prius.

 

Have to agree with others. I'm no expert, but I like the car so much I bought two - four years apart. I thought about selling the Gen II, but it is still going strong - only 93K miles. I recently replaced the auxiliary (12-volt) battery recently and the coolant pump a couple of years ago. Other than that just normal maintenance. I had the traction battery checked at 7 years, 11 months and everything checked out. I've decided to drive it until it cost more to fix than it is worth. As Chap says, "if I live that long". I have several friends and family who have >200 K on their Prius. No regrets from any of them.

 

If nothing is wrong with the car other than the disclosed heater, it sounds like your problem is reading Priuschat. I'm not trying to be mean but it sounds like you need to stop reading Priuschat because it gives you anxiety. Enjoy your car. Come back when you have a problem.

 

Getting your transmission fluid changed might be a good idea on a used Gen 1. Toyota's manuals don't mention anything about needing transmission fluid changes so a lot of owners didn't ever get that done, but they do have a way of developing electrical shorts once the fluid has enough debris in it and once that's happened, replacing the transmission can be orders of magnitude pricier than a simple fluid change.

Beyond that, if there's no warning lights coming on, I say be happy with your purchase!

 

Welcome to the club

 

I'm new to Prius chat. I think gathering knowledge is a good thing. Being aware of potential issues can only enlighten you and prepare you should something arise. I'm just starting to acquire some more maintenance knowledge here with other owner's experiences and plan to do some recommended maintenance to hopefully prevent some costlier expenses down the road.

Toyota has built an incredible vehicle. I understand these vehicles were manufactured and sold in Japan before entering the US market so we early adopters with the Prius 1 models were by no means guinea pigs doing R&D for Toyota. My car has given me long-term use and I'm very pleased. Those owners with the latest models have the benefit of more R&D and fancier upgrades, more technology, improved battery performance.