When do I abandon my 2006 Prius

The whirring noise is most likely a “coolant control valve”. Should not be very expensive to fix. Same thing happened to mine, I actually purchase the valve and just waiting for a good day to replace it.

The mpg decline happened to me as well, most likely from the hybrid battery getting weaker. Even with the MPG’s in the low 40s, still better than most new cars

Good luck


iPhone ?

 

You only live once, you don't get a second chance. If I could, I would die with tons of debt and lots of toys

 

When to abandon your Prius?! Only when its almost dying, or dead! Lots of issues you got with that Prius. Sell em, and get another one.

 

tough choice. the plug in battery isn't going to help in longevity or anything else for that matter. keep in mind you don't get a spare tire.
maybe you could find a decent corolla or something for 10k and keep 5 in the bank.
how many miles a year do you drive?

 

The reply feature on the app added that, it was not a question I was asking.


iPhone ?

 

When the 12v is dieing it does all kind of crazy things. Mine threw the triangle, codes, acting crazy, and died on the size of the interstate....all that happened was I’d just had a new 12v installed and the terminal was a little loose. Tightened it up and it was good to go. I might be tempted to replace the 12v battery and the coolant control valve and see how it’s going after that.

Also, when your mpg fell, had you replaced the tires? I’ve been reading lately about how choosing a tire that isn’t designed to have real low rolling resistance can hit the mpg very hard. Some people lost as much as 10mpg from a poor tire selection.

 

How can you conclude the battery was dying and "does all kind of crazy things", when clearly the loose connection was your problem? Simply fixed by tying up the loose connection!

I don't see how your data point is even useful.

 

When you think that its giving you more and more cost headache and its almost dying then you can

 

Probably didn’t word it quite right....it did the same thing when the battery was dying. Then once replaced it seemed fine at first then the terminal got loose after a couple days and it started acting crazy again....I thought the new battery was defective but realized it was loose, tightened it up and it’s been fine every since.

Either way, clearly the data point would be relevant because a loose connection causes voltage/amp drop, as does a bad battery. In either case the data point would be applicable because the issue is lack of strong 12v power. Since his 12v is weak then this could be causing him issues that don’t seem relevant yet are. Rather than just charging it, I’d go ahead and replace it...but that’s just me. I’ve never had good luck with a 12v being strong once it’s died and been recharged.

 

I don't know.
Usually when people post a "Should I do This" thread, they will give you some clear cut clues as to what they REALLY want to do. But I can't really get a line here.

Both moves have their supportable validity and their risks. I would say assuming this is the original Hybrid Battery from 2006, it is then likely that it is heading towards replacement.

This is a tough answer to give. So I'm just going with my gut instinct. Which is, IF you can afford it? Upgrade. 12 years and 206,000 miles is a good run with a vehicle, period.
At the very least I speculate you're coming up on Hybrid Battery replacement being necessary. Not to mention the entire vehicle has over 200,000 miles on it and 12 years of operation.

But there really is no wrong answer here.
If you are uncomfortable making the investment into a "newer Prius"? Then don't do it.
$14,500? The cost of the newer Prius you are looking at...
Well my guess is that for far, far less than that, one could have the 2006 checked out, and fixed up to a reliable standard.

I'm coping out, but it really is up to you.
Upgrading has it's obvious cost and potential advantages.
And staying the course, comes with it's potential costs and advantages.

My 'personal" gut instinct is if I was in that situation and felt I could comfortably and happily upgrade? I'd upgrade.

 

PiP is good idea ...I am not up to date on prices

 

Lower mileage years before failure is my current theme:

Bad Hybrid Battery & Mileage Chart | PriusChat

 

Debt makes you a slave to the corporations.

 

Any car can break down, if it's mission critical to have a car always working, then maybe considering owning 2 cars.

 

I'd be a dead slave

 

HaHa. So wild guess you're not a minimalist then.

 

Nope.

He’s a hoarder .

 

If you need the car every day and don't have a second one maybe it is time to get one that is newer and with lower miles and if a Prius one with some warranty left on the battery.

Having a spare car does remove some of the worry about getting to work.