Folks - My wife and I have a 2008 Prius with just over 100K and have owned it for ten years. We also have a 2008 Matrix with 100K on it, and have owned that car for 4 years. Both cars have been maintained by a great local mechanic and i've followed the factory maintenance faithfully. The 2008 Prius has had a number of issues pop up over the past years, and we've spent over $1,500 this year on repairs (new steering wheel shaft, steering wheel key, front headlight ballast repair along with new light bulbs, etc) that make me wonder whether it would be worth getting a newer car to replace one of the two cars. I like the Matrix for the cargo space (21 sq ft over 14 sq ft for the Prius), and given that we have another kid arriving, we'll need the space for the luggage of two under fives. We always buy newly used, and have always liked Toyota. Any advice? My personal preference would be to keep the Prius as the second car, and get a Prius V for the main car.
should be good for 150-200k, but anything can happen. wasn't there a recall on the steering shaft? my preference is newer, so i'm biased. i'm trying to convince my daughter to trade her '08 w/100k for a new suburu. she hasn't had any issues except tires and 12v.
Most likely, you'll be able to drive the car for a few more years with no major repairs. 100k is nothing for our cars. It's normal to think of selling a car after some major repairs, but the Prius is one of the most reliable out there - it's on top 10 most reliable car lists for most of its years of production. The only part that has a high probability of failure over the next 5 years is the HV battery. What seems to be true on the forums is that HV battery failures seem to start around 12 years, and most fail by 18 years (why there's very few 1st gens on the road today). So your 2008, that was likely produced in 2007, begins to have the possibility of HV battery failure in 2019, with the risk increasing each year. Obviously there are outliers that are exceptions to this. Right now I see 04-06 models with HV battery failures on the forums, with only the very rare 07, and I don't think I've seen an 08 or 09 with a HV battery failure. I still think the risk is low - there are roughly 2 million Prii' in US, so even a 0.1% failure rate will result in a ton of forum posts. Most likely your car will provide you several more good years of use with minimal repair expenses.
I think you mean should you dump the Matrix and keep the Prius not the other way around....right?!!! Must have been a typo!
I think your plan on keeping your Prius and getting a Prius V is a good plan. With kids you always need more room than you think.
Had a 2010 (Gen 3) and traded it in for a 2018 after the 12v died. Could have kept it quite a while longer but the 2010 was a Prius 3, which didn't have backup camera or any of the newer safety features, so we went for it. (Also got the moonroof, which makes for a very nice driving experience.) Not the optimal decision purely in terms of finances -- keeping the 2010 another 5 years or so, or replacing it with a used 2017 would have been more optimal -- but we're really enjoying it and it'll last us until I retire in a decade or so. When the tow truck showed up to tow the 2010 to the dealer -- we knew the problem was electrical but not sure exactly what -- on the ride down into the garage with the tow truck driver he asked, "What kind of car is it?". When I replied "Prius", he said, "Oh, we'll be able to jump start it. We never have to tow Hondas or Toyotas."
Thanks everyone! Very helpful advice. My security blanket these days is an excel spreadsheet, and my wife and I have done some research on some good options. Our plan is to get a new car (she really likes the Toyota Rav 4 Hybrid, I prefer the Prius V, but whatever) and keep the old Prius, selling the Matrix.
If you really sell the Matrix and it has a clutch pedal, I will buy it sight unseen. That's what I was looking for when I bought my Prius.
