How many miles is the Gen2 really good for?

welcome!
common belief is 180,000 miles. in practice, it depends on how you define it. things can start to fail well before that, but overall, many do that and more without major repairs.

maybe you got a magic car, i would fix it and get on with business, the risk is only slightly greater than when you bought it at 400,000 miles.

 

Hybrid battery is replaced. If the engine isn’t burning much oil, normal maintenance is kept up (including transaxle oil change) there shouldn’t likely be anything major failing in near future. Small problems can come to any car at any time.

I would just pretty much do the normal check that you do when checking a used car. Although you would probably know if it had problems. And if it’s good repair it.

 

When talking about cars, "have it die" is a very flexible phrase. It's unlikely to rust out and fall apart anytime soon, but there are any number of major and expensive things that could fail at half a million miles. Having been the recipient of a couple gifted high mileage cars from family members, I can say things will definitely need to be fixed, but it's up to you and your son to figure out how much time and money you're willing to spend to fix them. Since you're easily at double the originally estimated life of the car, there's not much information to draw on to determine what will fail and when.

 

and the dealership probably sold it thinking, we have been way too fortunate with this car. let's unload it before something bad happens.

 

I would spend the 1200 worst comes to worse if the car does die I would honestly sell it to the state as long as the car wont pass smog which in most cases if you have a check engine light is on it wont pass. I know if you are NOT low income they will give it to you for 1000 if you are low income they will give you 1500 just have to sit on it for a month or 2, but worth it. And also if everything is ok on the car and the EV battery does die, I see you live in California in the bay area I have a guy that will come to you and install a hybrid battery (refurbished) for $500.00 Miles to me doesnt matter to me as long as the vehicle has been maintained, just keep an eye on oil levels since toyota's tend to burn oil as they get older.

 

Don't spend 1200 on bodywork. You should be able to get a hood and fender for $300 if it is just a bolt on affair. Frankly if it was me I would just fix the windshield and drive it with the dents and all, or hammer them out myself, and only carry liability insurance on it.

And yes you are correct, everything else on the car is wearing out and your bills will be much higher in the future. He's 16 years old, I'm sure he can live with a few dents as long as they aren't a safety issue.

 

Windshield is understandable but why would you fix dented bodywork for a 16 years old? (says the father with a 16 yo prius driver)

 

fix the critical stuff, then hand your boy a rubber mallet and let him learn sheet metal skills on the fender and hood.

 

How long has it been since the tree limb fell on it?

 

THE question is: Can you get a BETTER (safer/lower CPM/whatever) vehicle for the $1200 in work this one needs?

Answer: No.

 

I have 340,000 on my 2006 (now 11.5 years old). At 310,000 I had to finally replace my hybrid battery, but found a place in Utah that offered a 3-year unlimited warranty on it. My MPG went from 42 to 47 MPG after the battery change. Otherwise, I haven't had a single repair other than an electric water pump recall. I've been thru 7 sets of tires. I keep getting a catalytic converter light, but the car doesn't run bad so I just keep resetting that with my code breaker.

Speaking of damage... I've had a Geneva Truck rock put a hole thru my hood (it now has duct tape over the hole), and had a Walmart driver run into my back bumper (i claimed the insurance then used fiber glass sheets from the hardward store to patch that up). The car looks like it's worth $1500 now, but it run so great... and with the 47 MPG, I'll drive this into the ground before I give up this awesome car.

Now if we could get TOYOTA to make the headlamps better and easier to access, I'd give the car a 10. I keep burning through bulbs and I have to dedicate an afternoon to change just one of them.

 

I like to spend 10-15 cents a mile. The car already exists, so it effectively costs you zero. If you spend $1200 on it, and get 8-12,000 miles out of it before something major happens, you.re ahead.

 

curious if you fixed it or not