Advice for HV battery modules vs. full replacement

Hi all,
Been a lurker for several months learning a lot and applying the skills immediately on a ABS actuator/brake pump replacement and diagnosing a misfire, which turned out to be water buildup in the upper spark plug chamber likely from rain buildup. After many hours in the garage rewatching videos and feeling empowered, both issues have been fixed, so I'm happy to report between you folks here on PC and YouTube, you all have saved me well over a grand and I get to retain the know-how for the future!

The issue at hand:
I have a '04 with 223k miles, second owner. The HV battery that's currently in it is a refurbished pack installed 2 years/15k miles ago that was done prior to buying the car from a friend in December 2018. The warranty on the old pack is out. Since I've had it, The car hasn't been driving much for extended periods of time (multiple weeks or months) due to overseas travel and work.

In the last 3 weeks - right after the ABS actuator install - I've gotten multiple codes on the Hybrid/HV battery system (P3000, P0A80, C1259, C1310, P3012, P3013). I've been driving at lower speeds (<55mph) around town, noticing that the regen has been hardly working (and at times not at all) - half of those regen car icons at the most. The electric system assists significantly less than usual and the ICE is constantly running - pretty typical symptoms as I've been learning. The MPG has been high 20s-30 with mixed driving.

This morning, I just learned how to get Techstream and the miniVCI cable to work on an old Windows 7 laptop (all learned from here too) and ran a 20-minute test and loaded the car with the AC on max and some throttling in the last few minutes. Just as the P3012 code suggested, the voltages on Block 2 significantly differ (1-1.5V+) from all the other blocks. Even though Block 3 was also identified by the ECU (P3013) as weak, I didn't notice that its voltage fluctuated much beyond 0.2-0.4V from the others. The other Blocks were all pretty similar throughout the 20 mins - 0.1-0.4 from one another.

Solutions?!
After lots of reading on PriusChat here and watching dozens of diag videos on Youtube, I cannot decide between going the full replacement route OR go a more DIY route to replace the bad modules. I currently have a cheapo BT OBDII adapter that doesn't work with Dr. Prius/Torque + Techstream/VCI as mentioned above. No dischargers/chargers on hand yet. I am looking to depart within the next couple weeks from the Pacific Northwest and road trip with this Prius down to southern California. It is my only vehicle, so there is a time sensitivity to get this car running better/sooner again.

As most of you probably know already, individual HV battery modules can be purchased for ~$30 on ebay, and I've located a seller from Bend, OR, who is a certified hybrid tech selling reconditioned modules and backs them with a 90-day warranty. My train of thought is 3-5 modules = $90-150 + several hours of time could perhaps get me 6 months or more of driving peace of mind, vs $700 for a refurbished set with 6-months warranty from Hybrid Battery Exchange in Portland/Gresham, and upwards to $1600 with brand new cells with 4-year unlimited miles warranty with Green Tec Auto in Kent, WA. There are options in between too.

Advice needed
FWIW, I am unsure if I am going to keep this car for long. I guess If I can get it running in good condition for the next several months, there's a likelihood I'd sell it in the spring/summer next year.

Any insight from y'all Prius/HV battery techs would be great and appreciated. Thanks heaps for your time in advance!

I've attached a few screenshots showing voltage numbers from the test this morning.

Cheers,
Jonathan

 

Totally appreciate that @SFO !

 

Points well taken and considered.
The idea that I have a 60/40 chance of selling the car sometime next year, and the fact that I am on a tiny budget compared to most car owners make me apprehensive about dropping 1.6k+ on a car worth about that much, hence why I'm considering the middle road of $700 for a refurb unit that will keep me going a knowingly shorter time period.

edit: FWIW too, Hybrid Battery Exchange in Portland/Gresham offers a 3rd gen cell-built HV battery for our 2nd gens for $1399 with a 3 year warranty. Hmm!

 

Definitely budget driven, as you likely have picked up from the language in my post I totally hear you and Moving Right Along are saying though.
I just don't know how long I'll keep this vehicle, so the (temporarily) investment of 1.4-1.8k with the income that I have seem unwise.
I've been considering something else which can tow a camper to accompany my already mobile lifestyle, though of course nothing can match this mileage efficient. From all the threads I've read of folks towing with the 2nd gen, it seems I could go with a tiny teardrop - which I'd be totally cool with, but with the higher mileage in my '04 and recent problems, I am not feeling hyper confident even with a fresh set of HV battery.

Oh right on, that's Joe right? I talked with him on the phone yesterday. Super knowledge and helpful guy. It was after talking with him that I felt more steered in the direction of replacing the whole unit rather than trying to do Whack a Mole or do extensive testing/module replacement.

Well this is a tremendous offer! I'd be curious to talk with you some more. Let me PM you directly @PriusCamper