The catalytic converters were stolen yesterday morning on my 04 Prius and I'm trying to decide how to respond. I live in CA so the cheapest new OEM/CARB replacement I could find is ~$1800 (with shipping), plus the O2 sensor which is around $200. Financially I am in a good spot right now, so I can afford fix the car, but I also have ~$8k I could put down on a new or used car. In the past year I've spent $2600 on repairs (replaced hybrid battery, fluids, filters, pumps, etc.) for the Prius so even though the car is in aesthetically mediocre shape, it's mechanically sound. I am torn because I don't want this sort of thing to happen again. I know there are anti-theft aftermarket solutions out there but it seems like a thief would need just another 2 or 3 minutes to hack those off. I'm considering buying a 2014 civic or mazda3 to avoid having to pay for another cat or hybrid battery (the latter I've replaced twice now), but I don't know if I'm looking at this situation with a grass-is-greener perspective: I don't know much about owning a direct-injected car, much less these models specifically. Plus I would have to figure out what to do with the Prius, as I don't know how to sell it without first fixing/smogging it. I'm really disheartened and don't feel capable of making a sound financial decision right now and was hoping some of you could help.
Sorry for that loss, but its happening a lot more with these cars. How much do you want for it? PM me I'm in the market for another one and if you're on here chances are you took better care than what I'll find on carigslist. Sidenote; You order will likely be canceled, OEM catalytic converters are on back order for what now seems like months, possibly late summer or fall, into the future.
