repair bill > car value; offered $1200 for car; fair price?

Hello PriusChat members,

Received the sad $127 diagnostic news yesterday that my 2006 Prius needs $5600 in work. That's more than it's worth so looking to get the most I can out of it.

Car repair shop offered me $300, said the owner would use my car for parts for his Prius.

Called another place in Tampa Bay that deals in hybrids and after seeing the photos and running my VIN, he has offered me $1200. I feel inclined to accept and have AAA tow it there tomorrow, but thought I'd check here quickly first.

The hybrid battery works. Leather interior, silver dollar sized hole in back seat leather. No voice navigation. Back-up camera. Airbags. 121,888 miles. Paint is faded. Four tires not good. 12V battery not good. The biggest problem, they (car shop + hybrid dealer) tell me, is the ABS is bad. $2600 to replace.

Does $1200 sound like a fair offer to you? Whatever I get will be used toward a new (used) vehicle, after I can find one.

Thank you for your help.

 

Oh, and the AC works.

 

ENGINE DIAGNOSTIC

Vehicle has been sitting advise. Performed inspection of vehicle.
Vehicle needs oil change with recommended BG hybrid kit,
4 new tires due to flat spots,
alignment,
12V back up battery,
ABS lights are on due to left rear speed sensor INOP and ABS actuator brake booster fault.
Customer states cluster would not light up. When parked cluster currently is working when vehicle is jump started but recommend replacing cluster ECU.
Estimate to perform services to vehicle is $5622.
Customer declined repairs at this time.

 

Thank you for your replies, Stevewoods, bisco, and PriusCamper.

PriusCamper, darn, I was living in California less than two years ago. I missed my chance!

The tires have flat spots due to the car sitting for a year, I think. (Haven't driven it as I had it towed to the shop, but that's what they told me. Seems credible.)

The dashboard lights had been sometimes not lighting (a very intermittent problem) before the battery died. I guess that's what they describe as the cluster. I had taken the car in somewhere once to check about the dashboard but they hadn't been able to get the problem to occur. I'm sure I poked around this site back then trying to figure out what to do.

About a year ago, it didn't start one day. I tried charging it which I had done successfully in the past (this site has helped me more than once with various repairs and easy DIY maintenance), a neighbor who is Mr. Many Fast Vehicles also tried to jump it with his stronger charger, and we still couldn't get it started. Unfortunately the pandemic had recently hit and at that point I didn't have the funds to do anything further. *Don't wanna talk about the past year.*

I was afraid the hybrid battery would have conked out completely by this point, but it didn't. The ABS stuff was news to me, and the repair bill is too steep. If I thought I could fix my old Prius myself, I would do it!

I wish my neighbor liked working on hybrids! He'd be perfect; he just retired a couple of months ago and is always fussing with various cars, motorcycles, boats, go-karts, etc. He wants nothing to do with hybrids, alas. I don't know anyone who works on cars besides him.

I purchased it used in 2008 and it's been a good car. I told the shop I would have it towed away from their place on Monday. I will think over what you all have said as I decide whether to tow it to Tampa Hybrids or to my house.

 

Thank you for your messages, PriusCamper and sorka.

No, the tires were not flat for a year, but the car did sit idle that long. I could certainly take it out for a careful, albeit bumpy, drive to try to fix the tires.

I am absolutely a novice at mechanical work (so maybe the brake actuator would take me quite a while) but the pandemic had me carefully figuring out how to do all kinds of stuff (home maintenance: plumbing, HVAC, dishwasher, replacing bulbs in 15'-25' ceilings, spraying a three-story building to remove faint mildew and keep the HOA happy, etc.) on my own that I normally might not have tried. Thank goodness for all the helpful service people and the DIYers and their YouTube tutorials!

So unless something when replacing a brake actuator takes brute force or expensive equipment I wouldn't have access to, I might be able to manage? Anything 'brakes,' though, seems intimidating.

I used this site before to check out buying tires (think they were Japanese) through the mail which I'd never done before. It worked out just fine. And I'm sure it's easy to take the car in for an alignment.

Pretty sure I've read discussions here about best 12V batteries to purchase (years ago it used to be a yellow one? Optima or something like that?) and that shouldn't be too hard to have installed.

That leaves left rear speed sensor INOP <-- no idea
and oil change with recommended BG hybrid kit (I think he said they needed to run some kind of liquid through 'the gas tank and the whole system' since it sat for a year, maybe that is the BG hybrid kit?)
and replacing cluster ECU <---which I think they quoted me $800 to do.

Well, the paint still looks bad and there's still a small tear in the back seat, too, but those aren't as important.


Something unexpected happened where I no longer have to rush it to Tampa Hybrids right away; I could put it in my driveway and think about it a while. Also don't have to repair everything all at once now. Hmm. What a difference a day makes.

I did take a look online at some used Priuses (Prii?) at Tampa Hybrid. They were starting around $5K.

 

I am in Tampa Bay now. Moved away from Sarasota.

I am waiting for the tow now. Todd at Tampa Hybrids said he would look at it for a second opinion.

 

Thanks for your posts, jkisf, Thebakerman, Mendel Leisk, and jerrymildred. I will try to remember all of these ideas!

Would be THRILLED if I can get it running for much less than that initial repair quote, and your thoughts are giving me some glimmer of hope. We'll see what Todd says tomorrow. I mentioned PriusChat to him a few times and congratulated him on having earned a good online reputation.


It took AAA about six hours but they finally got a tow truck dispatched to pick up my Prius from the shop and drive it to Tampa Hybrids. In case anyone else doesn't know, AAA rushes to you if you've broken down (good) but if you're towing from one car place to another, even if they tell you at 10:45 AM your car tow is marked *PRIORITY due to computer problems preventing your tow yesterday* and the tow truck will be there in under one hour, you really will be last priority for the day. Even if your membership is Premier.


I went up to Tampa Hybrids earlier in the afternoon with a relative and talked with Todd who showed me:

• two used cars which were similar to my car except running nicely, ha. I test drove them. They both seemed fine, although the AC was stronger in one than the other, a major consideration in Florida.
• catalytic converters (and he explained how thieves take them from many cars but especially hybrids, even in broad daylight in mall parking lots(!), and a metal shield he sells to stop/deter them)
• a bunch of hybrid batteries, just 'cause they were sitting there

His inventory is down and instead of getting in 10 cars/week, it's been much lower recently due to the whole supply chain issues for new cars from the pandemic + few deals on new cars due to short supply + stimulus money + people avoiding Uber/Lyft/public transportation + tax rebates. He says prices in used cars have gone up considerably in the last three months.

He will look at it tomorrow and we'll see what happens. He had various ideas in mind, like buying one of his 2005-2007 models and swapping in my leather seats and the sliding cover for in the hatchback that I have but those cars didn't (I always put that cover over my groceries or whatever I place in the back, in case of an accident). Of course those issues aren't on my mind quite as much as a safely running car (with running AC, of course).

Todd agreed with those of you who suggested that it is possible I might be able to drive on the tires for some distance and not have to replace the tires, but he hadn't yet seen my car.

He also seemed to think that despite the other shop telling me the hybrid battery is working, since it is a 2006 which has never been replaced it is coming to the end of its expected mechanical lifespan. Also, since it sat for a year, he thinks the hybrid battery could be in trouble. (This had been my fear, too.) Again, will find out tomorrow.


I don't HAVE to have a Prius for any particular reason. I'm just used to driving one for the past thirteen years (minus one pandemic year = technically twelve years). It suits my needs. We'll see.