Sell one and keep one? A 2004 and 2013 Prius

The generation 2 is the better car and we'll go the distance The generation 3 at 35,000 mi You've got 70 or 90,000 mi or so and you'll be needing an engine or head gasket more than likely If you have that kind of money keep the 2013 the catalytic converter thing seems to starting to be faltering a bit You should have your welding shop weld you up some spikes that go around your pipe ends at each end of the catalytic converter and a few other tricky things it can be done I don't know where you sleep I know people are defecating in the street in Los Angeles. Maybe it's time to think about doing something else I don't know thank God I am not anywhere out near that coast of the world I don't even visit their generally. Me personally I don't own a Gen 3 My wife my girlfriend and my daughter may My Gen 2 isn't going anywhere I don't care what happens to theirs I have to fix them but I have to make the choice whether they're going to keep or get out of We also have old Corollas and stuff here so we can drive many things not an issue All those cars are old and paid for and I can't get rid of them unless I cut them up and send them to scrap everybody else wants brand new cars and payments or similar I have no interest in any of that

 

both gens catalysts are being stolen, even though gen 2 is slightly more valuable. did you put on a shield?
with your low mileage, you might want to consider corrola or such with less cat worries.

if not, i would keep the one you like best. you are likely to have similar amounts of trouble with both, the 04 being so old, and the 13 having so many factory defects.

 

The Gen 2s are old I agree but they are gems. They are somewhat heavier duty and can take the thrashing most things you find wrong with a Gen 2 are cosmetic stains and fabrics that sort of thing that some people think they're too good to sit on or whatever but generally the mechanicals and what have you are pretty stout putting an engine in a Gen 2 I don't want to say is a rarity but then again I will say in my life it's been pretty rare to see work on motor generator one or two is a possibility again pretty rare The stories you read about that happening are generally at super high mileage possibly super high abuse by people that don't generally need to be owning cars like this boy racers and whatnot. I own both generations I am not exciting about getting a fourth or a fifth generation either so I look to be staying in my generation too maybe till I expire I'm almost 70.

 

but there's also a difference between someone like yourself who can diy almost anything, and someone subject to dealer repair

 

The 2004 is going to way more affordable to keep running over the next 10 years up to 300K miles compared to the 2013, which will likely need lots of expensive engine work before it gets anywhere close to 200K miles.

Cat shields and other protective measures don't work at all in high crime areas... You need to find a place to park the car that's not on the street. Maybe rent a neighbor's garage?

 

I do pay for some things because I simply don't want to take on the project or I'm busy but on the older cars the Gen 2004 to '09 should be a no-brainer to find folks to work on that aren't even hybrid mechanics because many of the things you're going to be doing to the Gen 2 now are basic mechanicals wheel bearings struts things of that nature The Gen 2 has a pretty solid setup and not all these bells and whistles and lights and nonsense that the Gen 3 went to and that's all cool but yeah if you're not comfortable contracting out work on a vehicle you own well I don't know maybe you're married and your partner can do it or I'm not sure what to tell you A lot of this stuff is pretty easy stuff and pretty easy to understand if you want to a lot of people don't have that desire. They're interested in pushing their papers at work and doing whatever they want after that me I don't like to leave a whole lot of things to other folks sometimes you have to leave some but I don't leave many I learned what I know by watching and learning I didn't go to engineering school spend a lot of time at tech schools I was poor so if I was going to ride it was going to be on my dime I didn't have a whole lot of people behind me to help me buy cars and do things every car I've ever owned I've kept for 300,000 miles even back in the '70s. Why because it's my money and I don't care about spending it to sit and step on a gas pedal most people are trying to get out of the car not live in it.

 

Maybe get rid of both and purchase a gas only car.
Your mileage is low on both is why I say this. Also less of a cat theft target.

 

I agree sell them both. Right now you'll get a premium for those cars especially the 2013 with low miles.

At that point, buy a gen4 or a conventional Corolla, Camry or Civic.

 

Certainly by 175k a head gasket is likely. However that pattern emerged first from high mile per year drivers. Now that these cars are ten or more years old in many cases, we see 100k mile cars with bad head gaskets. So things like oil consumption, liquids pooling in the intake, thermal cycling and even carbon build up are likely contributors.

Personally I think the only proactive measures are 5k oil changes, no long idling or excessive slow traffic and clean out the intake. Clean out the egr cooler if it codes but reducing blowby and oil consumption will reduce carbon early.

Effective mitigation after the fact or with 100k miles before being proactive means a rebuilt engine with updated pistons, rings and intake manifold.

Or trade the car which is the traditional and often smartest solution if you have the resources. Don't forget there are $2,500 brake boosters, $2,000 batteries and failing inverters waiting regardless of the engine health. Gen3 was a great experiment for Toyota engineers to determine how to make gen4 solid while still improving mpg over gen2.

 

honestly it's very rare to find honest dealership or shop. The dealership is the worst place to take recommendations that's why they're better called "stealerships". As the gen2 ages it will require some major maintenance and it could be big ticket items. Newer cars right now has tons of electronics that they fail first before the mechanicals and worst case is you have to go to the dealership for diagnostics since ordinary shops don't have the dealer level equipment to diagnose them. If you don't know of a shop that you personally know then it's better to sell both and just stick to ordinary Honda/Toyotas. If you're a DIY then a gen2 is a better option to keep.

 

Sounds like you've got it pretty well under control and you used to converse and have been taught by somebody that may have a good idea or had a good idea so I would say keep moving forward with what you're doing doesn't seem to be anything too out of the ordinary All I'm saying is the generation 2 is a little bit heavier duty car I'm not talking about how it looks just the car in general it's a little easier to keep running they're a lot more parts for it around and available just think of the little old ladies who have spent $3,000 having their brakes done just to get their rear bumper hit and now the car is total sitting down at LKQ with all those brand new parts on it this happens very regularly these cars are now getting totaled out for nothing just because of year of manufacture nothing else I regularly purchase complete cars that have had extensive maintenance been well taken care of now have a dent in the rear quarter panel and have been totaled and the people were silly enough to let the car go I would have driven the car with the small dent in the quarter panel personally I use in the service vehicles a 2004 to 9 car is not in your driveway to keep up with the Joneses. It's in your driveway because it's doing you a very good service not a dis service. The Gen 3 as you get to the mileage you're talking here You're going to have to be doing expensive services and that may be a disservice to your pocketbook That's all I'm saying now if you need a nice pretty car because you live in a certain place and other folks expect you to have that and your HOA deems that your 2004 to 9 generation 2 is an eyesore those are all problems that I really can't help you with those were other choices that were made The Gen 2 to me is the better of the two vehicles I own them both I drive my Gen 2 My Gen 3s women are driving them wives girlfriends daughters etc not me I just work on them. The funny thing I find is is I don't do much work on my generation 2 as the generation threes seem to require a need. I've been doing this with old Toyotas since about 1970 when the Corolla was just starting to get here the KE and the TE models which means nothing to people here.

 

Dang... hope your wife doesn't read Priuschat.

 

They do not have no interest other than gas pedal pressing. You think I'm difficult. He he . You'd be inundated with newb shiet.

 

Can you pass an inspection in California without an OEM or Magnaflow cat? Might be worth checking that before deciding to keep the 2013

 

If the smog technician is doing his/her job the car will fail without a CARB approved cat. Only OEM or Magnaflow. I believe these are the only two with carb numbers.