I took care of it as much as i could, really. Yeah maybe the first two years I drove 85 down the freeway but the last year or so I was easy on her. I never missed an oil change or a 30k maintenance. I did the plugs at 120k. Today I got the news at 198,205 miles. I noticed the sputtering about a week ago. When the car would sit for a little while upon starting up it would sputter. Today the check engine light went on. The code was P0301 cylinder misfire. I took her to my shop and they said that since the coolant was low, it was probably leaking into the cylinders which means a blown head gasket. It would cost $2800 to fix. I was still getting 42mpg sometimes more. I had the car for 47 months and two weeks. I am just looking for someone to feel sorry for me and tell me that it is all gonna be alright.
My general rule of thumb is that I'll repair a car until the cost of a single repair exceeds the value of the vehicle. If I were in your situation I'd be comparing a $2800 repair car to the cost of a comparable 2014 Prius.
What's the fix, swapping in a replacement (used) engine, or replacing the gasket? $2800 seems reasonable, btw. I can drop that kind of money at my dentist, easy...
Things to contemplate: 1. Engine has almost 200,000 miles on it. 2. $2800 is just an estimate. Figure in an extra 30% for unforeseen problems and incidentals. 3. May have a cracked cylinder head. $$$ 4. Labor for diagnostic tear down May be money down the drain if it needs a replacement engine. 5. Should you get a second opinion? 6. Calculate cost of replacing engine with lower mileage, used engine. IMHO, it would be wiser to just replace the engine.
pberardi, check this company, LKQ, out for a used replacement engine. I don't know where you are in California, but there's a decent chance they have a location close to you.
Doing some quick math, I assume you are the original owner. At 50,000 miles per year on average, this car doesn't owe you anything! Imagine how much gas you saved owning a Prius. Consider what else could go wrong with it, and at 200k miles, that's a long list. If it were me, I'd move on to the next one.
Imagine if this was business use, and you were being reimbursed at the federal 54.5 cents per mile. I was happy enough to get to use my own car on a two week work trip one time, and took home $700+ for the use of my 1996 Subaru ($150-200 went to gas).
You are doing what? 180 miles every work day? I would just buy a new/used car, it's apparently just a tool to make money... I hope.
what ended up happening. you said probably leaking into did mechanic sho you or make a video clip at least to show you.
