Hey folks, I’m on the hunt for a nice reliable car that will last me 5-10 years without (many) major expenses. A friend of mine is selling a 2014 Prius C with ~140k for a very fair price. But I’ve never owned a hybrid before so I’m getting worried about it (especially electrical issues and getting replacement parts 5 years from now). Is it pretty easy to find parts for your Cs? Are they more expensive for repairs than non-hybrids because of the complicated electrics? And are they less reliable/long-lasting than non-hybrids? Thanks a lot in advance! Already learning lots from the forums.
My 2012 C that I bought new has been the most reliable car I have owned in 50 years of buying vehicles, and most of those were Hondas. I recently hit 185000 miles, and until three weeks ago had spent a total of $400.00 on repairs that I wouldn't consider normal maintenance - a hub/bearing assembly and an AC recharge. What happened three weeks ago was that I found my rear axle beam had rusted out to the point it had to be replaced. This appears to be a common issue with the C and some other Toyota models that use the same axle. How long it will last probably depends on how much salt or other corrosives it gets exposed to. Despite the fact that all 8 years of the C, 11 years of the Yaris, a few of the Scion and I think 1 year for a Lexus, and possibly some older Prius years use the identical axle, the typical sources like NAPA, Auto Zone, and O'Reilly didn't offer the part. Fortunately, some other sources have filled that gap. My repair shop gave me two prices, one using a Toyota dealer part and the other, several hundred dollars lower, using a part they obtained elsewhere that had to come from out of state. Installed cost was $1300.00. This is probably something you should check on that 2014. Poke it with a screwdriver as the rust may not show. I doesn't mean you shouldn't buy the car if there's rust. It will just alert you to a repair coming down the road. Two other costly repairs you could face are the hybrid battery itself ($3500 from a dealer or $1800 or so from aftermarket companies) and any parts needed to fix the AC. If the AC is blowing cold you are probably OK there, although there's no guaranty. AC parts are expensive on most cars these days. The remaining life of the hybrid battery can be checked at a Toyota dealer, or there is a phone app called Dr. Prius (Google it) that with the help of a $10.00 OBD II module can give you the same result. Or if your friend has already replaced it, you can probably skip that test. A through inspection and test drive should expose most other issues. Except for the unusual situation with that axle, I haven't heard of any problems with parts availability. The car shares other parts with the Yaris and Scion. Since I have only replaced what I described above, maybe others can respond with more info in regards to parts availability issues they have had. In general, I consider hybrids (at least Toyota hybrids) to be more reliable and less costly than non hybrids simply because there are fewer parts to go bad. There are no belts to break, no starter or alternator to fail, and brake pads last twice as long. I replaced my front discs at 115,000 miles (rotors were fine), and I'm still riding with the original shoes in the rear. I wouldn't hesitate to buy another hybrid.
