It's an '02 that I bought 3 years ago with 127K. In that time it got maybe 4 oil changes and 2 used tires for $50. It had that steering wheel shake when starting last winter but it cured itself. Currently the check engine has been on the last 6 months for a P0171 code which I understand is just a loose or leaking vacuum hose. It runs great and gets right around 50 MPG between tankfulls.
With a bit of luck fixing the error code will prevent the shaking this winter. Congrats. It's nice to read high mileage reports.
I originally bought it to sell as I'm a dealer but when I brought it home my 80+ year old father fell in love with it. And that's from someone who was not into cars at all and who never bought a used car let alone one with over 100K miles. Anyway, I sold it to him and although he stopped driving years ago, his home care aid would drive him around in it for shopping and appointments etc. I would have a celebration but unfortunatly he never got to see it hit 150K miles or even ride in it the last 6 months as he has been sick and just passed away last week. Just not in the mood.
Looks like we'll need 150,000 miles club thread. Anyway according to CNW Marketing Research, you are not suppose to go over 109k miles. Once you've reached 109k miles, the battery is suppose to die suddenly and the whole car is suppose to become useless (totaled). And also you are suppose to drive on the right slow lane at 35 MPH. Ok, enough of CNW BS. You've just proved them wrong. Congrads!
I thought what happened is as soon as you pass 109k, your car begins transforming slowly into a Hummer H3. When you get to 300-odd-thousand miles or whatever their magic number was, the transformation is complete. -Chap
As Prius owner I too used to scoff at that. But right when my 2001 Prius hit about that mileage the battery did die. And yes, it was extremely sudden and yes it would have been a total loss without the very expensive repair. And the dealership stated that they had a surge of these repairs all at the same time right when the temperature got extreme this summer. I no longer scoff. Lots of other people don't, either. Unless you are living in an area with a mild climate or have your Prius in the garage on most 100 degree and 20 degree days, I think it's safe and fair to say that you will indeed have to replace the battery once every 5-8 years at $3000 a pop -- likely near to or greater than the difference you saved in gas over that time period if you owned one of the worst offenders of MPG. This isn't a popular thing to say around here I'm sure, but give it another year or so and I think you'll see nearly every classic Prius still on the road has needed a new battery unless the car spends a lot of time in a climate-controlled garage. If you're a sucker who buys a new catalytic converter when it starts complaining -- a known issue on the classic -- you're looking at another $2000 repair every 5-8 years. If these parts were cheaper then it wouldn't be a big deal. But the point is, it's no longer easy to scoff at these statements about the Prius batteries being unreliable. Apparently the authors who wrote that the batteries would die every 8 years knew a bit more about batteries than Toyota was willing to admit. We're about to hit an era where the batteries are worth more than the cars themselves -- that's a lot of total loss Priuses, no?
your still talking about 10-15% of the cars GEN1 that are 8 years old or 150.000 miles on it. drive a car 150.000 miles and probely you need a new automatic gearbox. with the battery packs the dealer wants to change the compleet battery pack but there maybe even only be 1 or 2 cels failing that you can simply replace for 50 dollars. ( look on ebay )
My brother in law drives a POS Ford Escort. Did you know it has a very well known propensity for dropping the #4 exaust valve seat into the cylinder, destroying the engine, at about 150,000 miles. Know how much it costs for a new or rebuilt engine? I fixed it for a couple hundred, and a couple days work. But you gotta DIY or pay. He owes me one, big-time. I'd rather swap some cells in a battery pack, than do what I did on that car. Know how many chryslers need new trannys before 100k? But in some ways you bring up a good point. Longevity relates to two things. Reliability and care. The Japanese have the reliability thing down, AFAIC, so longevity in these cars comes down to owner care. But how do you "care" for a battery, how can an owner consciously make an effort to extend a battery's life, like you can a mechanical device? I think some interesting relationships will surface over time with these batteries.
Way to go! Ours Gen II is only 1/2 way to 150K . . . just a baby. Our neighbor's wife has a Gen I w/ under 30K on it. Just diagnosed w/ Alzheimers, her car will just be collecting dust now. They've already had 4 people who asked if they could buy it off of 'em.
156,000 miles and going strong, 41 MPG lifetime average. About 98% of the driving is wide open freeway driving, plus carrying a bicycle rack or pulling a trailer with motorcycles. Oil change every 35,000 with Amsoil.
