As my 05 Prius #4 approaches 100k, I have been thinking about trading her in. I don't drive as much as I used to, so mileage is not so much of an issue anymore. I went and looked at the new TL, 3-series, MB C-Class, and some SUVs. I keep coming home after the test drives and decide that I really don't want to give up the Prius. I do all the required maint, so really have no concerns of her not reaching 200k
your car is nowhere near worn out. keep it, continue to enjoy it. if your usage has been decreased, then you may have several years of use.
I know that for me there's no going back to a conventional vehicle. I agree with Dave. There are reports of Prius and hybrid taxis being forcefully retired even though they were still fully functional. We're talking heavily abused taxi cabs logging hundreds of thousands of miles and still going strong. Your Prius still has a long life ahead.
i 2nd the notion that i will NEVER go back to a regular car. we are probably going to need a 2nd highway car within a year when we move and i have the option to pay cash for a good used vehicle for 8000-10,000... or finance (and pay interest) and get a new EV or hybrid. have also kicked around the idea of a good used Pri, but none are in the $8000 range yet... but i would much rather make payments then get a regular car and money has very little to do with the decision, its simply resources which cost much much more and we as an economy are just now starting to realize it... sure bad investments were part of it, but they never would have happened if we were paying a fair price (read much higher) for gas and using additional taxes to maintain our infrastructure.
It's paid off, and it's probably reached the mpg/investment payback, so it's cheap, fun, easy driving for anther 100K miles! Enjoy it! If you have the time, money, and low driven miles, pick an old project car (like my VW in my avatar) and work on that. Or invest in a plug-in mod for your Prius, and drive gas-free with your lower miles.
People get bored of their car after 4-5 years of ownership. I am on my third year and still enjoying every min of it. If you are getting bored, get a scanguage II or something similar to see more info to improve mpg. Try different tire pressure. Maybe you will enjoy soft ride once-in-a-while. Try different driving technique. Etc.. I agree with many replies above. I can not go back to non-hybrid.
Perhaps you need a weekend car?? A used TL (watch for automatic issues on 2nd Gen models) or an MR2 or Miata?
Funny thing -- Even as we get closer to arrival of the 2010 I have ordered, I just can't stand the idea of parting with my current Prius. I think I'll be able to buy the 2010 only if we trade in the other car (Sienna).
its your personal choice. we all know that the prius is durable and we never know when gas will reach $4 a gallon again so keeping it is much more economical. however i dont see any problem going back to a non hybrid vehicle. they're definitely more fun to drive. sometimes we just cant stick with the same car for 200,000 miles.
