gen1prius vs gen1hch reliability and other pros/cons

The real problem with any used car is you are buying the previous owner(s) maintenance and driving history. Some are better than others but there is no guarantee. As for the NHW11, 01-03, versus the NHW20, 04-09:

• traction battery redesigned - the modules in the NHW20 are better constructed. Heat is the enemy of these batteries and the NHW20 is better equipped to handle it.
• transaxle - evidence the oil should be changed every 30,000 miles but the risk is an internal short

Although the purchase price of a used car is low it comes with a higher risk of future maintenance. If you can do some of it yourself, good, but there should be some form of backup transportation in case the older car has to be down for a while and funds to pay for a repair.

Now if you are a car enthusiast, the older car is the perfect test vehicle. Often many of the systems have been throughly explored so you have a body of work to start from. Also, salvage parts are often available for less cost than new but the labor to put them in, if not your own, can be a budget breaker.

If you are risk adverse, study the drive train and battery warranties of each manufacturer. You may want to look at vehicles that have some of these warranties remaining, at least for 2-3 years. You'll pay a little more but you are buying 'insurance' against a failure.

Now as to actual endurance, the Dept. of Energy has been conducting fleet studies of different hybrids including detailed maintenance records.

GOOD LUCK!
Bob Wilson

 

To add to Bobs post above, risk of buying used is higher than that of buying new as new has a manufacturer warranty and as Bob said, you don't really know the service history unless you have a look at the service book, however, you are talking about a Toyota so in general you can expect a long and trouble free service life from the car compared to most others given the same history.

Personally I'd stretch a little or wait until the release of the 2010 has an affect on the used market and get a 2004 on model. It's my belief the Generation II Prius is streets ahead of the post 2003 Generation I model. There is a easy fixed issue with the multi function display in pre 2006 Gen II Prius but mine cost only $25 and some of my time to fix, the information needed to fix it is available free on PriusChat.

Oh, I'll add something here. It is a misconception that the Honda Civic Hybrid can be used as a conventional car should the battery die. There is no traditional starter motor in a HCH so the traction battery is needed to start the engine via the engine assist motor. Also I would expect the vehicle to be extremely lacking in power without the motor assist.

 

Well, as the owner of a 2002 with 163,000 miles that has had virtually NO problems with the car (fuel pump at 55,000 miles), and still gets 50+ MPG, I have a tough time saying this is not a GREAT car that has a lot of miles left, given that I read of cars that have 300,000 miles without battery replacement. I just bought a 2010 and love it, 2002 is for sale.

 

As a current owner of a 2002 with 164,000 miles that has been virtually trouble free (fuel pump at 55.000), I think that this car is incredibly reliable. Reading a lot of the posts, it looks to me that there is a good chance you can get 300,000 miles out of the battery and there are a lot of good replacement options. I still get 50 MPG and have NEVER replaced the brakes...Toyota has never even mentioned them. Love it so much, just got my 2010 sight unseen! 2002 is for sale.

 

I would say the most important for either car is to find full maintenance records. Was the main battery ever replaced under warranty? Was the transmission fluid and oil changed regularly?

 

Wish I could help, but unfortunately we don't yet have reliability stats for the first-gen Prius. Is a second-gen definitely out of your price range?