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2004 versus 2006: Which Prius to sell?

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by DINGERMAGGIE, May 8, 2015.

  1. DINGERMAGGIE

    DINGERMAGGIE New Member

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    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
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    We own a 2004 with 108K miles and a 2006 with 148K miles. The 2006 is overall more comfortable to drive and has features such as keyless entry and back-up camera. We want to sell one of these cars--common sense would be to keep the 2004 with less miles, but as I said it does not have all the bells and whistles and is just not quite as comfortable as the 2006. Does anybody have any input about the age of these vehicles and/or the years with regard to one being more reliable or longer lasting? Since the 2004 has fewer miles, does this play into the overall life expectancy of the battery or is battery life a function of how old it is and not the number of miles on the car?

    Thanks in advance for any input on which car to keep...
     
    #1 DINGERMAGGIE, May 8, 2015
  2. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    The Prius engine seems to be quite good and lasts for a long time. 40k miles isn't that big of a difference. You should keep the one you like more, the 06.

    As far as the battery goes, both can fail at any time as they seem to fail around 10 years of age.
     
    #2 JC91006, May 8, 2015
  3. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    If you like the 2006 more then you should keep it. I agree that the traction battery life seems to be more a function of calendar age and less a function of miles driven.

    Of course, if you are convinced that the 2004 traction battery is in better condition then you could swap traction batteries prior to selling the 2004...

    As a data point, I have 195K miles on the 2004 and the traction battery is original.
     
    #3 Patrick Wong, May 8, 2015
  4. valde3

    valde3 Senior Member

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    You could also use Mini-VCI to test the conditions of the traction batteries. And then swap the better battery into the one you’re keeping.
     
    #4 valde3, May 8, 2015
  5. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    Your 2006 is like mine, has 2000 miles left on the hybrid warranty. I would wait until after that time to decide.
     
    #5 JC91006, May 8, 2015
  6. Kev 56

    Kev 56 Junior Member

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    Location:
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    Vehicle:
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    Hello Mr. Wong, appreciate your input. I also have a 2004 prius with 197k and the original traction battery. Recently I acquired a 2006 prius with 193K the triangle of death showed up a few wks ago so after doing extensive research I removed, replaced one bad module, with balanced and load-tested re-manufactured one, then re-installed whole pack, car reset it's codes and has been driving perfectly for 200 miles so far. I do realize the life expectancy is around 10 yrs. I would like to offer this service to anyone who may need their battery repaired, or replaced. The ave labor (just to replace) hybrid battery has been around 250. then battery has to be diagnosed for bad module, module has to be replaced and then whole pack re-installed. I did all of this myself in 3 hrs and cost of $40 for new (re-manufactured) cell. I feel there could be an opportunity to offer this service for those gen II prius owners who have a need to repair/replace their batteries.
     
    #6 Kev 56, May 8, 2015
  7. JC91006

    JC91006 Senior Member

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    you're offering free service?
     
    #7 JC91006, May 8, 2015
  8. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    you get what you pay for.;)
     
    #8 bisco, May 8, 2015
  9. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    dinger, aren't you having problems with the '06?
     
    #9 bisco, May 8, 2015
  10. wjtracy

    wjtracy Senior Member

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    We just hit 142k on our 2006 today. Its a keeper.
    My wife pointed out she never drove a car with that many miles on the ODO (she always gets the new car).
    So its uncharted territory.
     
    #10 wjtracy, May 8, 2015
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