Is it more expensive to give maintenance to a Prius vs Gas car?

I last owned a watch in 1973.

 

I own several watches. None of them have had a working battery in over a decade.

Tom

 

By the time my watch battery goes dead, my sweat/skin perspiration have destroyed the buttons on it anyway. Paying $4 to 'save' a $20 watch that's in bad condition just doesn't cut it. Replace the throw-away watch every 4-5 years.

 

Scheduled maintenance will be slightly more expensive because the engine and inverter coolants may require a scan tool for proper bleeding after a fluid change. The brake fluid also requires a scan tool for flushing and bleeding. Aside from that, the maintenance is the same as any other car.

However, if any of the components break, it will be far more expensive than any conventional car. Therefore, the risk is definitely there and real-- but luckily, actual occurrences have been rare. Regardless, I would be very concerned about potential repair costs as they will be extremely expensive.

 

2012s do have Toyota care. Family friend bought a 2012 Highlander Hybrid last week and it came with Toyotacare.

 

Have you had to pay for repairs on any other new vehicle? They are all extremely expensive so i don't see how you can single out the Prius. Even a new Chevy truck will require the use of expensive diagnostic equipment. Go price out the cost of a replacement transmission for a modern car. Your jaw will drop.

 

The CVT on an Altima is much less expensive to replace than the transmission (or whatever the correct name is) on a Prius. There are many components that are more expensive to deal with on a Prius.

This is why extended warranties are about 1/3 more for the Prius than say, for the Camry or RAV4-- it is because you are pricing for the potential exposure. And on a Prius, that exposure is significantly higher.

And yes, I have repaired numerous modern cars but the Prius definitely much more expensive--if and when it does break.

 

Just wanted to chime in about the 2011 vs 2012 debacle. I too was planning on waiting until the 12's came out to get an 11 for a good deal.

However after considerable research I find it would be in my best option to get the 12. I am one of the techie guys who loves to have everything new and the 2012 has everything I want at my fingertips and more.

that being said the backup camera is NOT standard with every 2012, only model 3 and up. Same with Entune. The prices for the 2012 will start at 23,500 for the model 2 and go up from there.

You can get a model 2 2011 right now for about 22,400 but that is the barebones.... depending on what you want you probably will not get much cheaper than 22,200 which is still about 1,000 off MSRP.

So if you want to save money, stick to your plan... If you think you will regret not spending another 2 or 3k for something you are already spending so much on... get the 2012.


As far as maintenance is concerned... all the research and first hand reports I have read and heard tell me its an extremely reliable car and fairly cheap to maintain.

gl and let us know what you end up doing!

 

What is the exact cost difference? Most new dealer replaced transmissions I've priced are at least $3000+. The unit for my truck which was a light duty transmission was $4500.

 

http://www.trademotion.com/partloca...edan&year=2010&catalogid=1&displayCatalogid=0

I am not sure if that link is session sensitive but the reman CVT for our 3.5 Altima is $2405. Add in 8 hr or so of labor to swap it and it's still totaling at about $3500...which is like 1/2 the amount of the Prius iirc.

MB860 ?

 

Critic, true for new vs new comparison, but the Prius has a resounding advantage in being a high volume car, which opens up a good secondary market.

 

http://priuschat.com/forums/gen-ii-...-2004-prius-my-ongoing-maintenance-costs.html

 

An (obscure?) note on 2011 vs 2012: my nature-loving "birder" wife is incredibly happy we just bought the 2011 instead of 2012. One change on the 2012: it includes artificial exterier noise. No more "stealth mode"... which she greatly enjoys when going after wild birds

 

With new cars needing minimal maintenance (LOF, tire rotate) for the first 30-50k miles the "included" maintenance plans have less real value. I did change the cabin filter on my other car (2010 Xterra Off Road 6spd Man) the other day. Dealer wanted $87.00 P&L. I bought the filter for 10.99 and it took 5 minutes. The original filters (14,000 miles) were extremely dirty so it was a good exercise. I was surprised at how dirty they were, I'll make this a regular item on both cars. Hopefully the Prius plan will cover this in the first 2/24k.