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That's often the trouble with going to the dealership to get work done. Friend of mine worked for a Toyota dealer service dept. for about a month before quitting due to this kind of carp.
Well, that is incorrect. I drive a lot of highway miles, and the Prius does fine. At speeds of 65 mph and under, mine does 48-50 mpg almost without exception. It also does that mpg driving at high altitude over 10,000 ft. mountain passes. I don't get it when clowns post that it won't climb hills. Mine will maintain 60-65 mph climbing a 7% sustained grade at over 8,000 ft. elevation with the cruise control set--and still get 50 mpg. And, when somebody posts, "Well, my ABC will get 40 mpg on the highway," do they realize that means that the Prius is getting 25% better fuel economy at 50 mpg than what they drive? And, if they're getting 25 mpg in city driving, that the Prius is getting DOUBLE that fuel economy? Maybe math wasn't their strong suit?
Prius haters love to say that replacing a battery pack at, say, 200K miles means that the car must be no good. Hmmm, what kind of shape is the typical gasoline engine in at 200K miles? And how soon might it have to be replaced and at what cost?
I think driving less saves a hell of a lot more gas. There was a study once that Prius drivers drive more than gas powered cars which sucks a lot of savings away.
All of a sudden, I have noticed a spike in the amount of used Toyota Prius cars for sale in classified ads. The first obvious correlation that comes to mind is that owners no longer feel the need to own a fuel efficient car now that gasoline prices have tumbled. However, isn't that short-sighted, since oil prices could spike again and even if they don't, driving one of these hybrids now is super cheap fuel wise. The ones I see for sale have regular miles 12k-15k per year, and are less than four years old. Are these cars primary redeeming value their fuel efficiency and then everything else about them is inferior, hence the sudden surge in the amount of Prius for sale?
I've read that financial planners don't recommend the Prius for cost savings because replacing the main battery negates any fuel efficiency savings. Don't know at what year they usually go bad, but a main battery replacement would make buying a 2010 Prius with very low miles at a good price moot.
What do you all think about buying a used hybrid in an era of low fuel prices?
Replacing the battery is a non-issue. The risk of having to replace the battery in a Prius is less than the risk of having to replace a geared automatic transmission or manual clutch. Those financial planners aren't good at assessing risk... which is more concerning with the bigger picture.
I think a lot of people purchases Prius's without assessing their needs. My drive to work is just a few miles. A Prius makes no sense. An EV, on the other hand, makes complete sense.
Maybe they are worried the expensive batteries will die and they will have to pay for a new one?
Are you worried that your transmission or clutch will break and you'll have to get a new one? Considering that a battery replacement is much less likely than one of those, it's a silly thing to be worried about. If that's the reason, they obviously aren't the wisest people.
This is likely, though there are still plenty of people hanging onto them. A relative still has her 2007, and just spent $600 to replace a battery - the normal 12V one that powers the starter. A lot of labor due to having to remove the back seat to get to it and almost $200 for the battery at Toyota.
Advanced Auto Parts would have done the replacement for free if you purchase the battery from them (which they sell for $150).
The battery is actually in the trunk on the passenger side next to the spare tire. It takes maybe 30 minutes to change if you have never even done one. It takes a dry cell battery like an optima which you can find for $125 to $150 at automotive battery stores. They will even put them in for you while you wait. She could have gotten it done for less than $250 easy.
Why so many used Prius for sale? Bc all the follower losers that hopped on a trend realized that they are the ugliest cars on earth. Can you name an uglier car? Yuck! I can't.
It actually runs ~3K to replace the battery pack, subtracting off the return credit and adding on a couple hours labor.
I don't think anyone is expecting it to drive like an M3. But it shouldn't be completely horrible either. It should also actually deliver on the stated fuel economy (IME it doesn't even come close).
A transmission replacement on a traditional vehicle can cost just as much and is more likely to need replacement than a Prius drivetrain battery (by quite a margin). So that really is a silly thing to consider.
I rented the Lexus C200h for 2 months while on a business trip. It's based on the Prius and handles really well. I liken it to the handling of the old Lexus IS300. It's a bit slow at pickup (but it also has a fraction of the HP of my Benz). I got well into the 40s for MPG. Which is a little above what it is rated. Not bad for a car that can stick to the road like an IS.
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