[jdenenberg]

We have 3 cars in our family and as you can see we keep cars a long time:

1. 1997 Subaru - almost 15 years and 240,000 miles. It is recently costing about $1,000 in mechanical repairs each year due to age,
2. 2001 VW Jetta - almost 11 years, but only 83,000 miles. It is youthful, but higher maintenance costs than our main car.
3. 2004 Prius - 7.5 years and 213,000 miles. It has been virtually maintenance free with only three expensive repairs to date.
   1. Steering column - was the subject of an early recall, but failed again out of warranty at 150,000 miles. ~$1000
   2. Struts - a normal maintenance item, but expensive in a all cars. 4 KY struts installed at 150,000 miles (many suggest doing it earlier). $1000-$1500 ($500 as a DIY, expensive parts)
   3. MFD Failure - common in 2004/2005 but seems better in later models - Dealer said $1800, Refurbs available for about $400 (also a reasonable DIY to install), and DIY for about $30.
   4. HV (Traction Battery) which should be considered a normal long-term maintenance item. Mine failed at 195,000 miles an was replaced with a refurbished battery from ReInVolt for ~$2000.

There are also the standard maintenance items:

1. Oil/oil filters/air filters - same in all cars - About $30 every 5k miles for me.
2. 12v battery - a Prius uses a premium battery, mine lasted 7.5 years, but it can fail earlier as it is under sized and is sensitive to storage at low charge. I suggest an Optima Yellow-top when one is needed ~$200 plus a small installation cost (I did it myself)
3. Tires - same in all cars, but I stick to Low rolling resistance tires (LRR, Nokian WRg2) which adds a bit of a premium.
4. Brakes - every 50-75k miles, but my Prius is still on the original brakes! This is a significant savings (~$500 every 50k miles, it pays for my tires) due to regenerative braking.
5. Plugs/PCV every 100k miles - basically the same as other cars, but the PCV valve is hard to get at.
6. Coolant Pumps - plan on replacing the two main pumps each 100k to 150k miles at about twice the cost of a normal car (since there are two)
7. Accessory and Timing Belts - There are none in a Prius so a cost savings! Many cars require a new timing belt each 60k to 80k miles and it costs about $400.
8. Transmission fluid every 60k miles at ~$100. Strongly suggested by me in a Prius (with an early drain/refill at 30k miles), but often recommended in other cars as well.
9. Coolant - Here a Prius has a bit higher cost as you should stick to Toyota Super Long Life Coolant and there are two independent coolant loops (Engine and Electronics). It is a bit trickier to do than in a standard car and needs to be done at 100k miles and again every 50k miles thereafter.
10. Fuel - The Big One! I drive my Prius enough to burn 600 gallons each year, but in an equivalent normal car I would burn 1200 gallons a year. This is a savings of almost $2000 per year for my Prius! With your lower use (about 1/3 of mine you would see a savings of $600 to $700 per year at current gasoline prices (it will go higher).

Answers to frequently asked questions:

1. HV battery life - in my case about 200k miles and 7.5 years (about $0.01 to $0.02 per mile). Both are factors, as is heat (higher average temperature means shorter life).
2. Electronics and cooling system life - usually not a problem with good maintenance, but things can happen. Salvaged electronics can safely (from reliable sources) be used to control costs if problems occur.
3. MPG with age - My experience is that Prius MPG rises a bit with age on average with a short dip when either the HV or 12v battery gets weak (and in cold weather).

Your call, but the Prius has been a great car in my long term use.

JeffD

[bwilson4web]

Not only that but I look forward to driving our Prius. It is smooth, quiet, and intellectually a challenge . . . just about every time I get in it. We've had our Prius since October 2005, the 1.5L NHW11, and May 2009, the 1.8L ZVW30 yet I continue to learn new things:

• 45-60 second, early EV - first observed in the Spring 2011 in both Prius, I regularly exploit it to improve mileage at the start of each drive.
• Prius towingg - both the 1.5L and 1.8L Prius have towed a 1,000 lb pontoon boat trailer and the 1.8L Prius towed it with an airplane 600 miles, 28 MPG at 53-54 mph through high-winds, cold, rain all the way home, November 2011.

The Prius has made me a hybrid gearhead. I subscribe to AutoWeek and my first podcast in the morning commute is "Autoline Daily." I've been to the Detroit Auto Show (thanks Toyota!) and throughly enjoyed it and the Ford Auto Museum. So when I look at ordinarry cars, pickups, and diesels, I pity them because my rides are so interesting:


. . . and theirs are so Flintstone:


Curiously, both share similar feelings about the other's ride . . . and we are both right!

Bob Wilson