Do I want a 2014 Toyota Prius C?

Dave Merrill

Axe-Master
My daughter and her spouse are moving from Boston to Seattle in March, and due to convoluted circumstances, it may make sense for me to keep their 2014 Toyota Prius C, and have them buy a replacement used car when they get there.

I'm driving an '06 Accord with 290k miles on it, figured I'd drive it until something breaks that's not worth fixing, but that day can't be that far off. It's got significant rust, and the check engine light is intermittently on for emissions reasons, only passed last inspection with the help of some cans of Miracle Stuff (tm), came back on a month later. In short, it's got some life in it before major repairs, but probably not a lot. Gets a bit under 30 mpg.

So, given that, do I want their Prius? I think it's got roughly 60k miles on it, not sure, will find out. It won't cost me anything directly, since I actually own it already, but I'll be on the hook for some of the cost of a new used car for them. OTOH if I don't take it, I'll probably have to replace my Accord fairly soon.

I'm mostly worried about maintenance costs for the Prius as it gets older. Just replacing the normal battery, not the big motor one, was surprisingly expensive. Is that typical for these cars? What if the big battery needs to be replaced, that must be big bucks. Has anyone here done that?

I don't know exactly, but I think it gets somewhere north of 50 mpg. That's not hugely important to me or the planet, since I don't drive that much, but it's still a plus, and I would like a smaller car. There are those other convoluted circumstances in play too, but here I'm just trying to figure out if taking their Prius would be a good idea for me.

What do folks think?
 
Might be a good time to consider selling or trading both of them and updating a bit. The Prius is a good car, my son in law has been driving one for years and still loves it. But there comes a point where maintenance outstrips value. If you’re not there, sure, wring a few more miles out of them. If they’re both paid for, it’s all savings every month you hold out.

Years ago we started saving the car payment once a car was paid for. Now, when it’s time to replace, it’s just a cash deal. And you can always swing a better deal when you are your financing company! You can do that if you hold on to a car a while, which you obviously do. It’s the way… paying loan interest doesn’t interest me at all.
 
I'm not emotionally invested in new or cool cars. Cars are tools, I want reliability, minimal hassle, and as little cost as I can get away with without trading away the first two.

Agree on interest. Both cars are paid for, but we did do part of both on loans, unfortunately. I work for a non-profit, and my wife and daughter are both disabled and unable to work, so we're not exactly rolling in it. Plus I'm 69, would like to retire before I become a liability and get "encouraged" out the door.
 
The best advice I've gotten when it comes to vehicles is from the techs that work on them. I had a choice of engines in a truck once, and I literally walked up to the roll-up doors at the back of the dealer service shop and asked a couple techs which one they would (or wouldn't) buy, knowing what they know.
Since you said you don't drive much, you're probably more concerned about which parts would be likely to fail over time, and not due to mileage, so I'd also mention that to them, should you choose to talk with a Toyota tech. Or maybe just take it in and get it checked over.
Since you own it, I'd most likely keep it. I don't think I could be comfortable with someone else, family or not, driving a car I own, especially moving that far away. But that's just me.
 
The best advice I've gotten when it comes to vehicles is from the techs that work on them. I had a choice of engines in a truck once, and I literally walked up to the roll-up doors at the back of the dealer service shop and asked a couple techs which one they would (or wouldn't) buy, knowing what they know.
Since you said you don't drive much, you're probably more concerned about which parts would be likely to fail over time, and not due to mileage, so I'd also mention that to them, should you choose to talk with a Toyota tech. Or maybe just take it in and get it checked over.
Since you own it, I'd most likely keep it. I don't think I could be comfortable with someone else, family or not, driving a car I own, especially moving that far away. But that's just me.
Hmm, don't know if a Toyota dealer tech would be a straight talker or not, it's worth a shot maybe.

If they keep it, the plan is to sell it to them for $1. Agree it's not practical for the owner to live 3k miles away.

It's interesting to me that nobody here so far has actually owned one. Guess maybe this crowd runs in a different price bracket; I see it all the time with the guitar collections. Me I drive an ancient beater, play an Axe III. Priorities!
 
Hmm, don't know if a Toyota dealer tech would be a straight talker or not, it's worth a shot maybe.
Well there's definitely a little "watching the body language" in play. The guy I spoke to was quick to answer, "Oh, definitely the V8. As long as you're less concerned about mpg." Then he yelled over his shoulder to another tech, asked him the question, and that guy agreed. (He made it clear my question was about reliability/longevity.) Then he said, "We just don't see them in here much compared to the Eco Boost." Good enough for me. I got a good feeling they were being straight with me.

Now if I put a lot of miles on it every week, then I'd have dug a little deeper to get a feel for at what mileage did they mostly see issues, because I could take the savings from buying less gas, and put it toward any potential repairs. But in my case, I also knew a bit about the 5L engine's track record.

Like you said, probably your biggest concern are the batteries, because Toyota builds great vehicles.
 
Disclaimer: I have no idea what I am talking about...

But..... My friends Prius have lasted over 15 years with rather minimal of repair. The "start" battery slagging recently, especially during cold Swedish Winter, but it still soldiering on.
Used for daily short distances to-from work
 
We did end up keeping the Prius; my daughter in Seattle is trying out going carless.

However, a couple weeks ago, having just been sitting in my driveway and driven short distances occasionally, I went to start it and the battery was dead. AAA jumped it, I ran it for a while idling, it started up fine after that. Service guy said the battery was in good shape. I couldn't figure out anything that got left on that might have drained it.

It was fine for our occasional use, until yesterday, when it was dead again. Jumped again, ran for a while again, started fine. Again I don't see anything that was left on.

So WTH? This last AAA guy said I should start and idle it every few days, because those cars need that, but not to be a jerk, he was a kid and I don't believe him. Making an ecologically advanced car you have to run for a half hour every few days at 0 mpg makes less than zero sense.

My guess is that something was left on, but I don't know what. Not headlights. Not interior lights I could find.

How can I troubleshoot this?
 
As long as you don't care about the fact that the battery pack capacity declines over time and an 8 year old one is probably well on its way. If you have a commute that is a consideration.

You 06 Accord if well maintained is going to last a long time still. You will get more than it's really worth in today's used market.

If you don't care that the Prius is a dork pod, get the money the Accord is worth, take the Pious.
 
As long as you don't care about the fact that the battery pack capacity declines over time and an 8 year old one is probably well on its way. If you have a commute that is a consideration.

You 06 Accord if well maintained is going to last a long time still. You will get more than it's really worth in today's used market.

If you don't care that the Prius is a dork pod, get the money the Accord is worth, take the Pious.
Yeah not asking about Prius virtues at this point, just how to figure out what's draining the battery.

And if I was really worried about the dork pod factor, I'd need to get rid of both cars, lose 50 lbs, and grow that many years younger.
 
Guys.

Maybe I should have started a new thread.

I'm only trying to understand how to troubleshoot the battery-goes-dead issue.

I'm NOT evaluating the virtues of EVs, or the Prius, and I know where the handbasket is headed.
 
Use it or lose it according to Toyota:

How often does a Prius need to be started?


"Regular start-up of the vehicle on conventional petrol and diesel engines needs approximately 20 minutes of running to put back into the battery what you remove on start up, so to maintain this battery we would suggest 60 minutes of running at least once a week."
 
Guys.

Maybe I should have started a new thread.

I'm only trying to understand how to troubleshoot the battery-goes-dead issue.

I'm NOT evaluating the virtues of EVs, or the Prius, and I know where the handbasket is headed.
You need to have a proper battery shop take a look at it. It's not holding a charge either because you have a vampire draw somewhere on the car, or the battery sat too long without being driven or it is just too old. Those type of shops can tell you for sure, and if it's the former, they have the right type of charger than can recharge the battery, and burn off the shit that builds up inside them, that happens when they sit too long without being used.
I had this scenario, and they were able to get it back to like 85% charge. But the car's own charging system (or the standard battery chargers) is unable to do this.
 
Yeah not asking about Prius virtues at this point, just how to figure out what's draining the battery.

And if I was really worried about the dork pod factor, I'd need to get rid of both cars, lose 50 lbs, and grow that many years younger.
There's nothing specifically that drains the battery. It's an inherent factor in vehicle battery packs, especially in older cars and PHEVs that are not managed to the same degree as a Tesla or equivalent. Car battery packs (even Teslas) just become less efficient over time as the cathodes and anodes in the individual cells corrode. In other words batteries simply wear out over time. Replacng battery packs can be prohibitively expensive, depending on their cost and the degree to which they are part of the vehicle's structure and if remove and replace is part of the design consideration in the first place.

So your considerations are:
  • Range loss over time
  • Daily usage i.e. commute mileage in pure EV mode vs:
    • using some gasoline
    • cost to replace the battery
    • cost to replace the vehicle
    • social priorities driving getting into the whole EV thing to begin with
    • overall lower cost of a new ICE vehicle
    • cost to simply maintain the ICE vehicle they already have.
That's where you have to hunt around for the value to you. Overshadowing all of this is the fact that neither of the options you presented involve a car with a warranty. You can't work on a Prius (or any EV). You can work on that Honda. When push comes to shove, that's a real consideration depending on your skillset and the willingness to watch YouTube videos and try new things.

Also keep in mind that EV's are not as efficient in the cold as they are in the warm. A Tesla hooked up to a home charger (or not) can preheat the battery pack to be more efficient. Most PHEV's, esp older and/or less complex ones, don't do that, so you'll be getting into the gas thank sooner.

Lastly, cool factor or not, a Prius sucks to drive. It just sucks ass. What a miserable piece of shit. The only way it could be worse was if it was an actual Soviet-era Lada. I had a Prius for a rental car once. I flew to ONT, got in the car, drove it around the block and took it back. I had made the decision halfway around said block and wanted to get out and just leave it there (preferably on fire) but had to bring it all the way back the two miles to Hertz. Awful feel in every respect.
 
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If you own a car, for the most part…driving it into the ground is the most ecologically sound move to make.
Buying a new car every couple of years is the worst, regardless if it’s electric.
I will never understand leasing. I've had my 2015 Grand Cherokee since Dec 2014 and coming up on 100k miles. If I had a neverending payment and a mileage limit I'd never forgive myself.
 
Well there's definitely a little "watching the body language" in play. The guy I spoke to was quick to answer, "Oh, definitely the V8. As long as you're less concerned about mpg." Then he yelled over his shoulder to another tech, asked him the question, and that guy agreed. (He made it clear my question was about reliability/longevity.) Then he said, "We just don't see them in here much compared to the Eco Boost." Good enough for me. I got a good feeling they were being straight with me.

Now if I put a lot of miles on it every week, then I'd have dug a little deeper to get a feel for at what mileage did they mostly see issues, because I could take the savings from buying less gas, and put it toward any potential repairs. But in my case, I also knew a bit about the 5L engine's track record.

Like you said, probably your biggest concern are the batteries, because Toyota builds great vehicles.

You’re talking about the F150 it sounds like. I bought one and it’s a great truck. There’s a video on the tube, where a service manager polls his mechanics and service desk guys about which motor they would get if buying a 150. Almost all said the V8. So that’s what I bought. Picked up a used Canadian oil field lease truck. Very low miles and some upgrades. So far so good.


As for the Prius, the big batteries can only go through so many charge cycles before the performance diminishes to the point of replacement. I had a buddy with one and he was approaching the 200k mark before it needed a battery.
 
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