And which year Toyota Prius would be the most reputable and has much less flaws?
Answer by Wage Slave
Bascially the prius is a fairly new auto so anything in the genration 1 model is going to have it difficulties. Go gen 2+ which is 2005 and up
Solution by adaviel
our 2007 model seems rather reliable – no issues so far, not confident I feel the “uncommanded acceleration” scare was genuine.
Possibly only saved about $ 3500 in fuel although more than driving a minivan undoubtedly have not paid that a lot in servicing.
Someone said they saved over 3 grand on fuel with the prius? I just looked up a replacement battery for it. the price was $ 3,938.67 That’s where the maintenance cost might eat up the fuel savings. I don’t know how often they have to be replaced though.
The Prius is very low cost to maintain. My 2004 Prius has cost 12 cents per mile for dealer maintenance, tires, and fuel combined over the 125,000 trouble-free miles I’ve driven it so far, according to the log book I keep. The 2001 Prius that my wife drives appears to be similar in cost, but she doesn’t keep a log book.
The large traction battery is a non-issue for Prius owners:
1. It rarely needs to be replaced, the 2001-2003 models typically go 200,000 miles before requiring replacement some have gone as high as 400,000 miles and some have failed earlier. The 2004+ models have an improved battery and are likely to go much further but there have been so few failures that there isn’t a good handle on just how far. My expectation is 300,000 to 400,000 miles.
2. There are several replacement options. A new battery is under $ 2000 plus $ 500 for installation. http://www.trademotion.com/partlocator/index.cfm?action=getJointLocator&siteid=213747&chapter=§ionids=26,0&groupid=60120&make=34&model=Prius&year=2004&catalogid=1&displayCatalogid=0
A reconditioned battery is $ 1600 http://re-involt.com/
All 2004-2009 Prius use the same battery so one from a wreck is about $ 500. Going the reconditioned route is the best choice for the 2001-2003 models.
As a comparison, if you replace the transmission in a conventional car it’s really expensive to buy new from a dealer, but after the car has 200,000 or more miles, no one replaces with new.
3. The warranty on the traction battery is not a pro-rated warranty. If it should fail within the warranty period you get a new one free.
There have been no particular years that are more trouble-free than others. The Prius has been very reliable. Many Yahoo Prius group members have purchased a second or even third Prius. You don’t do this if you had a bad experience. Based on the high owner satisfaction ratings, I’d suggest that my great experiences have not been unique.
http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/CTVNews/20110125/bc_olsen_prius_reliability_110125/20110125?hub=BritishColumbiaHome