High mileage Priuses: Good commuter, or money pit?

I have a long distance commute (80-100 miles a day, depending on exact route) and plan to replace my E36 convertible with something with better mileage and a bit more interior room. With this distance, the gas saving possibilities on a Prius are fairly attractive (even if not much else about the car seems to be).

One of my biggest concerns (besides being mistaken for the sort of self righteous guy who would get a license plate that reads "UWSTGAS") is how much the cost of repairs and maintenance gets to be at the 150K mile mark. Does all the hybrid stuff just stay working, or is it nearly worn out at this point and take a lot of cash to get it fixed?

Ours is at 120k right now. So far it has needed a water pump. That's it. Still gets the same mileage as day one so no signs of battery degradation.

The hybrid stuff works fine. A 2nd Gen Prius is arguably one of the most reliable vehicles ever built. Lots of extremely high mileage examples still in use (many taxi services use them) on the original battery (and original brake pads :) ).

I just serviced a battery in one for a customer a few months ago. If you get a code for the hybrid battery, it's super simple to repair if it's one dropped cell. Find the cell putting out much less voltage than the others and replace it, the cells are fairly inexpensive from ebay and other sources.

As long as you get a 2nd gen (2004+) they're extremely reliable. Standard used car disclaimers apply still, of course, that you want to find one that's been well maintained, has a clear title, hasn't had any major accidents, and do the normal inspection.

As long as you don't mind the lack of any sportiness whatsoever, don't have an ego to bolster, and accept it's supreme applianceness, the Prius is a fine commuter.

Bryce

Thanks to everyone who replied! So, it looks like my concerns are down to this problem:

Nashco wrote: As long as you don't mind the lack of any sportiness whatsoever, don't have an ego to bolster, and accept it's supreme applianceness, the Prius is a fine commuter.

Doesn't seem to be much in the way of parts to change that, either. I wonder if the "double up the sway bars" trick could get one to corner a bit flatter?

MadScientistMatt wrote: Doesn't seem to be much in the way of parts to change that, either. I wonder if the "double up the sway bars" trick could get one to corner a bit flatter?

If you're tempted to tinker, you MUST remind yourself why you have the car. Sure, you could make it better than horribly unsporty, but you'll be disappointed because it will still be more heavy, underpowered, and disconnected compared to similarly sized cars even after you spend time and money on improvements. It's an appliance with great fuel economy, reliability, and utility. IMO, you won't find zen until you can accept it for what it is.

Bryce

Corolla swaybars are bolt-in on the 2nd Gens and significantly stiffer ones are made. There are also several stiff drop springs available.

Nashco wrote:

MadScientistMatt wrote: Doesn't seem to be much in the way of parts to change that, either. I wonder if the "double up the sway bars" trick could get one to corner a bit flatter?

If you're tempted to tinker, you MUST remind yourself why you have the car. Sure, you could make it better than horribly unsporty, but you'll be disappointed because it will still be more heavy, underpowered, and disconnected compared to similarly sized cars even after you spend time and money on improvements. It's an appliance with great fuel economy, reliability, and utility. IMO, you won't find zen until you can accept it for what it is. Bryce

Hush, you. I want tons of GRMers to buy these and make them more interesting. They do seem like great appliances. If we can make them more fun, let's do it.

Keep in mind stiff springs are bad for MPG. They cause the car to slow more on rough roads. Hypermilers typically run soft springs and monster sway bars (since they still want to avoid slowing in corners).

Nashco wrote: IMO, you won't find zen until you can accept it for what it is. Bryce

If there is something with comparable fuel economy and reliability, that can be found in the same price range, but had the suspension tuned with more of a bias towards good handling than isolating the driver, I'm all ears. Civic hybrid, possibly? They seem to be a bit smaller.

The Civics are smaller when it comes to interior space, for sure. They also get slightly worse mileage and have less reliable battery packs - but not terrible. I wouldn't get a CVT model Civic, but a Gen 1 hybrid with a manual could be more fun than the Prius to drive and there is a plethora of aftermarket for it.

it was my impression that hybrids really shine at in-town driving, but at interstate speed, some more traditional cars are nearly as good.

Our Prius averages 48 mpg on the highway and we live in hilly country.Flatter places I'm sure we'd average over 50.

belteshazzar wrote: it was my impression that hybrids really shine at in-town driving, but at interstate speed, some more traditional cars are nearly as good.

True, to an extent. For a strict highway commute, you could snag an upper 30s mpg car for significantly less cash. It probably wouldn't match the size/space of the Prius though.

MadScientistMatt wrote:

Nashco wrote: IMO, you won't find zen until you can accept it for what it is. Bryce

If there is something with comparable fuel economy and reliability, that can be found in the same price range, but had the suspension tuned with more of a bias towards good handling than isolating the driver, I'm all ears. Civic hybrid, possibly? They seem to be a bit smaller.

Do you need four seats?

If not, first gen Insights supposedly get better mileage especially in manual form (60-70mpg highway according to the Interwebz), don't seem to need that much looking after plus this one was a good enough road rally car that it got banned:

Disclaimer: We're currently shopping for a backup car for my wife and the 1st gen Insight is pretty high on that list, so I've done some research but haven't owned one yet.

Yeah, I'll need four seats including the ability to fit a rear-facing child seat in there. The E36 doesn't have much room in back, and that's one reason I'm car shopping.

I am looking at the Civic Hybrids as well, due to it having the manual option, is battery repair that much of a expense to detour a buyer from any of the hybrids?

IIRC someone (Modified mag maybe) is building a hypermiler civic that has light/ narrow wheels/ good suspension and lexan windows, it's gutted, has homebrew low drag aero. Kinda a cool idea, if youre into that stuff.

MadScientistMatt wrote: Yeah, I'll need four seats including the ability to fit a rear-facing child seat in there. The E36 doesn't have much room in back, and that's one reason I'm car shopping.

Vibe/Matrix

C-Max?

MadScientistMatt wrote:

Nashco wrote: IMO, you won't find zen until you can accept it for what it is. Bryce

If there is something with comparable fuel economy and reliability, that can be found in the same price range, but had the suspension tuned with more of a bias towards good handling than isolating the driver, I'm all ears. Civic hybrid, possibly? They seem to be a bit smaller.

It's all about compromises. You CAN do better, if you compromise something (like space, and get a first gen Insight, or fuel economy and get a Civic hybrid, or safety and get a Civic VX, etc.). It's not just suspension, either. Unfortunately, the "rubber band" powertrain the Prius is known for is also what makes it get such awesome fuel economy in mixed duty cycles. Sure, you can swap suspension parts without much effort, but you said you didn't want this to be a money pit! Even then, sticky tires will hurt fuel economy (on any car, not just Priuses) so that suspension might be wasted if you don't want to take a mileage hit on sticky tires.

The Prius is a fine appliance. Just don't get your hopes up that it's a lady on the commute who likes to get freaky in the twisties.

Bryce

I'd like to drop a turbo Honda K24 into the back seat and remove the stock drivetrain...

irish44j wrote: C-Max?

Doesn't get anywhere near estimates and Ford is getting sued over it.