2003 Toyota Prius 1.5 hybrid
Summary:
Don't buy used, buy new one and sale it before break down
Faults:
Inverter at 75k.
Inverter pump at 130k.
Shock absorber at 100k.
A/C evaporator / condenser at 90K.
HV battery at 140k.
General Comments:
Don't buy it used, you will deeply regret it. Because parts are expensive, all you save from gas will be spent on expensive parts ($1k for inverter, $2200 for HV battery). If you really want gas economy, buy a Yaris, which is the same body with a conventional engine, and the mileage difference on the highway is almost the same. Don't trust the manufacturer's mileage claim, or other claims; at freeway speed, the Prius hybrid tech won't have an advantage as the engine doesn't shutdown at all.
And if you live other countries other than the USA, Canada, Japan or Europe, no dealer will stock Prius parts, so you have to wait for a long time for a simple part.
Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Don't Know
Review Date: 1st August, 2015
3rd Aug 2015, 21:09
Owning dozens of GM cars beyond 100,000 miles, and only 1 required a wheel bearing. Struts? Not a one.
18th Dec 2016, 19:11
Fuel saving against what car? Against a Nissan Versa or Corolla is minimal. One needs to compare apples to apples, oranges to oranges. A gen 1 Prius is not big car, it's a compact car. And the list continues to grow:
At 145k:
Rear wheel bearing.
4 door lock actuators, yes, all 4 doors.
Front suspension arm.
Centre console LCD turning black, almost unreadable.
Centre console cover cracked (they seem not to be UV protected, unlike the rest of the dash panels).
Leaking engine rear seal.
19th Dec 2016, 15:57
What GM specific model and year are you basing an entire manufacturer's lineup on? Broad sweep of a brush comment. Not all Toyotas are bad either, especially older ones.
19th Dec 2016, 22:24
Maybe he could sell the Prius and upgrade to a used Chevy Volt.
21st Dec 2016, 05:30
Or just ditch the whole hybrid gig, and buy a Corvette.
21st Dec 2016, 19:29
You will have to go to Tesla's battery sports car for the time being. How many people go from Prius to 638 HP at the pump?
22nd Dec 2016, 10:04
20:43 has still not answered what new GM car that refers to the complete GM lineup. What model and what year are you referring to? He mentioned Corvette by the way as an alternative to his Prius past ownership. Not an actual Corvette owner. So what GM car has the catastrophic failures prevalent throughout the whole line as mentioned? I am not seeing it in my cars and multiple full size Chevrolet trucks.
2nd Aug 2015, 20:43
If you waited until 140k to replace the battery, then any fuel benefits you were getting were long gone.
That said, it could be worse. You could be driving a GM car that is rated for half the mileage and gets half of what it's rated for, and be replacing all of your struts and wheel bearings before the car hits 40k. And that is if you are lucky!