You are comparing two different generations. It's generally thought that the 2nd generation (2004-2008) was more reliable than the 3rd generation (2010-2015). It was the era that Toyota had to prove that hybrids were reliable and not expensive ticking timebombs. Lots of taxi companies and liveries used the 2nd generation Prius with little repair outside regular maintenance. Some had battery replacements but that's after 400-500,000 miles. The 2010 is the first year of the 3rd generation. There's some issues with head gaskets and the Exhaust Gas Recirculation (EGR) system. You may come across the "oil catch can" threads in the 3rd generation that is used to help reduce the likelihood of EGR issues. The battery between the two is the same NiMH battery. Toyota stressed, at the launch of the 3rd generation, that "everything is new, except the battery" for the 3rd generation. There is less maintenance for the 3rd generation as the water pump went electric so the engine is completely beltless. It also removed the rubber bladder inside the fuel tank for more reliable tank storage (the rubber bladder would shrink as it aged so your fuel tank got smaller). The coolant thermos was replaced with that aforementioned EGR system.
third gen problems: The engine will need to be replaced at 200,000 mi. This cost from 4:00 to 7 grand. Since we do our own engine replacement at our shop and I get the engine for under two grand I'm only paying my guys and we do it in one work day. We start at 10:00 a.m. we take an hour for lunch and we roll it out the door at 5:00 p.m. two guys total of 12 man hours. The EGR passage needs to be cleaned and it's a 5-hour job in total. Figure 500 bucks The battery pack goes bad at 220,000 mi and figure from 2 to 4 grand for that The radio goes bad and you can get a used one on flea Bay for about 60 bucks The break booster accumulator goes bad you'll replace that and the ABS controller at the dealer it's for grand but you can do it with used parts for about 400 in parts plus 5 hours of labor. Second gen gets a new antifreeze coolant pump for the electronics and that's located behind the bumper cover on the driver side. As you can see the turd Gen is far less reliable. But it's going to be almost impossible to get a low mile second gen. If you're willing to dump the money into a turd gen at 200,000 mi you could go another 150,000 with it. That's my choice and that's what I like. I also replace the shocks struts sway bar bushings and sway bar links at 200,000 miles. I just consider it to be the cost of ownership and I do all these things. No car is perfect. It's up to you.
The exhaust heat recovery system, not EGR, is what takes the place of the "thermos." Replacing the simple conventional belt-driven coolant pump with an electronically controlled, electrically powered one was not an improvement, as far as long-term reliability, in my opinion.
The third gen is the wife's car I don't ever drive it hardly on purpose. It's very plastic more so than the two and I don't like to go that way too much so I'll try to keep my two until almost my time is up and everybody else has Gen 4's 5 6s whatever's out by then or they've gone EV or maybe they stop driving and realize it's not a thing I don't know
The 4th gen is definitely better than the third gen. It's definitely more reliable and it's more efficient. We can't have it all I guess
Oddly, though, the real reliability issue with the new pumps seems to be swelling or breakage of the impeller, made out of some composite. The electrically powered, electronically controlled parts seem to do fine. And it probably did buy them some efficiency, because it's variable-speed, not fixed to engine speed by a belt. And it allowed them to get rid of the separate electric heater pump the Gen 2 had. Gen 3 just runs the engine water pump with the engine stopped to circulate heat. Gen 2 is like the old plumbing screensaver under the hood; there are four water pumps in there.
I would go for an 2nd gen all day. I see those things with insane miles up for sale on fbm all the time. Its kinda hilarious how many gen 3's i see for cheap because they don't run.
If you don't know how to fix a third gen ur in for an expensive ride because not many repair shops are willing to install used parts and even fewer have the dealer computer. But if u can fix the turd gen u can get it quite cheap and pay urself for the repairs. 4th gen has a reputation for being the most reliable. If you want reliability and don't want to do repairs I would just get the 4th gen. I'm okay with the variance of opinions on this topic
I agree. I have hardly spent any money on mine, but I have had some time on the car. I also enjoy messing with things though so it works. But yeah when I'm making recommendations half the time I have to realize 95% of the people asking aren't mechanics so i usually lean towards "X is a great car as you don't have to be a mechanic to own it."
I would say 99% are not mechanics or even want to do much more than a filter change. I am always amused when the pundits around here suggest everyone immediately diy a 5 hour egr/intake cleaning - even to every newbee that simply says hi.
Exactly! This is why i recommend my friends corollas and not Priuses. If i did I would have a bunch of Priuses that my friends are nice enough to bring over to let me work on. no sir. lol
They were both excellent. But neither of them are very new anymore, so the relative difference between them may not be that big. A few generalizations: The first 10 years of a Prius' life are fantastic- nothing goes wrong and maintenance costs are ultra-low. The second 10 years are where expensive things start happening, and unless you are driving many miles per day you might not save as much on fuel as you spend in repairs. So I would suggest that you look at your driving needs in terms of miles- if it is a lot, your odds of success are pretty good. If it's just a few miles a week, you're unlikely to stay ahead. The first repair will more than offset any fuel savings.
Funny! I agree, especially when it's hearsay that EGR cleaning = long life engine (head gasket going bad like clockwork). Is there any proof? Of course corporate is silent on this subject..... How is your Prius doing with 270k miles? I hope to see that someday with my latest Prius! btw, I love the Hill Country! I was at the Kerrville Folk Fest last year!
