I know people who recently purchased new cars (in general, not Prii) due to fears about impending tariffs. One (rich) guy on a forum I post on boasted he just spent $300K total on 3 new vehicles -- all luxury german cars. <yawn> Many years ago I might have succumbed to this kind of manufactured fear and purchased a new car, but really, it's not worth it. With a vehicle that has less than 40K miles on it, even though it's coming up on 15 yrs old, it still is light on the wear 'n tear side of the equation, there's no reason to get rid of it just because, AND the car is maintained on schedule, with oil/filter changes, fluid checks, car filter checks, tires rotated/balanced/alignment checked and anything else it needs. So, onward we go, and see what happens.
We'll have to too: 104k kms on ours (roughly 65k miles). mostly piled on in the first few rears, getting to be less and less usage now. Consider rolling down to Tampa Hybrids sometime soon, for an EGR system and intake manifold cleaning. There's this unproven theory that it'll stave off head gasket failure. Any 12 volt battery problems, with such low usage? If you've got AC power outlet convenient, consider a smart charger.
Tampa is approximately 700 miles away....nawwww. I changed out my 12 v battery once or twice in the previous years. I have a batteryminder that will keep the battery topped off and conditioned. I do use the car several times a week, I just don't put a lot of miles on it when added up for the year.
Ouch, yeah, that's too far. Maybe just touch bases with them, see if they know someone closer. They charge something like $600~800 USD for the service.
Last year I had my mechanic flush the EGR with a manifold cleaning agent. I have no idea if it helped though. But, like you, I have also noticed what appears to be a correlation between EGR cleaning and head gasket failures.
The cheapest vehicle to own is the one you have. Even better if it's paid for! It cost a LOT less if you repair it instead of replacing it. 700 miles to Tampa? You're info says you are in the southeast....
I still drive our 2000 Tundra pickup with less that 60K miles. People stii step out in front of that noisy V8 proving hybrid noisemakers do not prevent accidents.
I paid cash for my Prius, no loan, so it's been paid off since day 1. S.E. Toyota covers from NC to FL and includes other states in there too. Lots of miles.
We've chosen to pre-emptively replace a number of things around the house over the past six months; hedging bets. Neither of our cars are particularly old, so we are also sitting on what we've got. I wish you luck!
Wrong!...I am a southerner and I'm from NC! The Southeastern United States includes the following states: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia.
The day I picked up my 2010 Prius (12/29/10), as I handed the check to the finance guy I said, "guess what I'll be doing tomorrow?" "What?" he asked. "Starting to save for my NEXT vehicle, so by the time I need to replace this car I can pay for the next one in cash, if I so desire." He said, "that's really smart!"
Some dealerships don’t want your business if you’re paying cash: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/costofliving/financing-car-dealerships-cash-1.7034159
They ALL get it wrong! Some say Florida isn't in the south. You can't get anymore southern than Florida!
Well the one I went to in my area was more than happy to sell me a Prius end of year, new, regardless of how I paid for it. I remember 2010 was a bit of a challenging year for Prii, with some impact to sales. In the future, for whatever vehicle I purchase, I can always do a finance deal, make sure there's no pre-penalty for paying the loan off early, then pay the loan off the next month, if I so desire. So, it's not going to stop me. Better to have the full amount of money to pay for a car, than not...is my philosophy. In addition, IF there's a finance deal that is 1% or less (ideally zero %) then that's a no-brainer to take, regardless.
My dad was an accountant. I had my first passbook savings account at the bank when I was 7! I've always been a saver, it might be in my DNA, but if not, I sure took all the lessons imparted to heart. He also instituted a rule that when I wanted something and it wasn't my birthday or Hannukah, I had to come up with half the money *first*, then come to him and he'd match it. I got $3/week allowance and learned to prioritize what I wanted and save up for those things. Although that arrangement ended by the time I wanted a car and a house!
YOU are a rare individual! America needs more people like you. I'm certain you have no debt either do you? It's nice being debt free. My 2010 has been great! I replaced the head gasket at 301,000 miles. Replaced the hybrid battery with a lithium last year, then replaced with the Sodium battery. Everything else has just been normal wear and tear. I know the brake booster parts are going. I'll be replacing them sometime this summer. I'm "hoping" it will last until it gets cooler.....