2010 Prius II 155k - what to watch for or unload now?

Out here on the West Coast people are still getting $10K or higher for 2010 in your condition... If you wanted to take a vacation out here, the extra money you'd make selling it would more than pay for the trip. Of course that's assuming you've done everything possible to prevent corrosion from salt on the roads.

 

you're at a high risk point. have you ever cleaned the egr circuit?
potential failures: head gasket $2-8,000., brake actuator $3-4,000., battery $3-4,000.
here's one for sale here:2010-toyota-prius-iii.255060

 

As someone who consistently gets more than a decade out of every car I own, it pains me to have to agree with you. I'd disagree if it was Gen2 Prius or a Gen4 Prius, but not a Gen3.

 

or even if one can diy these things

 

This guy in Oklahoma is rebuilding Gen3 engines and getting way more power and reliability out of them and if I ever find a good price on a Gen3 I'll put one of his engines in becuase his prices are super affordable: https://www.instagram.com/skimmilkhybrid/

But in OPs case, being older and no longer doing DIY, that would be more trouble than selling before putting more money into it.

 

Since you live in the Rust-belt, 15 years is all that you can expect from any car. Sell it as fast as you can before something else goes wrong with it.

 

Best car ever, until something costly breaks and needs to be repair. That can be applied to a home, job & etc. I say keep it since the history of maintenance is unknown

 

That's what they're here for!

 

i think there is a tech stream egr test. you might need a baseline though, i'm not sure.

 

Easy: if the odometer reads over 100k miles, and the EGR has never been cleaned, it'll need it. By your miles, it'll really need it.

Considering you're in the rust-belt, and a good chance the head gasket is just about to let go, I'd sell.

 

Egr pipe can be taken off easily, check the interior pipe for the layer build up. If it’s got a good thick layer then your egr circuit is most likely layered up throughout.

 

With the plug in, after the charge is used it becomes a regular hybrid so it still does very well on gas.

 

This was me just a few weeks back. Did the intake manifold full clean, PCV valve, and the EGR cooler full deep clean. EGR was the biggest pain but definitely doable. Watch a few videos (Nutsaboutbolts, Merve) to prepare you. If you have the tools, I would say go for it.

 

Mechanical issues aside, if there was only the hail damage, there's something inherently wrong, totalling a car for cosmetic reasons. Guess it's a case of whatyagoingtodo.

Oh also, I keep thinking: was any glass damaged?

 

I am in the same situation as DC2010: a 2010 Prius with 200,000 km, an original traction battery, running smoothly, well-maintained, but exposed to harsh Canadian winters. The only major issue has been the notorious emergency blinking light problem, which could not be resolved even after replacing the brake control, as suggested in some forums. As a result, I had to cut the power line to the emergency lights, making it difficult to pass a safety inspection without additional work.

My biggest concern is not the mileage, but the age of the car—especially the battery. From previous experience, I know that after 16 years, rubber and even some plastic components start to deteriorate. Since selling it without a safety inspection would significantly lower the price, I have decided to keep it as a second car. After all, having your car break down in minus 20 degrees is a serious problem if you're outside the city.

 

They haven't changed that much- very generally the thing to avoid is a >15 year old. So get the youngest one you can afford and plan to replace it when it has accumulated its own 15 years.