Prius 2014 with VERY low mileage, dealer wants to do maintenance...

All that can be done for much less gonna be needing to clean EGR system soon I'm sure. Or else . Not keepers especially not driven.

 

Find an independent shop with good references and ask how much to do everything with Toyota parts and fluids.

The coolant changes are drain and fill which is easy on a gen3 especially when done with an oil change.

The parts for everything is about $250. The spark plugs take some time because the wiper assembly has to be removed. Still $300 of labor might get it done saving half.

Any mechanic doing the egr cooler and valve is going to charge $700 or more. Not worth it with 12k on the odo.

 

Go to kelly blue book website to get an estimate value of your car. Then use the price if it’s worth maintaining or trade it in to a dealer or private sale. Id go with private sale as is because the hv bat could be on it way out with super low miles.

 

The tune up is changing spark plugs.

Trade in? Yes if you can afford $700-$900 a month for four or five years. If that's not difficult every month then go for it.

Of course one month payment takes care of the current maintenance.

I suggested not doing egr which was brought up earlier.

Private sale will probably net you $4k-$5k more than the real trade in value a dealer gives you. Dealers won't keep a 11-12 year old car and will send it to the wholesale auction. The dealer knows the value they will get is maybe 60% full retail. They might make you think you are within $2k of Blue Book but will not discount your new car much or give you higher interest rates than your credit warrants.

It is an easy way to trade, so if you are flush then no big deal.

I have private sold my cars for more than 25 years. When you have a desirable car in great condition and very low miles, it is really easy. You know the value and allow $500 negotiation and that's it.

No personal checks or cash. You meet them at their bank and get a cashiers check you verify immediately. You have a Bill of Sale ready to go with full ids exchanged and noted. You also get copies of their drivers license and insurance card and fill out a notification of sale to the state.

 

Some of those fluids also have a time interval, but all of those prices, except the oil change seem very high to me. Changing these fluids yourself isn't really that hard, but there are areas where it's harder to find someplace to take the old fluids. Around me, the landfill has a hazardous waste disposal area and will take all of those for free.

With only 12K miles, I would think you can go another decade without having to service the EGR.

Changing the coolant takes a bit over a gallon per system (it's the same stuff), so three gallons at about $25 per gallon instead of the $430 is a no-brainer for me. I'm not sure you'd have to do the inverter coolant as it isn't exposed to as hostile an environment, but maybe changing the engine coolant wouldn't be out of the question.

The eCVT fluid is about $12 per quart, and you'll need 4 quarts for that as well as a couple crush washers. It's a pain getting the new fluid into the fill hole, but the hardware store sells tubing by the foot and funnels. That lets you thread the tube down from the top and into the fill hole. After doing that job a couple times (my Gen 2 and my Gen 3), it's also a no-brainer for me. With only 12K though, I don't think you'll need to really change that fluid for another decade.

The tune up really shouldn't be that necessary, maybe add some injector cleaner to a full tank of gas and actually drive the thing until you use up a couple tanks of gas. Unless you're misfiring, I wouldn't change the ignition coils or plugs. Check the cabin and engine air filters. These probably need to be replaced.

Unless you've left it out in the sun and there's been some serious hail in your area, or you've let the car sit for long periods of time without driving it at all, you'll never get what this car is worth because of the way used cars are priced. There is something to how a car might degrade with time, even if it doesn't have the miles. The traction battery needs to be charged from time to time, and if the car sat for long periods of time without use, there will be a certain amount of degradation. Depending on the type of gas that's been stored in the tank, there's a possibility that it could have broken down some.

If you want to get rid of the car, take your time to sell it and don't trade it in. It will be like giving it away. I wouldn't do that if I were you, but I know from personal experience selling a used car can be a pain in the nice person. Make someone pay you for the low miles. At least find a college student, young person just starting out in ther lives within your family to sell the car to for what the dealer would give you in trade. Maybe put it on a schedule to drive it 50-100 miles at least once every other month.

 

I say get an independent to do the coolant flushes and an oil change. Those are worth doing now.

Skip the spark plugs and transmission oil for now.

Overall the Prius doesn't age terribly well, regardless of the miles you (don't) put on it.

The economics underpinning the price of any used car tends to break down at age 15 because banks won't write used auto loans on cars that old. That's when the prices you can get really fall down, regardless of condition. So even if you keep it for now, it's time to make a plan.

If you're comfortable with buying another car now, go for it. The economics of doing so are not likely to improve between now and your car's 15th birthday.

 

This one is very telling. If I had a dealership style lift, I'd for sure have it done in under an hour. It's no more complicated than an oil change, and the 4 quarts of Toyota ATF WS plus replacement drain/fill bolt washers retail for about $50 USD. $100 USD for this service would be more than fair.

 

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i would follow the time interval in the maintenance schedule. no point in trading a garage queen, ignore the egr until 50k.
if you do trade, get a regular gasser, the hybrid isn't saving you anything at that mileage