We've been thinking about buying a Prius for a while - a month or two ago I posted here about what type of mileage I might expect to get on my extreme commute. With that re-assurance and after test driving a Prius, (back to back with a new Honda Fit) we decided to table the idea of buying a new car. On Thursday I finally got around to having someone read the codes on the Honda Fit that was causing the check engine light to come on occasionally. I had been expecting to see it call out one or both of the O2 sensors. It was quite a shock when I started to research the code and found out that there was a very good possibility that I was going to have to replace the catalytic converter along with the two sensors. Figured it was not worth doing a $2,000 repair on a car that has 270,000 miles on it. So this morning we'll be (hopefully) picking up a new Prius IV - love the idea of heated seats, but scared stiff as this will be the most expensive car I've ever bought. Been a bit of a whirlwind 2 days, going from fixing the Fit and keeping it for another 6 months or more (pre-code thought) to buying a new car. I'm excited to be joining the Prius owners group now.
Are you using your Fit as a trade? If so, the codes will still be an issue. What year's your current Fit? Any chance the problem is still warrantied? You will be getting into a very nice car with the Prius, same hatch format, versatile carrying capacity, and of course excellent mileage. If you're worried about the price you could drop down a level or two. I wouldn't make this a panic decision, ie: I have to buy now, my current car is hooped. This will lower your odds of getting a good price on the new purchase: salespeople can smell desperation. And if you're up-front with them about the pending repair that will drop the trade-in value. In short: I'd resolve the problems with the Fit first, it's (I hate this expression) win-win.
Good luck with the decision... never an easy one. Though I remember buying the Prius as a very peaceful processes.
You may have missed the part about the Fit having 270K miles. The only way the OP is going to have a decent trade-in value is to go to one of those dealers that advertises "Push, pull, or drag your car here for a minimum $2000 trade."
Wow...270,000 miles on a Honda Fit. My guess is you are probably wise to make a change. I own a Honda Fit and think it's a great vehicle, but when you have reached the level of miles you have reached, unless you realize that significant repairs are constantly possible, and are willing to accept that reality, then a newer vehicle can be a good choice. If you put large amount of miles on your vehicle then a Prius is a good choice. You'll probably enjoy driving a vehicle classified as a Mid-Size that will return BETTER gas mileage than the sub-compact Fit. With 270,000 miles I think leveraging for "top dollar" for your trade is going to be near impossible. How much would just replacing the oxygen sensors cost? If it was a cheap enough gamble, I might try just replacing them and seeing if the code went away. Then you could possibly sell the vehicle for a "little" more OR private party. Otherwise, you just have to classify the Fit as "spent" and move on...
I did it, there's a lovely blue Prius IV in my driveway. It was sad saying goodbye to the Fit, it's been an excellent car, and we had been seriously considering getting another one. But the Prius 4 is a huge set-up in class and luxury for us, it only took 10 miles on a SoCal freeway before we put aside our sadness and became completely delighted. We had considered doing the O2 sensors first but it would have been close to $500 for both. The car needed a major service also, so I was going to put a fair amount into it, with no assurance that the repairs would have fixed the problem. This was the second fairly major repair in 6 months (the AC quit working and needed a new compressor), so it was time. I wasn't unhappy about what they gave me for a trade-in. I could have sold it for a bit more myself as-is, but the amount wasn't enough to compensate me for the hassle of running an ad, showing the car, answering the phone, getting the car detailed so that it would look sharp, etc. Figured the most I would feel comfortable selling the Fit for would be $1,500, so the $1,000 the dealer offered was a reasonable offer. I gladly accepted that for a trade-in, wrote a check for a lot more and signed paperwork for a larger still loan.
Thanks! Yes, in many ways getting the $1,000 trade-in was like getting an additional discount. It was very interesting to note my feelings as I considered selling it to someone else - I would have been so honest that I would have scared away any buyer. On the other hand, I once sold a Nissan Hardbody pick-up with 290,000 miles and a completely dead transmission for $1,000 (car had to be towed, it was that dead). So far I am impressed with the gas mileage - filled up at Costco and drove from Bakersfield to above Lebec (elevation gain of 5,000 feet in about 45 miles). The car showed an average for the trip much higher than the Fit would have produced for a round trip - going both up and down. To me that's fantastic, as long as the Prius gives me a bigger mileage gain going down than the hit is going up.
