Hey all,
I'm looking at getting a new used car. Wondering what everyone thought about the Prius C vs a Yaris/Corolla?
I'm looking at second hand, <60,000km, $10-15k. This would be something like Used Prius C vs Newer Yaris / Used Corolla.
I'm leaning towards Prius, but being hybrid not sure if there's things I should be aware of, especially if it's a 2012/13 model.
what will happen when battery start to fail?can you still drive it?
As long as there is enough charge for the petrol engine to start, the only issue will be that the electric engine won't kick on when it should = higher petrol usage.
Bear in mind the electric engine will kick on less and less as your battery slowly loses it's ability to hold charge. This means a 15-30 min test drive won't really give you an indication of how much life is left in the battery.
The Prius has a separate starter battery. Even if the NiMH battery is completely dead you can still drive the car.
The Prius uses the HV battery for starting. The auxiliary 12V battery is for vehicle electrics such as lighting, wipers, audio etc. and to power ECUs.
Thanks, I don't mind so much about power, it's just getting from A to B reliably for one person, and maybe a dog.
Compared to petrol a much newer technology, so good to hear reliable.
I'll look at the model you mentioned, sounds like worth the extra coin.
My father has a 2013 Prius C and is very pleased with the vehicle. Burns an average of 3.5L/100km in urban driving. Very reliable with no warranty fixes at all. The car is surprisingly peppy with plenty of go if you're enthusiastic on the accelerator. The engine is smaller than the regular Prius but it's also a much lighter car. Battery is still in excellent condition.
Priuses are remarkably reliable for such a complex vehicle. When the battery does start to wear out the entire unit is not replaced: you get the blades that have gone bad repacked with new cells and tested for a fraction of Toyota's asking price.
how much to replace?
Corolla hybrid shits over the prius c
Bigger engine, more roomy, and probably better resale from a more recognised badge
Oopts they're 2016+ so over $20k
Might drop a bit now anyhow with the new gen model out.
Prius c runs the old 2nd gen (2003-2009) Prius 1NZ-FXE 1.5 litre drivetrain and isn't remarkably powerful. What will you be using the vehicle for? I used to drive one as a demo when I worked with Toyota, but found it very limited on space.
Have you looked at a Prius as well? There's an 2011 i-Tech down your way with a few more km and a little over your budget (talk them down). A lot more space, plus the i-Tech has some nice fruit like radar cruise, remote A/C, solar roof for cooling when parked, IPA parking, HUD and other stuff the Prius-c misses out on. In particular, the 2ZR-FXE 1.8 litre has a lot more get up and go.
HV battery warranty is 8 years, so will be nearing that. But generally they're pretty bulletproof, and there's plenty of Prius and Camry Hybrid being used as taxis now clocking up lots of kms with little to no drama.