Toyota Prius Problems

EXPERIENCE says replacing the battery pack is a rare event. Toyota says the battery lasts the life of the car, and they have sold only two replacements since the Prius was launched in 2001. In that time they've sold 10,000 cars, The two that were sold were for taxis with high mileages in Queensland. The cost is $3940, including fitting.

BUYING from auction leaves you little room to move if something goes wrong. It's a ``buyer beware'' scenario, and unfortunately you didn't show enough caution. The fact that it was a 1999 model -- when Toyota didn't start selling the Prius here until 2001 -- and the price was $10,000 should have tipped you off that something was amiss. Toyota's technical people say the earlier Prius is quite different to the car they sell here, with a different ECU and battery pack. The result is that Toyota dealers don't have the diagnostic equipment to determine what might be wrong with your car. Even though this is a grey import, Toyota is willing to help out if you call their customer hotline.

THE only reason to buy a Prius is to protect the environment, not to cut your running costs. That's because of the purchase price. It would take some time at the mileage you do to recoup the extra money you would pay out to buy the Prius in savings at the fuel pump. Same with the diesel. As a rule of thumb, it generally takes about 70,000km to recoup the extra you pay to buy the diesel over a petrol-fuelled car. The LPG option is probably the best one, because you would recoup the cost of fitting the system within a couple of years.

THE only hassle with the Prius is the purchase price -- it's higher than an equivalent normal petrol-powered car. The Prius uses a normal, but smaller, petrol engine in conjunction with an electric motor, both of which provide the power under certain conditions. There is no need to plug the car in to recharge the batteries, which is taken care of automatically as you drive.