Fit shuttle VS Prius

[Sadeepa Dilhara]

I'm looking for a car for tourism. Fit shuttle or Prius 3rd gen is ideal for me. My shortlist is 2012 fit shuttle or 2010 Prius. Both have approximately 200k in the clock. 

I will use this for another 5 years. Put about another 150-200 k. After 5 years car will probably have 400k.

I want to know what will cost me less in next five years. I think I need one brandnew battery pack, abs unit and a water pump for Prius in next 5 years. I'll change oil every 8000km using fully synthetic oil and transmission, brake fluid etc in every 50000km. 

I don't have much of a idea about shuttle. How is the battery and other components gonna be hold up over time. Does shuttle needs a new gearbox cuz I don't think that belt driven CVT can hold up for 400k . Maybe I'm wrong. I heard that Prius eCVT is bullet proof. Is that true.

What you guys recommend. What are the parts and cost will cost me in next 5 years. 

Thanks 🙏

[iRage]

8 hours ago, Sadeepa Dilhara said:

I heard that Prius eCVT is bullet proof

Not bullet proof but it is quite robust when compared to CVTs of older Hondas (Fit, F/Shuttle, gasoline and Hybrid). But that is not to say that a Honda CVT is just going to break apart ones it hits x kms. With proper maintenance and careful usage it has a probable chance of being trouble free for a long period of time. Same goes with the Hybrid system. It is not that the Honda Hybrid system is bad..it is just that because of how it works when the system components and batteries deteriorate the car tends to get a lot less efficient than the Toyota Hybrid Drive. 

If you want to establish a general baseline then you can do what you have done with the Prius for the Shuttle...find out cost of battery replacement and a CVT unit for a shuttle. 

Now..here is the thing...

What you are asking is a bit of an unfair an unanswerable question. You are looking at 10 to 12 year old cars. How reliable they are now and how much will be needed in terms of repairs/maintenance totally depends on how the car was used and maintained in the past. This includes not just how and the frequency in which the car was serviced but how problems were resolved (parts used, completeness of repairs...remember sometimes the proper way to fix something is to replace quite a few components and not just the single part that is broken, workmanship, etc...).

 

[Sadeepa Dilhara]

12 hours ago, iRage said:

Not bullet proof but it is quite robust when compared to CVTs of older Hondas (Fit, F/Shuttle, gasoline and Hybrid). But that is not to say that a Honda CVT is just going to break apart ones it hits x kms. With proper maintenance and careful usage it has a probable chance of being trouble free for a long period of time. Same goes with the Hybrid system. It is not that the Honda Hybrid system is bad..it is just that because of how it works when the system components and batteries deteriorate the car tends to get a lot less efficient than the Toyota Hybrid Drive. 

If you want to establish a general baseline then you can do what you have done with the Prius for the Shuttle...find out cost of battery replacement and a CVT unit for a shuttle. 

Now..here is the thing...

What you are asking is a bit of an unfair an unanswerable question. You are looking at 10 to 12 year old cars. How reliable they are now and how much will be needed in terms of repairs/maintenance totally depends on how the car was used and maintained in the past. This includes not just how and the frequency in which the car was serviced but how problems were resolved (parts used, completeness of repairs...remember sometimes the proper way to fix something is to replace quite a few components and not just the single part that is broken, workmanship, etc...).

 

Thank you so much..

Any idea about common weak points of fit shuttle. As a example Prius water pump go bad and sometimes end up with blown head gasket. What are the these type of weak points of shuttle. Any idea please. 

 

( I'll only buy a car with full maintenance history. I found few like that. Few gp2 s with full Stafford maintained and few Priuses with Toyota maintained throughout. So I hope that these are not touched by makabaases and doesn't have extensively ignored maintenance)

Edited October 24, 2023 by Sadeepa Dilhara

[matroska]

21 hours ago, Sadeepa Dilhara said:

I want to know what will cost me less in next five years.

Entirely depends on the unit's you lay your hands on so there's always a risk of things not going according to plan.

Personally, now I'm no mechanic neither an expert - but if this was a decision I'd have to take here are some things i'd consider. 

1. Honda batteries specially on the IMA's tend to last longer (at least from my experience/anecdotal evidence ) 

2. The Prius would do better on fuel anyday than the IMA powered GP2. Tourism = long trips. Fuel efficiency might play a big part. 

3. The IMA on GP2 is a rather basic/mild hybrid setup as opposed to a technically far more superior HSD on the prius, while the fuel economy is less I'd say (please don't take me to courts over this) at 10+ years of age the crude/basic IMA would be less complicated/tricky to sort out if something goes wrong. 2007 FD3's are still running fine 16 years later (yes yes FD3 is quite different to GP2yada yada yada yada ...  but the underlying technology is similar and we don't have GP2's that are older than from 2011) 

[matroska]

1 hour ago, Sadeepa Dilhara said:

Any idea about common weak points of fit shuttle

i have actually not heard of any issues : few people i know who bought them almost 10 years ago are happily using them still - and the ones who sold them also sold due to migration. The GP2 of course did not have the well documented oil burn issue of the GP1. (it was only for a specific series of Gp1's that the issue was there). It's a rather basic old school jap car with very little drama. 

[iRage]

1 hour ago, Sadeepa Dilhara said:

Any idea about common weak points of fit shuttle

Just the usual....the CVT can have issues. The AC compressor of a certain period can have issues (causes noise, stops working, etc...), and then as with any other car build up of sludge if oil changes are not done properly and the car is not driven properly (despite what many Sri Lankans believe...the engine not getting rev'd properly, engine not reaching operating temperature, not the temperature shown on the meter..but op temperature, etc...will cause oil to sludge).

Apart from that it is age related things like mirrors not folding smoothly, etc...

Personally....just buy a Prius and finish it up. The Hybrid system is likely to be less efficient in the Shuttle at this age. Although the Shuttle is more engaging to drive it does feel a bit underpowered compared to a Prius in good shape. Also, things like the bumper are very flimsy in the Shuttle. Also, the Prius being a heavier car feels more planted and slightly more comfortable (this helps reduce fatigue on long distances). Also, even in Japan, Honda hybrid components are a tad more expensive than the Toyota components.

So yeah...I never believed I would say this...but perhaps you should be a bit more serious about the Prius. But don't forget....you should get whichever car is in better condition at this point in time.

[Sadeepa Dilhara]

Thank you @iRage @matroska.. for your valuable advices😁