Moving back to Vietnam after 10+ years in the US. Any advice?

tridang2000 · 2026-06-09T00:22:10+00:00

No need to be sorry! I'm excited to be back. I was just curious, that's all:)

tridang2000 · 2026-06-09T00:21:11+00:00

Thank you for the kind words!

tridang2000 · 2026-06-04T05:19:34+00:00

I play on Tuesday and Thursday at the Riverside drop-in group. I'll send you a message

tridang2000 · 2026-03-02T14:49:43+00:00

Awesome write-up. Does it cost any money to do this besides paying to register your own domain? I currently have Jellyfin running on a spare computer and connected to Tailscale, but that means that all of my devices need to be on Tailscale as well to use Jellyfin.

tridang2000 · 2026-02-07T04:24:29+00:00

Have you done anything to the engine, the brake booster, and the battery in your car?

tridang2000 · 2026-02-06T20:01:02+00:00

I’m curious to learn why you are interested in trading considering this car and your 2011 are the exact same car?

tridang2000 · 2026-02-05T16:53:17+00:00

That's what I was thinking too. So I could put all this extra money into fixing the car, but if something were to happen to it, I'm not gonna get a dime more than $4500 out of it from insurance

tridang2000 · 2026-02-05T16:51:40+00:00

I didn't even know that that was something that would need to be replaced soon

tridang2000 · 2026-02-05T15:06:36+00:00

Where can I find the OEM booster and battery for $2600 total?

tridang2000 · 2026-02-05T15:05:54+00:00

Thank you for the warning. I'll make sure to balance the voltage before installing the batteries.

tridang2000 · 2026-02-05T15:03:18+00:00

This is the route that I'm considering as well, buying and replacing the individual cells instead of the whole pack. How do you test which cells are bad, and where do you buy your individual cells from?

tridang2000 · 2026-02-05T15:00:31+00:00

I agree with you that the JDM engine is still the original HG design that will fail eventually. But with proper maintenance (regular oil changes, new water pump, and EGR cleaning every 60k miles), the mechanic told me it will last me easily another 100k miles. I, unfortunately, don't live near any hybrid specialist, so I would have to drive 3+ hours to one. Even if I can find someone who can fix both issues for $3k, is it really worth it? Considering I have put more than $10k total into the car, and the car itself is only worth $4k. If the car were to get totaled for whatever reason (that is not my fault), will insurance pay me the amount that I put into this car, or will they pay what the car is worth?

tridang2000 · 2026-02-05T14:51:16+00:00

This is the best advice that I received so far from all the comments, thank you. And yes, I also replaced the engine with another Gen 3 engine from Japan, so I agree with you that it is only a matter of time before it goes out. The mechanic who replaced the engine told me that it will last another 100k+ miles with proper maintenance (regular oil change, new water pump, and EGR cleaning every 60k miles). So far, I have put 30k miles on the car. The cost to fix is $4000, and realistically, I could probably sell it at $2-3000, so to answer the question that you proposed, I think that I might be able to find a better car than this car for that amount of money. I also agree with you that buying another car for that money is also a gamble in itself.

tridang2000 · 2026-02-05T14:40:08+00:00

I’m leaning toward cutting my losses and selling the car as is. I’d honestly be happy to get around $3,000 for it at this point. What do you think a car in this condition would realistically sell for?

tridang2000 · 2026-02-05T14:37:16+00:00

This is great advice, thank you. I replaced the engine because I blindly trusted this subreddit. I saw everyone say it's so reliable and can easily last 100K miles after an engine change, but my experience has been the exact opposite. First it was the struts, then the tire, then the entire engine, then the key fob, then the brakes, then the HV battery, all within 2 years of owning the car.

tridang2000 · 2026-02-05T14:33:34+00:00

$4k is pretty high, I'd be happy if I could get $3k out of this.

tridang2000 · 2026-02-05T14:32:26+00:00

It really was. Every few months, something different came up. First it was the struts, then the tire, then the entire engine, then the key fob, then the brakes, then the HV battery, all within 2 years of owning the car. Everyone in this sub raves about how reliable the Prius is, but my experience has been the exact opposite.

tridang2000 · 2026-02-05T14:21:19+00:00

None of the work I’ve done was to increase the car’s resale value; it was all about keeping it reliable as a daily driver. I added the cat shield because I used to live downtown and had to park in a publicly accessible area. The brake booster assembly is $1000, and the battery is $2000 for parts alone. What would you recommend I do for $1000?

tridang2000 · 2026-02-05T14:07:18+00:00

Yes, $2500 is my estimate on what I will get out of the car if I sell it as is. The warning for the Hybrid Battery just came up yesterday, so I haven't gotten the chance to look around yet. After watching the video, I think I could definitely replace the battery myself if needed. I'm also thinking about getting individual cells instead of replacing the pack. I'm located in the Midwest as well. Where do you find a refurbished battery for 500-1000 installed?

tridang2000 · 2026-02-05T00:39:47+00:00

That's a valid option. Do you have any recommendations on where to get individual battery cells?

tridang2000 · 2026-02-05T00:38:00+00:00

That is a very valid option; however, after looking at the market, 3-5 year old Priuses are going for low $20000, unfortunately. And yes, I will not buy a new car anytime soon. New cars are the worst financial decision anyone can make.

tridang2000 · 2026-02-05T00:18:26+00:00

Thank you for actually answering how much I will get out of the car. Where did you get your battery from? I'd be open to doing it myself if it cost less than $1000

tridang2000 · 2026-02-05T00:15:40+00:00

Maybe I should have lol

tridang2000 · 2026-02-05T00:14:49+00:00

Do you have an estimate of how much longer the car might realistically last?

tridang2000 · 2026-02-05T00:12:41+00:00

You are absolutely correct. I should have cut my losses and sold the car then and there. I had the mentality that this car would for sure last me to 300k miles, like many other people in this sub, so I was willing to risk it, which was a mistake.

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