Used Prius Extended Warranty

congratulations on the car! i just got a used one a couple of weeks ago, what fun. I ended up getting one that's still within the original warranty period but i looked at some that weren't, and this led to researching used car warranties on the web a little bit.

I read the info on this link

EXTENDED WARRANTIES HOW TO BUY AN AUTO EXTENDED WARRANTY, AVOID SCAMS

I don't know if this is valid info or some kind of elaborate advertisement for the two companies they favor, or both, but they give a lot of detail on what questions to ask when evaluating different plans. They advised skepticism about plans dealers sell, or vigilance.

I've read posts by a couple of people here who said they regretted spending the money on the extended warranty because the maintenance was so inexpensive, and they didn't have major repairs. Good luck in getting the info you need. and enjoy. What color is your 'new' Prius?

 

Congrats on buying a prius

As for the extended warranties, its up you.

 

turn the warranty down. if you would of bought a new car you could of gotten that 7 year 100,000 warranty for like 1055.00 something

your paying double for less coverage

keep the 2600 in the bank and save in case your battery or catalytic converter needs replacement

if it was a new car, i would of suggested buying the extended from prius chat 100 %

but a used car with 81,000, nah

 

I would agree w/ rigormortis - bank the $, add to it occasionally, build a bit of a nest egg until you need it. Congrats on the purchase - yes, you'll love it

 

I got a used Prius with 28,000 on it, still under the Toyota warranty. Does it make sense to get an extended warranty in this situation?

What is the disadvantage to getting an extended warranty with a used car, compared to a new one?

The cost? I bought my last car, an Accord, with 80,000 miles on it. The car came with an extended warranty, a previous owner had bought it. I used it twice i think, once for the stereo speakers (Bose system) and something else minor, or maybe it was that i had to have the speakers worked on twice, because the first time, they didn't diagnose the problem and it didn't get fixed. Anyway, it was great, i didn't get charged for anything, they just billed the warranty company. The warranty was good for a year and a half after i got the car. But other than that fairly minor repair, i never needed it. The car now has 166,000 and has been trouble free. It doesn't even have a single rattle.

With cars like Hondas and Toyotas, they do tend to be pretty trouble free if maintained. Now, they don't even need tune ups. I was told by the Toyota service manager that at 30,000 miles, which will be my first scheduled maintenance since getting the car, it will need the major service, and that this costs about $330. On the Honda, the major service was closer to $500. He said the minor service is $90 and the intermediate is about $160. I think those prices are comparable to the Honda.

 

I would skip the extended warranty completely. You are just banking on your car breaking and 9 times out of 10 the aftermarket warranty company will find some loophole and completely avoid paying out. The way it looks now since some of the 2nd gen cars are getting some age and miles on them is that they are rock solid and reliable.

 

Skip it. There are few individual warranty items that cost that much. You're better off banking that sum and earning interest until one might come up.

But by any means get copies of the Owner's Manual and Scheduled Maintenance Guide (two separate documents by Toyota, not the dealer, specific to the Prius). Unlike an aftermarket warranty these *will* save you bother and expense. They should come with the car, but if they are missing, buy them, either from the dealer or online.

 

What are you planning on having done at 30000 miles? Look for Galaxee's list of what you need & what you don't. At almost 36000 miles all I've done are oil & filter changes.

 

What JimN wrote. The 30K work on a Prius is an oil change and some inspections. If a dealer wants to charge you $330 you must be buying the *dealer's* "30K service", not Toyota's recommended service items for the Prius. Take the Scheduled Maintenance Guide to the dealer, show the appropriate page to the service writer, and buy those items and nothing else.

 

On the 30K page, it says

replace engine oil and oil filter
replace cabin air filter
replace engine air filter
rotate tires

It lists 13 items to be inspected.

It says under special conditions of dusty or dirt roads, to tighten nuts and bolts on chassis.

I don't think i drive on dusty or dirt roads--i drive mostly on the freeways of LA, and residential streets which are paved. But i was shocked when the dealer looked under the hood at my air filter to see dust and dirt everywhere on the engine, thick. My Accord's engine always looked clean, driving the same roads. I don't understand why the Prius is so dirty under the hood. It was clean when i bought it and dirty after only a few days of driving. ?

Is there some kind of special brush to wipe it off with once a week or something? The Service guy was not at all alarmed.

Just before i got it, at just under 29,000 miles, i had a Triple A Inspection by a Toyota dealer. I have a document that lists all the things they checked and shows all to be OK, except recommending tire replacement, though not immediately, there was usable tread left which was documented. That inspection cost $89, without replacing or repairing anything. I wonder if it would cancel the need for those 13 item inspections on the 30K.

If the 30K is another minor service like the others, he said minor services were $90, if nothing needs to be repaired. Would they charge $300 just for all those inspections?

I would not have the tires rotated at 30K because i just got new tires, and the warranty on them gives lifetime free rotation, at Discount Tire. But i do just want to have documentation of everything that's done. If it doesn't cost that much, maybe i should have them rotated at 30K anyway, to have it on the same schedule as everything else--easier to remember.

About the Toyota extended warranty, I think my car is eligible even though i got it used. that's what i've been told, including by the Toyota service advisor, as long as it's before 36k/3 years. If i can get that for about $1000, would that be prudent to have?

The previous owner had a Toyota Platinum service agreement warranty, but the car went through a used car dealer briefly before it got to me. The dealer offered to sell me an extended warranty. But if I contact the previous owner and find that he never cancelled the warranty, maybe he can sign it over to me?

It's such a pleasure to read the Scheduled Maintenance book and see how little is required. No replacing of spark plugs until 120K miles--and because i'm in CA, for some reason, spark plugs are not required to be replaced until 150K.

Thanks for point out to me how little is needed in the way of maintenance/cost. I don't remember what the advisor listed when describing the $300 major service, but i think it included something to do with the brakes, typical stuff that i probably had done on the Honda. Replacing hoses or something--but i don't know. My brain has been on overload, trying to learn about the Prius.

Speaking of brakes, i love the brakes on my car, best brakes i've ever had, they are so sensitive and powerful. A+

 

Ehh, OK, OK, I oversimplified.

It is easy to change the cabin air filter and the engine air filter yourself if you wish, and save maybe $10 or $20 labor on each. One can even simply vacuum or wash the cabin air filter and replace it a few times (but *don't* do that with the engine air filter).

I didn't buy any extended warranty for mine, new. I can see the appeal of getting one for a used car, especially for less than $1K and especially if you have any questions about how well it was maintained (was the engine compartment that dirty when you got it? Does it look like city dirt, or country dirt? Mine has slowly gotten grimy over nearly five years of city driving).