Don't feel bad. I did the same thing! My prius was the first car I have bought off a dealer and I had no idea that I could/should haggle the prices down for the maintenance program and extended warranty. My dealer also told me that I "had" to buy the platinum warranty the day the car was bought and through them or it wasn't available. Both lies obviously. I canceled both contracts through the dealer and went through Troy (who was awesome and very nice). I saved over 2K!! Thankyou PriusChat for the knowledge!
OK, I really appreciate the advice, warnings regarding aftermarket warranty plans, etc. I learned through these postings where I can get a platinum warranty, 100,000 miles for my 2010 III for $1055, instead of what my dealer wants to charge. I'm not reading though, about owners experiences in having to tap their warranties for their 2009-2010 Priuses. What's been the experience in "using" the warranty. Any help would be appreciated. For me, answering this question gets to the probability of use and therefore cost/benefit. Thanks all.
First of all, get the 125k. 100-125k is likely when a lot more failures will occur. Most Gen III are still under warranty right now but some are starting to expire. I think the next 12 months will tell us more about the failure patterns on these cars. However, most cars tend to be fairly solid up until the 75k point (or so) so it may take another 1-2 years before we really know for sure.
We already have a pretty good idea of Gen III's long-term reliability, by looking at Gen II's data. Contrary to popular belief, the Gen III isn't "significantly more complicated/advanced" than the Gen II.
Right, but it is different, and in some instances for the better. Without the coolant heat storage pump that makes cooling system service easier and eliminates another failure point. The Gen II was fairly average in reliability, IMO, but the failures were fairly predictable. It was usually the same issues-- left axle seal, engine water pump, inverter water pump, MFD, etc. Not inexpensive, but not bank breaking either.