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Is the Toyota Care Plus worth it? Extended warranty?

Discussion in 'Newbie Forum' started by Machsee, Jul 7, 2013.

  1. Machsee

    Machsee New Member

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    I just purchased a 2013 Prius 4 yesterday and also purchased the extended warranty for up to 7 years and also the toyota care for up to 75,000 miles. I'm basically going to be paying 66 dollars a month for 5 years. Do you think it's worth it? I'm buying it out of fear basically but what are the chances of my car breaking down within the next 75,000 miles?
     
  2. rdgrimes

    rdgrimes Senior Member

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    They sell it because it makes money for them. The odds are against you for coming out ahead. The hybrid system and power train already has a substantial warranty, so you're protecting yourself against other things like what's in and under the dash. You have to decide if its worth it to give you peace of mind, to me its not. My last Toyota didn't cost me anything at all in repairs in 6 years. The one before that I paid for extended warranty and came out slightly ahead.

    The pre-paid maintenance is free for the 1st 2 years. Look closely at the scheduled maintenance for the following 5 years and you'll see its not much. Basically you're just paying up front for the maintenance on that schedule.
     
  3. VicVinegar

    VicVinegar Member

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    I wouldn't bother. I've exhaustively researched cars for my wife and I in the past couple years. The Prius is rated well for reliability everywhere you look.

    I've used forums like this as a part of each research project. I looked at Toyota Highlanders, Honda Pilots, Acura MDX, and Subaru Outbacks for my wife. The Prius, Civic, and Mazda 3 for me here recently. Typically when you come to a forum, even for cars generally considered reliable like the Highlander and Pilot, it is littered with people who join simply to post the "My Tucker has only 50k miles on it and the transmission blew out and now Tucker Motors won't help me out at all!!!". I don't see that here on PriusChat. Maybe the mods delete all of them in a grand Toyota sponsored cover up, but I don't think so. To me, that says something about the overall reliability of these things.
     
  4. Munpot42

    Munpot42 Senior Member

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    In a word, NO! Back out of those extras and get your money back.
     
  5. Machsee

    Machsee New Member

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    Unfortunately we agreed upon it when leaving last night, do you think it's possible to take it back?
     
  6. mikefocke

    mikefocke Prius v Three 2012, Avalon 2011

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    Think of all the people who make money off of selling you all these warranties. You want to subsidize them? I haven't over a lifetime and I'm way way way ahead.
     
  7. rdgrimes

    rdgrimes Senior Member

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    They won't if you don't ask. ;)
     
    ehh likes this.
  8. richard schumacher

    richard schumacher shortbus driver

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    If you are in the US, yes, they have to refund it within the first few days. Don't let them talk to out of it. Be firm. If they delay you until the clock runs out you're stuck.

    Next time you buy a new car don't give in to any of the crap they try to sell at the last minute: pinstriping, paint sealant, upholstery protectant, rustproofing, and especially extended warranties. All of these are Christmas gifts to the dealer. They should send flowers, candy and dancing girls to everyone who buys them.
     
    Nora likes this.
  9. -1-

    -1- Don

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    :)I'm not a extended warranty expert. Some cars would warrant a extended warranty more than others. Toyota overall, and Prius in particular don't necessarily. I've been fascinated with hybrids since their inception. Only recently did I decide to purchase. I narrowed my choice down to one car quickly, based on reliability and longevity.
     
  10. eliotb

    eliotb Junior Member

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    My two cents is to cancel and get your money back. The dealer wouldn't see it if they weren't making money on it. It's just an insurance policy. The only car I had one on was my '89 Jag xj6, and it was a hedge as a first-time owner. It was a good decision because that was a terrible year and the car was a maintenance pig. However, Toyota's reputation of building cars that last without killer breakdowns is well-known. Just maintain it regularly and you'll be bucks ahead.
     
  11. AshleyBee

    AshleyBee New Member

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    Cancel it for sure! They talked me into the extended warranty when I bought my car last year. I felt weird about it, so I came home and researched. One of the first google results was a Prius Chat discussion about what a huge ripoff it is! I also found out that you can buy the warranty through dealers online for less than half the price (dealership charged me $1900, found the same warranty from a dealer somewhere in New England for $800ish). Ultimately, I decided to cancel and I didn't even buy the cheaper warranty. Over a year later, I'm very happy with my decision.

    I had to go to the dealership and cancel. They tried to make me think I was making a huge mistake, but I was confident in my research. Be prepared for a guilt trip when you go in, but stay strong!
     
    Machsee likes this.
  12. shrikant_c

    shrikant_c Junior Member

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    I recently purchased a Prius v 5 with ATP. After making the deal, the dealer acquired the car and I went to pick it up. After discussion with the sales person, the finance manager took over and tried to sell us 5 different coverages- among them- a Toyota Extended warranty with money back if you don't use it - deal was only good for the day at $2495 for 8 yrs, 100K miles. I talked them to extending that offer for another day while I thought about it. Decided that the money back feature was adding significant cost because same dealer was giving the regular extended warranty for $1700. If I chose the latter, I did not have to even purchase now, because one can get the same warranty coverage until the original warranty runs out. So I did not buy.

    I still have my 2010 Prius IV, and it will go out of warranty in a month (about 35.8K miles in 35 months). I expect to drive that car well less than 10K miles a year. I could get the Toyota 6 year 75K Platinum warranty for about $955 as per the best offer from another dealer. Wonder if that would be worth it...
     
  13. crystal snodgrass

    crystal snodgrass New Member

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    How do you find the best price for the extended warranty? I am looking at buying a 2008 with 26k miles on it. The dealer wants to charge me $2574 for 60k additional miles. Seems steep to me...
     
  14. Joe1987

    Joe1987 Cheyenne Joe

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    Be careful of extended warranties, especially if they are based on years of coverage. The years start when the car was manufactured not when you purchased the warranty. For example, if you purchase a 2008 Prius and a 7 year warranty you may only have 1 year left of coverage. I purchased a 7 year warranty for my 2006 when I purchased it in April 2009 and on January 1st, 2013 the warranty expired. I only got 3 years of coverage for my "7 year warranty". They didn't mention that when I was signing up. I'll never buy extended warranty again!
    Fool me once, etc...
     
  15. WildOne

    WildOne Junior Member

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    Is it from manufacture date or model year introduction?

    Mine was manufactured in February 2013...
     
  16. Joe1987

    Joe1987 Cheyenne Joe

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    The dealer told me it was from the model year after the warranty expired. Purchased what I thought was a 7 year warranty coverage for my 2006 Prius, in April of 2009 for a little over $1000. But as soon as January 2013 arrived the warranty ended. 2006 plus 7 years equals 2013.
     
  17. ehh

    ehh New Member

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    --sorry, what pre-aid maintenance are you referring to?
     
  18. ehh

    ehh New Member

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    --The Carmax I'd be buying from informed about that warranty and date of manufacture, and pointed out I'd have to figure out how many miles I'd drive each year for the 6 years of coverage to find out the best deal for me. But given others' responses here re the quality of the hybrid product and parts, it sounds like the warranty is not needed regardless.
     
  19. MPGnutcase

    MPGnutcase Active Member

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    Dealer quoted me 7yrs for $1400...............I never buy EW
     
  20. ehh

    ehh New Member

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    same here. Just wondering if Toyota will fix any major problems under their warranty (electrical system failures, etc). Need to review the docs once more.