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36K warranty

Discussion in 'Newbie Forum' started by greenteechur, Mar 12, 2009.

  1. greenteechur

    greenteechur New Member

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    Two weeks ago I purchased my wonderful used Prius (an 08 that was reposessed). It is currently sitting at 35K - I realize that's a LOT of miles, but it was a great deal! I'm getting a little worried about getting to the end of my warranty. I was thinking about purchasing an extended warranty - but my husband is against it. He's even worried that if I take it to the dealership to have a certified mechanic look at it... that they won't tell me anything, so that they can make money off us in one thousand miles. (Can you tell that he has issues with mechanics and dealerships that offer warranties??)

    Is there anything in particular that I should be looking for or listening for that might go wrong before this warranty is OVER!?!?

    Thanks in advance for all of your Pruisness wisdom!
     
  2. dogfriend

    dogfriend Human - Animal Hybrid

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  3. CharlesJ

    CharlesJ Member

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  4. dogfriend

    dogfriend Human - Animal Hybrid

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    Unfortunately, the link is dead.(I didn't test it before). Maybe you could contact the warrantyshack and find out if they offer anything for used vehicles?
     
  5. greenteechur

    greenteechur New Member

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    When I bought it from the dealership they told me that the Toyota warranty was transferrable - even though I was buying it used.
     
  6. qbee42

    qbee42 My other car is a boat

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    36,000 miles is not a lot of miles for a Prius. Most owners don't even replace the brakes and plugs until 100,000 miles.

    Extended warranties are a form of insurance. As a group, the buyers of extended warranties always pay more money than the non-buyers, as they are collectively paying for the maintenance cost plus the cost and profit of the insurance company. Collectively you always lose out with an extended warranty.

    Individually you may do better, if you are lucky, or more correctly, unlucky. If something big fails on your car the warranty will be a good thing if the item is covered.

    So here is what you have to ask yourself: How well can I afford to shell out some bucks if the car breaks? If your answer is that you can afford it (you don't have to like it) without starving or losing your house, then it is financially more sound to self insure.

    The Prius has some expensive parts, but then an automatic transmission isn't exactly cheap on a normal car. It's your money and your peace of mind. I don't buy extended warranties, but ultimately you have to make the decision and live with the consequences.

    Tom
     
  7. firepa63

    firepa63 Former Prius Owner

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    Contact Troy at Welcome to WarrantyShack! | WarrantyShack. I'm pretty sure you can buy an extended warranty even if you bought the car used as long as it's still within the 36 mo/36K mile original warranty.
     
  8. usbseawolf2000

    usbseawolf2000 HSD PhD

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    35k miles in a year is most definitely highway miles. Highway miles do not tax the engine or the battery. I would not worry.

    I drive 30k miles a year, with 90k on my 06 it drives like it is new. The brakes are as responsive as when I bought it. I don't have to press the brake pedal lower due to pad wear. In fact, I have not change my brake pads. The last time I checked at 75k miles, it still had 80-90% remaining.
     
  9. richard schumacher

    richard schumacher shortbus driver

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    Did you have a certified Prius tech check out the car thoroughly before buying it? If not I'd say do that soon. There's no way to be absolutely certain about the history of any used car, and there can be a lot of things wrong with a Prius that went unfixed.

    Ditto qbee42. Take the cost of an extended warranty and put it in the bank to earn interest for you.
     
  10. greenteechur

    greenteechur New Member

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    Thanks for ALL your input! I'm feeling better :)