Couple of Prius Questions...

3 ys/36,000

any gas

 

tell them you can get an extended warranty much cheaper from a third party and it is just as good. let them make an offer on price if you want the extended... (you can get the warranty on here for $990) I was able to haggle the price down on the warranty under that...

as for the gas, just go for 87 octane (regular). it tends to work best... however there are those that will say that higher octane will give them better mileage. to each their own, i suppose. as for brand name, it's all the same oil that comes down the pipeline, it's just a matter of what additives each company puts in.

and, as always, don't be afraid to use the search tool as both of these topics have been hashed and re-hashed over and over...

 

Get the Warranty here - support Prius Chat and not the dealer who tried to scam you in the first place. Same warranty - better price - support the site where you've gained useful information.

and the gas comment - a total scam. I bet if you check the local Toyota is the same owner as the local Shell - both franchises.

 

In my opinion, extended warranties are a ripoff and benefit mostly the dealer or the outfit that sells 'em. Granted, you'll find people who did come out ahead by getting the warranty, but most people simply gave the dealer another 1200 bucks...Sears is among the worst for peddling extended warranties.

Look at the standard warranty: your car is covered completely for 3/36k. Your drivetrain for 8/80k (or is it 100k?). AND, it's a Toyota with legendary quality construction. The Prius has scored among the very highest in reliability, satisfaction and value in Consumer Reports for the last four years. This isn't your father's Yugo.

Consumer Reports think extended warranties are a waste of money.

If after mulling this over, you still think you want to do the extended warranty thing, you can find it cheaper than 1200 bucks. Check Priuschat Search function and you'll get more info.

By the way, you have until the expiration of the original 3/36 warranty to purchase an extended warranty. Don't let the dealer scare you into spending money you don't need to spend. The dealer can get his boat payment from someone else.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Jaibyrd @ Aug 8 2007, 10:01 PM) [snapback]492759[/snapback]</div>

Welcome, fellow enlightened driver.

1. Save your money. If the warranty is a good deal for the buyer then the car is a POS to be avoided, IMO.
2. I switched to Shell when I got their MasterCard. With the 5% discount their gas is the cheapest. There is a sign up bonus. Just stop at a station & pick up an application.

There are many threads debating your questions so I won't go into further detail. Although you didn't ask, here are my "next to free" tips for higher mpg & happiness.

1. Inflate your tires. They are delivered soft. Many go to 42/40. I run the Integrities at 45psi.
2. Go to the home improvement store and buy some pipe insulation to block your upper grill now and your lower grill when it gets cool in the Fall.
3. Fire Engineer recommends an EBH all year. Buy it here & now while it is on sale.
4. IMO the paint scratches & chips easily and the primer is white. Get some 3M or Venture Shield plastic on the nose and the top of the rear bumper. Some have the black rubber strips on the bumpers which also look good.

 

I wouldn't be too picky on gas, though I would make sure that it has built-in EFI cleaners, like Shell does.

Stay away from cut-rate stations. I stayed away from them with my previous cars, too! It only takes one tank full of water to teach me a lesson

I got worse mileage with cut-rate gas, in my other vehicles, as well.
Only Shell for my baby... and, I use the same pump, to regulate the amount of gas I can pump in.

 

I have been trying to figure out if shell helps but by the time I have to buy gas I usually loose track or the receits are burned & unreadable from sitting on the dash.

I can tell you that 10% ethanol, which is what they use here in the winter, decreases mpg, all brands. The same for my previous legacy car. Perhaps we should switch to 100% ethanol, like Nascar?

 

The extended Toyota warranty (doubles the B-2-B to six years.) my wife's grandfather had purchased on his Prius has a money back guarantee if it is never used. He paid about $800 in Oct '05. But once he transferred it to us when we bought his car, that money back guarantee no longer applies. While I'm not bully on extended warranties generally, that sounded like a pretty reasonable deal he would have got for the money had he chosen to keep the car for the full life of the warranty.

I think he's happier with his new Silver Mica Touring, though. And we are loving his old one that has a great warranty should we ever need it.

If you're being offered an official Toyota extended you should check if it comes with the same guarantee. And you should be able to get something good for less.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Jaibyrd @ Aug 8 2007, 10:01 PM) [snapback]492759[/snapback]</div>

Depends on how much mileage you put on each year. I have a 2005 and already have 62,000 miles on it. I commute approx. 200 miles a day. I bought the 100,000 extended warranty. The added value is it is transferable if I sell it. A good re-sale point.

In regards to Gas. All companys buy their gas on the market. It's the additives of each company that's different. I've put gas in my Prius from almost every brand out there in my travels. I have always used 87 octane. Originally I was averaging 52 mpg. However, it has gone down to an average of 49 mpg since the addition of ethanol.