should I purchase the 3 yr/30k mile warranty on a used 2007 prius?

hi everyone,

I'm been dipping into this forum these last couple of months as I've been debating whether or not to purchase a used prius, but now that I have (hooray!), I'd like to ask what people think about the dealer warranty?

the car is a 2007 package 5 with 104,800 miles on it, single owner, immaculately maintained, with full service records from the dealer. it was a trade in and beautifully reconditioned -- looks like it just rolled off the showroom floor!

dealer has a free 3 mo/3000 mile warranty on it now, but finance guy scared me into buying the extended warranty for $1725 for 3 years/30k miles, citing the age of the car and the miles on it. I have 30 days to cancel if I change my mind.

so I found laguy's thread and the consensus seems to be this car is super reliable and probably wouldn't need it, but then for peace of mind at $20/mo, it might be worth it. should I spend the money and take it to a mechanic to look it over before I decide? I imagine when the dealer reconditioned it, it passed the 150 point inspection and they fixed anything that needed fixing. I probably should look over the fine print, as someone mentioned the hybrid battery was NOT included in the warranty!

any insight or feedback would be greatly appreciated. very excited to finally own a prius!

 

hi hi! many thanks for your reply!

are you the original owner of your prius? I plan on driving very little (maybe 1000 miles/yr max), as I only live 2.5 miles from work... I'm hoping with good maintenance this little car will get me through the next 16 years, as my '92 acura integra did before it got stolen a few months ago. my biggest fear is that something will go kerplooey on my watch and I'll be kicking myself for not having protected myself. at this point in the car's life, do you think anything big that might have happened would have by now? or will it be a slow decline from here?

 

thanks for all the advice, everyone -- a resounding NO to the warranty it is then! I'll call the dealer tomorrow and cancel.
I guess it all boils down to how comfortable one is with risk and weighing the chances of something breaking down vs. the cost to fix it...
any statisticians in the group??

 

oh good, I'm glad I wasn't the only one who caved under pressure! after 4 hours of negotiating at the dealership, I was in no position to make any sound decisions; just wanted to get out of there (with the car, of course)! and better to say yes then and cancel later than to sign up later after having to pay out of pocket for an inspection. boy, they sure know how to get you!

priusguy32 -- thanks for the truedelta tip -- wow, goldmine of info! i had no idea this website existed. looks like only 10% of all repairs on a 2007 cost over $1000, with over half under $500. a real eye opener!

guess we don't need nate silver to do the math on this one.

 

y'all just keep reassuring me that apple likely won't need any (major) work for another 100k miles -- that'll be peace of mind enough.

 

good to know, grandpaD! now I'm *really* glad I cancelled the warranty!