Prius Four vs. Lexus CT200h Maintenance Costs

If you do your own maintenance then this is a non-issue. Oil changes and air filters are about all these cars want for the first 100k miles. Buy oil wherever you want and buy OEM oil and air filters online for a reasonable price. Or buy aftermarket filters, but make sure they are good quality.

If you plan to go to a dealer for everything then it really depends on the dealer. Overselling and overcharging for maintenance items is nearly universal but some aren't quite as bad as others. If you walk in and just say "give it the 20,000 mile service" then most of them can find at least $300 of extra, unnecessary garbage to do if you let them.

 

I owned a Lexus LS 400 for many years. Lexus dealer service is red carpet treatment but you pay for it. BMW dealer service is expensive and rude. You could take a CT200H to a Toyota dealer for service after warranty expires and probably save. Phone them both and ask the service dept.how much an oil change, an air filter, tire rotation etc. is and you will have a concrete answer.

 

if you get the CT you would have to change your screen name!

 

If you are concern about the maintenance costs, get a Prius.

 

My folks have both a Lexus and a Prius and their local Toyota dealer has been quite aggressive in letting them know that they can handle any repairs to the Lexus and that their hourly labor rate is quite a bit less than Lexus - about 30% less I believe. So far my Mother has been very happy with the service and thrilled with the prices - her only comment was that the Toyota dealer's waiting room had only coffee and a vending machine while Lexus has sandwiches and salads.

On the other hand - I have an 09 and I have not been back to the dealer since I bought it - any of the routine maintenance can be done anywhere. I would go back if there was any hybrid specific repairs needed - I would imagine that would be the case with the CT200 - just about anything could be done by Toyota or an independent shop with Prius experience.

I also think that you might be getting some bad info on maintenance costs for Lexus - while more than a Toyota I don't think that it is 2 or 3 times as much, especially on the lower cost models where parts are shared with Toyota models.

 

To echo what others have said, maintaining a Lexus is only more expensive than maintaining a Toyota if you use the dealer. Lexus dealers can be staggeringly expensive. My local dealer charges $120 an hour for labor, an oil change and tire rotation is $240. The service is top shelf and its a very upscale experience, but it is very expensive.

I have a great independent mechanic who was a Lexus master tech for 16 years before opening his own shop. He services the Lexus and the Prius now...at basically the same cost. The Lexus is a little more because it hold more fluids etc when they're changed.

Overall the CT and the Prius will cost the same to maintain if you find a good independent.

 

I pay $100/hr to my Toyota dealer so $120.00 isn't that much of a diff.

 

Which did you get? Any regrets?

 

My girlfriends' parents have a 2002 RX300 AWD that has been going to the Toyota dealer since new. 142,000 on it and still running well.

 

The CT only gets 40 MPG and it has less room than the Prius which gets 50 MPG. Both cars should be just routine maintenance during the warranty period. If you plan on owning the car a decade the Prius will save you more money in gas and repair. The Lexus is a nice car but you pay for the prestige . I used to own a BMW for 7 years, what a money pit, but plenty of compliments on the car. The 2 best days I owned that albatross was the day I bought it and the day I sold it.