I'm a newbie...Just made a deal I am happy with because of your help. I paid just over 25k for a Blizzard white III thanks to all of you for advice on same, When I get my debit card that I learned about from this site, it will be less than 25k. Now I am wondering about the vehicle protection plan?? Any comments
They're a money maker for the people who sell it to you... Most everyone who buys them never uses them because most all Prius are very reliable... Of course a Prius can rack up a huge repair bill fast if something serious breaks so the protection you buy is definitely more worthwhile than if you were buying a more simple car. And most notable on PriusChat you can meet people who have a quarter-million miles on their Prius with nothing but basic maintenance. I'd suggest putting the extra money you'd pay for extended protection into a bank account and then add a $100 to it every month and if you're one of the less than 5% of owners who end up with a $5K+ repair bill hopefully that account will cover it. Protecting yourself this way is way more wise because more than likely you won't have to spend that money and you'll be able to use it for a down payment on your next car 8 years from now!
You will find many people here that have wasted $2,500 on an extended warranty and another $1,500 on a pre paid maintenance plan. They will defend their purchase to the end. As posted above the Prius and all Toyota cars are extremely reliable. They are rated the highest in the industry. Many people have Gen III Prius’s with over 100,000 miles with zero repairs. Save your money and avoid the purchase of both items. All dealers are scumbags and will tell you lies about the need for an extended warranty.
I was told (by the salesman)that if you don't use the plan, Toyota will return your money to you for the protection plan. That almost sounds too good to be true, doesn't it?
They bank on two things. - People forgetting and never taking the effort to fill out all the paper work to get their money back. - If you have a simple repair like a squeaky door that they spray some WD40 on will be use of the extended warranty. Dealers are scumbags. If you pay for the warranty chances are very high you will not get your money back.
I just bought my second Prius. My 2010 III had almost 48k miles on it. Only took it in for oil changes and tire rotation (still had the original tires on it)! The last servicing included a new air filter. I had 0 complaints and 0 problems with the III. I just decided to move up to a IV and add a few more creature comforts like the built-in nav system, iPod control from the screen, bluetooth audio, solar sunroof, faux leather (which is really comfortable), heated seats (the only reason to look forward to winter) and more. Now, I admit, that's a lot more stuff to break but I'm betting that it won't, based on my experience with the first Prius and the experiences of other Prius owners. I agree with PriusCamper...instead of paying for a warranty, put some money in the bank each month and enjoy your new Prius...I'm certainly enjoyig mine!
