Should I buy an extended warranty?

When I bought my 2009 Gen II in Jan 2014, it had 88k miles on odometer - I bought the Platinum warranty (I think it was ~$2k), but I made sure it specified bumper-to-bumper, and it's a good idea to read (or have your lawyer read) the fine print. The car was well-maintained, had had all the recalls done, and (touch wood) there have been no problems so far (…well, routine stuff like sparking-plugs, tyres, replaced 12V Aux-battery (it was nearly six years old! ) I invested in a Hybrid-Systems Prolong Grid-Charge/Discharge System to maintain the Traction-Battery (see threads passim to learn the whys and wherefores) - hope this helps - Wil
BTW Welcome to PriusChat!

 

I'd just take the money they would've charged you, and put it into a savings account instead. The Prius has proven to be extremely reliable.

So unless you absolutely need peace of mind, you'll probably be fine without the extended warranty.

And in the unlikely event something does break and needs repairs, then you have money in the bank to cover that. Or a nice down payment on a new car if said repair is going to cost more than what the car is worth.

 

I would pass on it. Not worth it.

 

what's the battery warranty in ca?

 

$4400?? Are those more expensive in Canada? That seems like way too much, more than double what I would even consider paying. Maybe because of the refund at the end, I haven't heard of that before.

I like the savings account idea.

 

It better to buy new. This way you have a little be of peace . I had my 2012 Prius for almost 4 yr never had a problem. I put in 107,000 miles.

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c-man,

I had a 2009 Camry hybrid with 291,000 km. No major repairs or battery issues.
The technology is proven, in my opinion.
I would not buy an extended warrantee, if it was me.
If it makes you sleep better at night, and give you some peace of mind, then
it is worth it for you.

My 2013 Prius 2 was bought used with 32,000 km from a Toyota dealer.
It was still under factory warrantee.

Good luck on your decision.

stt

 

I bought 2 cars (out of 19) with extended warranty - and never claimed once. Once I bought the warranty, the other had dealer warranty included "on condition that I service at the dealer". $4450 sounds a lot - I'd skip it altogether, or if I did buy it, I'd negotiate cheaper price. Prius has been rated as one of the most reliable cars on the road, I'd take the risk personally.

 

Not for a Prius unless you can get the 125K one cheap as in real cheap. Like 1-2K from Toyota. No third party stuff.

These have not been problem prone in the past and the stuff that breaks is cheap to fix.
Put 5K in the bank and see if you use any of it.

Bought it for the first 3 Priuses and used them only twice for cheap items. Not a good deal. I think you have a grace period to buy these 1-3 years????? Wait till the votes come in over the next year on how reliable the new model is.

 

The $2000 refund at the end "if you don't have a claim" is a wildly interesting twist.

Would you pay for a few $300 repairs along the way yourself in the hope of getting that $2000 back?

What if you didn't need any repairs until you hit 170,000 miles and then needed $1000 worth of work? Would you pay that out of pocket in the hope that this third party would issue you a refund check a few months later?

 

They are all crooks. Be careful.

Rizzo the rat chewed all the wires under the hood on a Prius in my area. I think insurance paid for that.

 

Extended warranty is great if you need it! have someone that has has technical writing mechanical experience go over all the details/ fine print , some item may not be covered there are thousands of parts and your failed part made not be covered! Example : if a plastic tube fail and was not listed on your extended warranty and took 5 hour labor . Then the warranty is useless! Hard to call on the gen4! There no reliability data on atm

 

Buy the way I have a real dealer that will sell you the Toyota Platinum zero deductible for much less than that but I decided not again. Ever.

If the car is unreliable I will never buy another one. I think Toyota has that figured out.

Do a search at slickdeals.net or this forum. There is a dealer that you can call that is a member of Prius chat but I do not know what he charges. Real deal is much less than 4K.

 

good call i think, especially with the most likely culprit (battery) covered already. all the best!

 

You've already made your decision, but I just wanted to throw this in there. We bought extended warranty on our Honda Pilot with a clause that it was refundable if unused at the end of 7 years. Turned in the paperwork only to find out that the 3rd party underwriter went out of business!!! The local dealer was actually awesome and stood behind the refund by giving us parts/labor credit. (worked out perfectly since we were due for tune up and tires). Going forward the only way I will even consider warranty is if its provided by big known company (ie Toyota, Honda, etc).

 

If spending the money keeps the wife happy, you really need to consider getting the warranty. Not for the sake of the new car, but rather for your sanity.

 

If getting the extended warranty will keep your wife happy, go for it. Not for the new car, but for your own safety.