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Should I Buy An Extended Warranty Or New Car Instead?

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Main Forum' started by Mick007, May 13, 2018.

  1. Mick007

    Mick007 New Member

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    Hey Guys,

    I have a 2013 Prius with 74k miles. My warranty ends at 75k miles. My baby runs smooth as I have treated her very well. I went to my local stealership and was quoted for an extended warranty 5 years / 60k miles for $3000. I owe $15k on the car still (4 more years worth of payments)

    The finance manager suggested I purchase a new vehicle instead of spending $3000 on an extended warranty. At first I was irritated with him but then I started to think he might actually be right. I would love to hear your opinions on this situation or some advice please.

    Thank you :)
    --Mick
     
  2. mjoo

    mjoo Senior Member

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    That's an expensive warranty for only 60k. I'd shop around.

    Personally I'd invest that money into preventative maintenance. EGR system and intake cleaning every 70k. Install (and maintain) an oil catch can. Change the "lifetime" transmission fluid ASAP and then every 60k. Early coolant changes are easy to do. This is all stuff the warranty won't cover. With this PM it would be better to invest the rest into lottery tickets or save it for a traction battery around 200k miles.

    Learning and preventing the weak links in your car is one reason for the PC forums.

    Pixel XL ?
     
    #2 mjoo, May 13, 2018
    Last edited: May 13, 2018
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  3. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    you have a 10/150 warranty on the hybrid system, so i wouldn't do either. drive and enjoy, relying on toyota quality and reliability.
    all the best!(y)
     
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  4. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    Did you buy it new with an extended warranty on it, or bought it used and purchased separate extended warranty? Did you ever used the extended warranty so far? A new Prius comes with 3 years/36K warranty with exception of the hybrid battery 8 years/100K (but as @bisco pointed out in CA it is covered 10 years/15K). If you know the service history of the car and have not had any problem, I would not spend extra $3K for another 5 year of coverage. It should be good to go as long as you do regular maintenance.
     
  5. Mick007

    Mick007 New Member

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    I leased it new, then financed it and at that time bought the Toyota extra care platinum warranty for it up to 75k.
    About a year ago one of the batteries had a defective block? Warranty covered it and they replaced the entire thing for free.
    I really take care of the car - all regular and routine maintenance is done at my local Toyota dealership and I drive it softly.
    IMO the car still feels strong and my gut feeling is that it won't have any major issues anytime soon.

    I appreciate everyone's help/advice :)
    Sounds like I may just skip out on the extended warranty.
     
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  6. MelonPrius

    MelonPrius Senior Member

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    Is this a Toyota warranty? The reason why it seems so expensive is because you're getting coverage in years 9 and 10- which is something I haven't read about on this site. For example, my Toyota Platinum warranty ends after year 8, if my miles are low enough.

    I recently looked up the aging history of my '14 from the auto issue from CR and just about every category was well above average. When you look at 9-10 year old Prii (gen2), they are aging better than just about any other car sold. So, you likely won't use the warranty.
     
  7. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    I would skip it. You had the car from day one and know the service history. BTW, premature hybrid battery failure and replacement you had on your Prius is very rare, so I hear. Even if you didn't have the extended warranty up to 75K, it should have been covered by the regular warranty. I purchased USED Honda Civic Hybrid many years ago. I knew nothing about the service history of this vehicle, and it was my first hybrid ever. For the concern of costly repair, I did purchase an extended warranty from the dealer on this used vehicle. I can't remember for sure, but it was about $2000 for 3 years 36K miles from the purchase date. For the duration of warranty period, I used it only once, but after $100 deductible I had to pay out of my pocket, the extended warranty only covered $60 for the cost of repair needed. I realized then how expensive the extended warranty was.
     
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  8. Mick007

    Mick007 New Member

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    Thank you :)
     
  9. MelonPrius

    MelonPrius Senior Member

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    Which battery was replaced? Which warranty covered it- the platinum or standard Toyota warranty?
     
  10. Mick007

    Mick007 New Member

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    Yes it is a Toyota Warranty. Thanks for your help :)

    Honestly I am not 100% sure, I believe it was the smaller battery in the back. Sometimes my car wouldn't start up and after a few mins of me praying and doing some voodoo it would magically start. I'm also not sure which warranty covered it but it was free so I didn't complain.

    Gotcha, thanks again!
     
    #10 Mick007, May 13, 2018
    Last edited by a moderator: May 13, 2018
  11. Raytheeagle

    Raytheeagle Senior Member

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    This assumes the OP is the DIY type;).

    But if they are, I’d also add to the list the Prolong equipment as a hv battery maintainer ;).

    Our 2010 with 179 k miles on it runs like new since that investment last year:).

    I have a new RX450h to compare with, so this is more than just subjective ;).

    Might save even more that way(y).
     
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