After much debate, I did it! 2012 Prius (Extended warranty, replacement key)

great choice, you got a keeper! congrats and all the best!

i'm not a warranty guy, but it's a very personal decision, based on comfort level. once in a while, they come in handy, but most of the time, the deck is stacked in favor of the house.

 

Since the vast majority of Pri have no issues until approx 150,000 miles and extended warranty would only cover you for 2 years I would suggest foregoing and lower payment. Beautiful car, by the way. Best of luck!

See if dealer will make you the extra key (it should have come with it) or at least share cost 50/50 at dealer cost.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

A lifetime extended warranty? If you're keeping it for a long time, I don't see why you shouldn't keep it. Congrats on your purchase!

 

I think they owe you another key. It's a Toyota franchise? Talk to the owner, mention "reasonable expectation" and "lawyer". Perhaps also "Toyota USA". And maybe "publicity"?

I mean: did the paperwork say somewhere: "oh by the way, there's only key"? No? Then we're back to "lawyer" and "reasonable expectation".

An extra key through the dealership would retail for two or three hundred.

Skip the warranty, it's just a profit maker for them.

 

Congrats!!

The keys are absurdly expensive and there is no getting around the dealer. I don't think there is any requirement for them to give you an extra key, so I definitely wouldn't go in with guns blazing. I think a polite request that maybe they could sell you a key at cost would go a lot further. After all, that would not really cost them anything.

As for the extended warranty, I'd say definitely punt. These are pretty reliable cars so unless you are so on the edge financially that you couldn't afford a major repair and would be car-less because you couldn't get it repaired, then it really doesn't make much sense. The odds are really high against coming out ahead financially. That's not to say that some people don't do better with the warranty but, then again, someone wins the PowerBall lottery too!

Enjoy!

 

Congrats!
Please update your user profile here with your new ride.

 

Congrats. I purchased my preowned Prius earlier this year and the car came with a Platinum extended warranty- which is what I think you have. That's an 8 year/125k miles warranty. You have the option to sell it back, but it will be less than the prorated value remaining, IIRC. My car is a '14 and I should be able to use the remaining years due to the miles being on the low side. I kept it for a peace of mind against repairs- that, and it came with the car at no additional cost.

The good news is that you'll also be able to use it through the remaining period, since you likely won't go beyond the miles. Since Toyota is willing to buy back the warranty, that told me that it's probably a good deal for the customer. The only possible negative is that you won't be able to transfer this warranty to the next owner, but you said that you plan on keeping the car, so it's not an issue.

For your car, the 3 years from purchase weren't good for the customer- the car was new and it had the new car warranty. The next 2 years were probably relatively safe. The final 3 years (which you are currently entering), are the valuable years to have the warranty. That's your situation and is why I'd keep it.

Make sure you call Toyota's Financial Service, and they'll go over the details on what's not included, the exact months covered, how to transfer the warranty or sell it back. PM me if you need any of their contact info. I believe there is a $50 transfer fee to keep it, and repairs have a $50 deductible. Good luck.

 

That's not an "extra" key, as in a third key. The car comes from the factory with 2 keys, and if they sell it without disclosing the missing key, they're treading in "reasonable expectations" territory, methinks.

Maybe @ColorguardJames can clarify: was it a Toyota dealership?

 

Those things on the list will be serviced/replaced out of your own pocket no matter what on a regular interval basis, so you basically answered your question

You can deffer it and later buy extended warranty from other companies not offered from the dealer also later after 100k mi. Extended car warranty insurance companies are a nightmare though. The actual process of filing claim, honoring their coverage and majority of them are not proactive getting things done, you literally have to remind them to do things for you over the phone over and over.

 

I'm assuming this is a Toyota Financial Services warranty. If so, I'd call them to have them review the details of the warranty. I don't think there's a lifetime, bumper to bumper extended warranty for the Prius offered by Toyota.

 

I would also get confirmation in writing. The only extended warranty I am aware that is issued by Toyota goes to 7 years or 100,000 miles from date vehicle was put in service.

Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.

 

I know of the dealership and have seen the lifetime warranty they offer on their website for all vehicles under 60,000 miles. It looks like a great deal, but it's always worthwhile to read the fine print. I'd sit down with someone and get a really detailed list of what they cover and what they don't (see link to details in post below). Many of the big $$$$ things that can go wrong on the Prius are electrical (battery, inverter, multi-function display, combination meter, etc.), so I'd take special care to check if all those things are covered. I don't think they are.

 

It's not a manufacturer warranty. It's a dealer warranty. Walser Automotive Group

 

Ok they've got you there. Not a good policy though. Bad old days, spare key: about $5.

 

Was the warranty for life cost $2,500?
"This Limited Warranty is included without additional cost as part of the purchase price of the Vehicle."

 

Ok, I see. I was thinking of a conventional bumper to bumper extended warranty. What you have is called, by Walser, a complimentary limited powertrain warranty. This warranty still seems very good, especially if it's included in the price of the car.

Edit: As per your post above, did the dealer toss in the $2,500 warranty for free, or is this something you're considering to purchase for $2,500?