Should I buy an extended warranty on a used Toyota Prius? 63k

I just bought an 07 Prius with 63k miles.

Should I spend $3200 on a 5 year, 60K miles warranty?

Do Prius's have any problems specific to this model as they get up and over 100k miles?

Thanks

A Prius forum would be the best place to go look really. They are really some enthusiasts who have tons o miles on their cars. They have a design flaw in the headlights that causes the xenon bulbs to burn out early but there are lots of posts/videos on how to fix this yourself. Its about a $60 bulb. Also lots of times extended warranty are not as comprehensive as the original manufacture ones. Know that a car of this that goes past 100k will have service needs, Suspension components may need replacing, fluids flush, Maybe a new timing belt, Water pump maybe (Might not probably electric in this case), spark plugs, etc. Extended Warranties don't usually cover this stuff. It's also not prius specific, its pretty much all cars that hit 100k.

That being said I would treat this like a normal car, if you would normally then maybe, but don't buy one just because this is a hybrid. If it was me I probably would not assuming the car you get checks out well. I have a family member with one of these second gen Prius and its been extremely reliable with no issues other than the headlight flaw.

I'm not certain what you are paying for the car, but 3,200 sounds like it will be around a 30% premium for this warranty. Have you shopped around? The last 2 warranties I bought were from IWS (http://www.iwsgroup.com/default.asp). Bought through my credit union and they were always much cheaper than the dealerships extended warranty offerings.

Are you willing to spend 3 grr for 5 years of "just in case" or "maybe?"

How much do you plan on using this vehicle over that stretch of time?
How many miles do you estimate you'll put on this car, presumably under 60K but how much under 60K?
What do you want the warranty to cover?

Quote from LiquidRetro : A Prius forum would be the best place to go look really. They are really some enthusiasts who have tons o miles on their cars. They have a design flaw in the headlights that causes the xenon bulbs to burn out early but there are lots of posts/videos on how to fix this yourself. Its about a $60 bulb. Also lots of times extended warranty are not as comprehensive as the original manufacture ones. Know that a car of this that goes past 100k will have service needs, Suspension components may need replacing, fluids flush, Maybe a new timing belt, Water pump maybe (Might not probably electric in this case), spark plugs, etc. Extended Warranties don't usually cover this stuff. It's also not prius specific, its pretty much all cars that hit 100k. That being said I would treat this like a normal car, if you would normally then maybe, but don't buy one just because this is a hybrid. If it was me I probably would not assuming the car you get checks out well. I have a family member with one of these second gen Prius and its been extremely reliable with no issues other than the headlight flaw.

Thanks for this great answer. Slickdealers always act like there are other forums that are better than slickdeals' forum....

Thanks for the note about extended warranties not always being equal.

Quote from beefcake78 : I'm not certain what you are paying for the car, but 3,200 sounds like it will be around a 30% premium for this warranty. Have you shopped around? The last 2 warranties I bought were from IWS (http://www.iwsgroup.com/default.asp). Bought through my credit union and they were always much cheaper than the dealerships extended warranty offerings.

I'm getting my loan from my credit union. I'll look at their warranties too. Thanks for the suggestion.

Quote from menace33 : Are you willing to spend 3 grr for 5 years of "just in case" or "maybe?" How much do you plan on using this vehicle over that stretch of time? How many miles do you estimate you'll put on this car, presumably under 60K but how much under 60K? What do you want the warranty to cover?

In order of your questions:
-) Probably not
-) 10-12k a year
-) prob right at 60k
-) Everything which is probably unreasonable

you need to see what is covered specifically your battery
post the actual warranty and you can get some better advice but actual prius forums will be better

Quote from dadoprso : In order of your questions: -) Probably not -) 10-12k a year -) prob right at 60k -) Everything which is probably unreasonable

Honestly, I wouldn't get it. I would get a Carfax report to know its history, if it has one. I'd also check Toyota's website [toyota.com] for recalls for any parts for your particular model. That will give you an idea of possible red flags to come if those recalls have not been acted upon.

Quote from dadoprso : Thanks for this great answer. Slickdealers always act like there are other forums that are better than slickdeals' forum.... Thanks for the note about extended warranties not always being equal. I'm getting my loan from my credit union. I'll look at their warranties too. Thanks for the suggestion. In order of your questions: -) Probably not -) 10-12k a year -) prob right at 60k -) Everything which is probably unreasonable

Quote from komondor : you need to see what is covered specifically your battery post the actual warranty and you can get some better advice but actual prius forums will be better

Batteries have not been a problem with even the first gen cars, so I would not be too worried about replacing them, but it is a good point to see what is covered. My guess is most probably wont provide much coverage since the batteries are quite expensive and something that is expected to wear as the car ages.

I think Komodor understands what I am saying about the prius forum, but for the OP my point is this. Slickdeals is great for deals, other stuff, and general computer advice because the userbase of both windows and apple computers are big here, probably something north of 90% of the users use a windows or mac to come to the site. But how many 2nd gen Prius owners are there on SD? Probably not 90%, probably less than 5% and of those how many of them know their cars enough to actually help you or will see this post? Very very few would be my guess. However the Prius forums like http://priuschat.com/categories/g...-forums.3/ has around 400,000 posts on just this one model in your generation. A fast majority of these people love their Prius, so much so they participate in an online forum to help other, to celebrate their cars, to save money, etc. They are a tremendous resource to leverage, so why would you not take advantage of it? I am not digging on SD at all, there are just sometimes where subject specific forums make more sense than the general ones.

Non-factory extended warranties are actually just insurance policies. Like all insurance, the devil is in the fine print. Read and understand what you will have to do, what is covered and where you will need to get service.

That said, $3200 is a ripoff. For that price, I am guessing they are including the batteries, and also the selling point for the warranty. If that is the case, read VERY carefully what is actually covered in relation to the batteries. I can assure you, like all insurance policies, they warranty company will do everything in its power NOT to pay out on a claim.

Quote from LiquidRetro : A Prius forum would be the best place to go look really. They are really some enthusiasts who have tons o miles on their cars. They have a design flaw in the headlights that causes the xenon bulbs to burn out early but there are lots of posts/videos on how to fix this yourself. Its about a $60 bulb. Also lots of times extended warranty are not as comprehensive as the original manufacture ones. Know that a car of this that goes past 100k will have service needs, Suspension components may need replacing, fluids flush, Maybe a new timing belt, Water pump maybe (Might not probably electric in this case), spark plugs, etc. Extended Warranties don't usually cover this stuff. It's also not prius specific, its pretty much all cars that hit 100k. That being said I would treat this like a normal car, if you would normally then maybe, but don't buy one just because this is a hybrid. If it was me I probably would not assuming the car you get checks out well. I have a family member with one of these second gen Prius and its been extremely reliable with no issues other than the headlight flaw.

The headlight thing was only for the HID equipped ones - I took my wife's into the dealer - at first they told me bulbs are not covered. I spoke to the service manager and he looked at it and said "Only 38,000 miles, I'll take care of them" and they fixed them for free. (i had the 100k extended platinum warranty - bought the car and the warranty from a different dealer as well)

It's not been another 50,000 miles and ZERO problems. It was just a bad batch of the bulbs - Nissan actually got some of the same bulbs.

Toyota actually issued a service bulletin and also received a letter in the mail that if we paid to have them fixed contact Toyota and they would reimburse us.

I have since bought a 2nd Prius and love the stress free quiet and 53mpg commute. My old maxima was getting 18-19mpg.

Quote from dadoprso : I just bought an 07 Prius with 63k miles. Should I spend $3200 on a 5 year, 60K miles warranty? Do Prius's have any problems specific to this model as they get up and over 100k miles? Thanks

Are you buying this from a dealer? If so the warranty price sounds VERY HIGH.

My 2006 Prius - 100k extended platinum 0 deductible was $765 (with tax)

My 2010 Prius - 100k extended platinum 0 deductible was $950 (with tax)

These were both bought within a few months of initial purchase.

I bought my cars from Toyota Dealers in the Philadelphia - but the warranties I purchased from Troy at Greenfield Toyota in Connecticut (yep you can call all the dealers until one gives you a good price. Just fax/fedex some paperwork and you're done).

ABSOLUTELY check the Credit Union - also batteries in some states (pa one of them) for 10 years and 150,000 miles so just an option to read your states laws.

Batteries covered under warranty - not sure how that would work - they could also say they are still working at a certain capacity.

I honestly would skip the warranty - my wife's prius is now at close to 90,000 miles and still have only replaced the bulbs, air filter, oil filter, tires and cabin air filter.

The brakes are still like new - the pads are still THICK when I pull off the wheels. If you are one that goes to the dealer for every detail - this car is going to save you a bunch since oil changes are 1 time a year, and brakes are never (approx 250k they estimate the brakes last).

Quote from Graphikzking : The headlight thing was only for the HID equipped ones - I took my wife's into the dealer - at first they told me bulbs are not covered. I spoke to the service manager and he looked at it and said "Only 38,000 miles, I'll take care of them" and they fixed them for free. (i had the 100k extended platinum warranty - bought the car and the warranty from a different dealer as well) It's not been another 50,000 miles and ZERO problems. It was just a bad batch of the bulbs - Nissan actually got some of the same bulbs. Toyota actually issued a service bulletin and also received a letter in the mail that if we paid to have them fixed contact Toyota and they would reimburse us. I have since bought a 2nd Prius and love the stress free quiet and 53mpg commute. My old maxima was getting 18-19mpg.

There was a defect but I believe it was in the housing design not the bulb itself. You can see this because people have selected other brands of bulbs and are still seeing their 2nd and 3rd low mile failures. See http://green.autoblog.com/2009/06...ht-defect/ and some of the links below.

There have been class action lawsuits, and recalls as a result. The main problem is the labor rate toyota dealers charge to do the job is crazy because the book says to take the front bumper apart, when most actually just reach their hand in and do it. They take a $60 bulb you can buy on amazon and charge $350 for it, then charge $500+ for labor. Crazy.

http://www.greencarreports.com/ne...ius-owners http://www.leftlanenews.com/toyot...ights.html

And a lot more info http://www.priusownersgroup.com/2...-problems/ I think a lot of things have smoothed out now and it's not a reason not to buy one. They are a good car, just don't go in expecting the experience to be engaging or sporty. It's a high MPG aloof people mover.

Quote from LiquidRetro : There was a defect but I believe it was in the housing design not the bulb itself. You can see this because people have selected other brands of bulbs and are still seeing their 2nd and 3rd low mile failures. See http://green.autoblog.com/2009/06...ht-defect/ and some of the links below. There have been class action lawsuits, and recalls as a result. The main problem is the labor rate toyota dealers charge to do the job is crazy because the book says to take the front bumper apart, when most actually just reach their hand in and do it. They take a $60 bulb you can buy on amazon and charge $350 for it, then charge $500+ for labor. Crazy. http://www.greencarreports.com/ne...ius-owners http://www.leftlanenews.com/toyot...ights.html And a lot more info http://www.priusownersgroup.com/2...-problems/ I think a lot of things have smoothed out now and it's not a reason not to buy one. They are a good car, just don't go in expecting the experience to be engaging or sporty. It's a high MPG aloof people mover.

I own the car. I am on the forums all the time. All those articles are 3+ years old. There have been VERY few 2nd occurrences. - BTW - We are talking about a car with 700,000 plus sales in the US from 2005-2008

On the priuschat (where I'm active and lurk even more) - people who had 2nd occurrences - the dealers replaced the MODULES and the owners believe that the dealers put back in the old bulbs.

See the issue was if you turned the lights on/off again usually they would work for an abitrary amount of time. Sometimes days, sometimes minutes, then you would turn them off/on and sometimes work sometimes not.

So when dealers replaced modules or switches or other parts and left the old bulbs in. At least that what many of us have come to the conclusion. Who is right /wrong we don't know for certain and maybe never will but we think we have it solved. It's just getting the dealers to understand now.

Quote from Graphikzking : I own the car. I am on the forums all the time. All those articles are 3+ years old. There have been VERY few 2nd occurrences. - BTW - We are talking about a car with 700,000 plus sales in the US from 2005-2008 On the priuschat (where I'm active and lurk even more) - people who had 2nd occurrences - the dealers replaced the MODULES and the owners believe that the dealers put back in the old bulbs. See the issue was if you turned the lights on/off again usually they would work for an abitrary amount of time. Sometimes days, sometimes minutes, then you would turn them off/on and sometimes work sometimes not. So when dealers replaced modules or switches or other parts and left the old bulbs in. At least that what many of us have come to the conclusion. Who is right /wrong we don't know for certain and maybe never will but we think we have it solved. It's just getting the dealers to understand now.

That is some good additional info if I ever need to call upon for the family members Prius.