Hello All,

I join the Prius gang this Saturday.

I've talked about finaincing and will sign off on everythign Saturday.

I'm getting a used 2005 w/21,000 miles.

I've seen some places online that offer them for $800-$900.

Has anyone gotten the extended warranty? What did it cost you? Has anyone gone through a non-dealer to buy it?

Whats a fair price? Do I even need it?

Thanks!

I for one didnt get it because the primary reason for me buying a toyota was because of it's reputation for reliability. My dad also owned many toyota's in his life and they never had any problems, his current one is a 6 year old sienna which he bought brand new and it has never been in the dealer for any repairs other than regular maintenance. However, there is an option to get extended waranty later on but there is a surcharge of about 50 - 200 bucks here in canada depending on how many KM I have if I decide to purchase the extended waranty.
I for one dont like to put money into the dealer's pocket for any reason, IMO if your dealer over there lets you choose to buy extended waranty later on in your car's life, i would go that route and wait it out, just in case your car runs into reliability issues in the first 40,000mi then it might be best to get one. However, most likely your car will be just fine and it will depreciate like a normal toyota would and last very long like it should.
The dealer will always try to squeeze more money out of a deal to favor themselves but that's up to you to if you want to donate more cash to them. I'm sure a lot of people will disagree with me, but since you asked, it's better to hear from more than one side of the story.

If you really want your car to run optimally, i would suggest learning how to do basic car maintenance yourself like oil change, checking fluids, checking tire pressures and threadwear. Learn also how to rotate your own tires, because when you can do that, taking off those tires gives you the opportunity to inspect brakes: rotors and pad thickness, brake lines, steering joints, and shocks. Get yourself a couple of 2 ton jacks, 2 jack stands, a set of good ramps, 12v tire inflator, 3/4 ratchet with 8mm-19mm bolt extensions, and a reliable tire guage and you can pretty much do MOST of the maintenance yourself; You would just have to take your car in every 10,000mi to check the battery charge, that costs $15CND here. The other stuff like Transaxle fluid change, coolant flush, spark plug replacement, brake replacements, and serpentine belt changes can all be done at the dealer. all of these wont even cost a small fraction of how much extended waranty will cost you.

I forgot to mention air filter and cabin air filter changes. Those are really simple i think the cabin air filter change is outlined well in the manual. As for the engine air filter, it's right infront of you when you open the hood.

good luck

gj

You have 15,000 miles remaining on the 3/36,000 warrantee. I'd recommend holding off until closer to the end. But I may not be a good role model.

I bought my 2003 Prius with 49,300 miles in October, well beyond the 3/36,000 warrantee. Although there is about 20,000 miles remaining on the battery and transaxle, IMHO, I have no concerns. In fact, I've already replaced my transaxle oil, twice, with a synthetic:

http://hiwaay.net/~bzwilson/prius/pri_T_cold.html

Again, I'm not a good role model but I would strongly encourage you to have your transaxle oil changed and a sample tested ASAP.

GOOD LUCK!
Bob Wilson

Operation Iraqi Oil Freedom:

Automatic, stock, project car.

My other 1500 cc car:

Automatic, stock, backup car.
Free speech, dialog and knowledge thrives without the poison of SPAM.

The online warranties I've seen touted via sources on PriusChat have gone well for those people who feel they want a warranty. Personally I would at least see if my local dealer is willing to come close or match the online price. It's always nice to try keep the dollars in your own community when possible.

Eric Powers

MHG Organizer - www.MadisonHybridGroup.com
Hybridfest 2008 - A Hybrid Electric Car Show and More! www.hybridfest.com
Third weekend in July
Madison, WI

I purchased both the extended warranty for $690 and pre-paid maintenance for $670 from Troy at Greenfield Toyota in MA via PriusChat. EricBecky mentioned this site and indeed there have been hundreds of comments there regarding pros/cons.
I rarely purchase extended warranties for any item but my 04 Prius was an exception. Partly due to the 04 being the 2G introduction year, partly due to my wanting to keep this car for a very long time and partly because I live in Colorado I received over $3000 income tax credit along with the federal $2000 deduction these were deciding factors to obtain the two additional coverages.

If I would make the decision again I would definitely purchase both the extended warranty and the pre-paid maintenance.

Bill G in Colorado

I bought extended warranty for both my 02 and 06 Prius. My 02' prius had a lot problems. If I didn't have a extended warrnaty, I would have paid $2000 repair bill for parts and labor.

There have been several posts here from people benefiting from purchasing extended warranty on Prius. I am one of the other ones. Bought EW in 2001 with the Prius (new) and never claimed against it. If I bought a new Prius today, I would skip the EW.

I don't think any of us can decide this for you though. Choose the path that feels better. But for EW either give Troy a try, or use his price as leverage with your local folks, as already suggested.

DAS

If you would not mind, please detail the problems with the 2002 Prius? Some potential used car buyers visit here and it would be good to have that info available. To help with their decision-making.

Apologies if you have posted this information previously.

DAS

My Old 2002 Prius Problems had:

(1) unexpected energey check, red triangular sign on the multi-display when starting the car. Last June: service dept told me they couldn't find any problem. This year: 5/04 it did the same thing. They finally found the problem. The problem was: ECU and fuel relay.If I didn't have any extended warranty, I would have apid $2000 for the repair.

(2) dead auxillary (starting) 12 battery (NOT Hybrid Battery): it had a dead cell. The service told me I was only having this problem. Cause: Unknown. It was covered under warranty.

(3) Making Squeaking Noise when the car made turns. Tire: Thread not worn. It had 27,000 miles when I traded in.

(4) Locked itself when the keyless remote outside of the car. The service told me it won't arm itself. It was still unsolved when I traded in.

Note:
Toyota sent me Technical Bulletin for resealing battery pack (Special Service Campaign SSC-40 G for 2001-MID 2003 models). All service was done by Toyota Dealer.

Don't get me wrong. 02' Prius was a good car.It had GPS Navigation, side impact Airbags, AM/FM 6 Disc Changer and Cruise Control. I had so many problems because I may have bought their demonstrator on the lot.By the way, I bought extended warranty in case my car may have problem. In my opinon, 02 Prius wasn't driven as good as 06. It drove like electric gold car. It lost speed when climbing up the slope.
AC was blowing warm air ( normal for 0ld Prius) when idiling.


Note:

I didn't pick up my car. The car was waiting for the parts when I traded for my new 06' Prius.

Hi,

Thanks for posting this:

After three power cycles, the Prius clears the error code. When you have an error, if possible, drive directly to the dealer and keep it on until they can get a scanner out to read the code.

This can cause a lot of problems since the control electronics work off the 12 VDC, aux battery. It is a pricy part and glad it was covered.

This is interesting. The fleet report mentions steering repairs in the Prius models.

That is weird.


Given your experience, it makes sense. Small change for peace of mind.

You've gotten a significant improvement in technology with the 06. For example, the 06 has an electrically operated AC compressor so it runs as needed without the ICE. There is more power and overall, a general tweak-up.

Bob Wilson

Operation Iraqi Oil Freedom:

Automatic, stock, project car.

My other 1500 cc car:

Automatic, stock, backup car.
Free speech, dialog and knowledge thrives without the poison of SPAM.