Trading in my dream car for a Toyota hybrid for longevity, lower maintenance costs, and lower insurance costs.
Putting together the final paperwork when the warranty packages are introduced.
I decline all but the manager insists on one of them alone specifically covering electronics (and everything else for 10 years). He says that the newer Toyota’s electronics are expensive to replace and commonly malfunction or break. I figured this is just pushing warranty, but he got to me mentally and broke my confidence in the brand.
Was this guy just trying to get me to spend more money, or is there truth in his tale?
Find a better dealer. We have 3 within a few hours of us that offer lifetime warranty on everything except the battery and hybrid motor. Those are 150k. It’s free and pretty common.
The most important takeaway is that dealer is trying to tell you that his service department is over priced.
If it’s not basic warranty work, do not take your car to a dealer.
Good idea
If you truly want car that will last longest stay away from hybrid turbo or cvt. I say if you can get v6 Toyota Lexus non cvt. I like rav 4 fwd non cvt. I get 33.4 mpg city highway combined on my rav 4 with iddle time I don’t see need to pay extra 5k plus for hybrid system that requires more maintenance just so it can go bad after 10 years you not saving no money . I keep my cars 300k plus that’s my 2 cents. Corolla are bullet proof build in Japan even tho cvt.
Thanks for your input friend!
The car I got only came in hybrid and I went with AWD because it pretty regularly gets crazy snowfall in my area. I know in the Honda hybrid the eCVT isnt really a CVT and assumed (incorrectly) that Toyota was similar.
It was made in Japan!
Correct, the hybrid CVT is just a motor generator.
There are no gears and most shifts are simulated
Toyota tech. Toyota hybrids, no matter the model, do have their own inherent issues. Yes, the electronics are very expensive to service. We’ve had a handful of new prius’ in for various faults already.
The hybrid system itself will likely last you for years before needing anything done to it, but the battery pack can eventually go bad, just like any other electronic that cycles through charge often. The inverter itself can develop issues keeping up with charging later in its lifespan.
If it were a traditional ice car, maybe pre 2015? I wouldn’t worry with extended warranty as long as I planned to diligently stick to regular service intervals and adhere to the lifetime maintenance schedule of the vehicle (coolant, spark plugs, timing if needed). But every manufacturer these days has more electronics in their vehicles, more expensive tech in general, that will be costly to replace when it does eventually fail. Not just Toyota.
Though Toyota has certainly made major changes to their design process over the last 2 decades, the keystone of their philosophy will never change; reliability.
Just got an electric Toyota makes a fine hybrid, but they are still the most complicated drivetrain on earth. All the problems of a classic car with all the problems of an electric car with a weak battery.
The car I wanted only came in hybrid.
I always hear from Consumer Reports and some others that Hybrid cars tend to be more reliable than gas-only and electric these days. Who knows.
My favorite part is the no driveshaft (or so I hear). My muscle car’s driveshaft support failed at one point and ended up shredding the transmission and rear differential. $15,000 I wont be getting back.
They get a 50% commission on these packages. Absolutely worthless. If these parts were breaking down on a regular basis people wouldn’t be buying Toyotas.
Another thing they don’t tell you that I found out the hard way is when something actually does break, it was on a Mitsubishi not a Toyota, the warranty company can deny the claim
Don’t do it. I did. It’s just the finance manager being a scumbag
Thanks for sharing your experience!
What was your dream car?
all car salesman are liars and crooks, he was lying to you
I heard the same pitch. I think next time I buy a car I’ll have more fun with it, and ask “if you think the car you’re selling me is going to break, why don’t I try another dealership?”
Remember you’re in control. All they want in the world is your signature. Bump the price down for every second they waste your time, and always be willing to walk
Smart!
We have a $2549, 120,000km or 7 year warranty on all of the parts. It included 3 free services, and roadside assistance for 10 years. So it was a no brainer for us.
But doesn’t it not take effect until after the standard 3 year 36,000 mile warranty? I saw that in the fine print on the one they offered me.
It basically takes the included warranty and extends it for another 4 years - so technically yes, it starts afterwards.
I will add - my little bro has a 2019 corolla hybrid and literally loves it. Not a single problem with electronics, and he’s already 40,000 km deep
I got a '22 hybrid and the head unit interface looks almost identical to the '12 I traded on it. Toyota tends to stick with a “not broke don’t fix it” mentality, I have full confidence I’ll have no problems with it. Sounds like the salesman has a quota to meet.
I would only buy an extended warranty if I was gifted a car I couldn’t afford to fix when it breaks
How much is the warranty and will it cover swapping the battery?
Traditionally Toyota hybrid batteries last 7 years (I think they warranty the battery that long).
Besides that Toyota has been making hyprid cars since early 2000s and many of them easily did 300,000 KM before any major repair.
It would have been a different story if the brand was Kia or Hyundai!
Late 90s actually. And they warranty all HV components battery included for 15 years/150k miles
If you end up buying a warranty 100% get toyota extra care. And if you’re looking for a cheap price call Midwest Toyota they always hace the best prices. Trust me I worked for Toyota warranty for over 8 years and it’s excellent
Thanks!