What was your experience with warranties and other options at time of sale?

[dirtwheeler]

When I purchased vehicles in the past, I felt rushed and pressured to make a whole bunch of decisions on warranties and various add-ons. Afterwards, when I thought I could use those warranties, I found out they were pretty useless. I'm currently going through a particularly aggravating situation with Ram. Both Ram and Jeep are part of Stellantis, which is part of the reason I'm buying a 4Runner instead of a Jeep now. I'm trying to arm myself with information now before I go through the purchase process with Toyota.

For those of you that have purchased a Toyota 4Runner recently, did you feel pressured to purchase an extended warranty or any other "add-ons"?

For those of you that have purchased Toyota 4Runners in the past, are there extended warranties and/or add-ons you feel are worth purchasing (or not)?

My intention here is just to know what they're going to pressure me into doing on the day of purchase, but have my mind made up in advance with some research. My current mindset is to go in and hold the line that I'm just purchasing the 4Runner as-is (no warranties or dealer add-ons). I have purchased several extended warranties in my lifetime, and it has never been worth it so far. But I'm hoping to hear from people with actual experience dealing with Toyota dealerships, the purchasing process, and thoughts about extended warranties and add-on options. I'm not looking for general advice on the pros and cons of extended warranties. I'm hoping for people's real world experience.

 

[Rellims]

Ask for the cash price for all these things vs what it adds to your payment. When I bought my Tacoma was offered key replacement warranty and I would need to loose the 2 keys it came with and 3 others for it to equal the cash price. Sounds small in monthly payments but when looking at cash price the decisions become clearer.

 

[dirtwheeler]

I read the basic warranty (3 years or 36,00 miles) and powertain, warranty (5 years or 60,000 miles) (and other warranties I was less interested in). The basic warranty "covers repairs and adjustments needed to correct defects in materials or workmanship of any part supplied by Toyota, subject to the exceptions indicated under “What Is Not Covered”". The powertrain warranty extends the time/miles for the engine, transmission and transaxle, front and rear wheel drive systems, and their related internal parts (with specific components listed out in pretty good detail). This also includes towing service when the vehicle is inoperable due to failure of a warranted part. The "what is not covered" part seems reasonable (failures due to modifications, user abuse, normal wear and tear, and acts of God outside Toyota's reasonable expectation for responsibility).

The basic and powertrain warranty seem "sufficient" in my mind. I expect most true defects will occur within the time and mile limits set within these warranties, but of course nothing lasts forever. I also did some reading on the extended warranties, although I'm not finding specific pricing. The only reason I might consider these warranties is that this is a first year model in a new generation. Specific up-front pricing would be helpful to know (what others are paying).

It's also worth noting the benefits included with "ToyotaCare". I'll take advantage of the free maintenance in the 2-year/25,000 mile window and try to remember the roadside assistance benefits if I ever need them.

 

[Dead Horse]

This is almost entirely dependent on the dealer. But 90% of them are aggressive as hell with that stuff.

They'll also hold the car hostage with it. "We can't sell it to you at the agreed price unless you buy this warranty package/gap insurance/service plan/scratch repair plan/etc." Dealers around me will straight up tell you that they will raise the price (by a LOT) if you don't finance with them. Even Stellantis dealers are pulling that when they marked the truck down $20,000!

Good luck with that LOL

 

[Stormie_SS]

This is almost entirely dependent on the dealer. But 90% of them are aggressive as hell with that stuff.

They'll also hold the car hostage with it. "We can't sell it to you at the agreed price unless you buy this warranty package/gap insurance/service plan/scratch repair plan/etc." Dealers around me will straight up tell you that they will raise the price (by a LOT) if you don't finance with them. Even Stellantis dealers are pulling that when they marked the truck down $20,000!

Good luck with that LOL

I had similar experience just earlier this week. There's a trailhunter in another state that is not spoken for and I reached out to them. The guy I spoke to stated their dealership was a no markup/no add-on/no adjustments dealer and asked if I would like the cost breakdown sent over. A few minutes later, he called be back and sent it over and told me that because I'm from another state that there is a $5k dealer adjustment. I told him no thanks that I am not paying over MSRP for it and then he started pushing that if I buy the warranty they'll remove the $5k (he said the warranty was $4k). He tried every tactic he could to scare me into agreeing that I must have the extended warranty and I told them no.

 

[BG1]

Back in 2017, I purchase our Rav 4. I had searched on various Toyota forums and found that certain dealers offered the official Toyota extended warranty at steep discounts. I purchased the 10 year warranty (it was a comparative steal) so I have a couple of years left. The thing is, I have used it once in 60,000 miles for a wheel bearing. I didn't purchase an extended warranty on our 4R since it was a lease.

Who can say about the new Gen 6 reliability, but for sure it's a very profitable option for dealers, shop around for internet-based offers and use that as a negotiating tactic.

 

[Nodak]

never go with a dealer supplied extended warranty. they are always marked up 500-1500 or more to pad the F&I pockets.

you can get a toyota oem vsa warranty at pretty much $1500 or less depending on how you do the months/mileage matrix

i think the most you have to pay is like $2000 for a the 10/125 and $1500 for a 10/100

i see dealers selling those same warranties for 3-4-5k to the people that dont know any better.

you can do a search and find a certain someone that will sell them for those amounts listed above.

just be mindful, if you do get in contact with them, DO NOT post the cost matrix in a post and keep details confined to DM's.

toyota usa will ban a dealer selling out of state to instate only. has happened before when other dealers complain to toyota usa about that 1 person ruining dealers F&I profits.

and yes i have used that person several times since my local dealer cant match him to a toyota oem vsa extended warranty.

 

[ModernDay4Runner]

When I purchased my 2102 Tacoma and my 2016 4Runner, of course the dealership offered me an extended warranty. I politely declined and said that the reason I am buying a Toyota is because of the demonstrated reliability of their vehicles. They did not argue with me as they saw that my mind was made up and I just wanted to wrap up the deal and get on with my day. They knew they were wasting their time by pushing it any longer, so they did not.

Now, the Honda Civic experience when my wife purchased her car a few years ago, that went a little differently, but ended the same way. No extended warranty was purchased. The finance guy was very adamant that we purchase an extended warranty. When I told him that Honda has an excellent reputation for making reliable vehicles and he told me that was not true and that actually, Hondas are very unreliable and likely to breakdown.

I stopped him and told him I have half of mind to walk out on this deal and go to the GM of the dealership and tell him I was backing out because the weasel-boy finance guy just made me realize I almost purchased an unreliable, likely to break down vehicle. Then I wondered if the GM would be thinking that the finance guy was just doing what he was trained to do to make a few bucks.


If you are buying a Jeep, buy the extended warranty. If you are buying a Toyota, save yourself the money, you likely will not need the extended warranty.

Consumer Reports Most Unreliable for 2024. Of course, some will argue that the automakers NOT on this list paid Consumer Reports off, so their cars were not on the list. If you want to buy into those conspiracy theories, you can. I don't.

 

[dirtwheeler]

Ask for the cash price for all these things vs what it adds to your payment. When I bought my Tacoma was offered key replacement warranty and I would need to loose the 2 keys it came with and 3 others for it to equal the cash price. Sounds small in monthly payments but when looking at cash price the decisions become clearer.

I'm asking for this info now. I read a little more about the Toyota warranties. The warranties look good, but I'm a little worried about the price. I'm asking if they'll tell me now so I don't have to make a rushed decision when I come in to do the final paperwork.

 

[dirtwheeler]

This is almost entirely dependent on the dealer. But 90% of them are aggressive as hell with that stuff.

They'll also hold the car hostage with it. "We can't sell it to you at the agreed price unless you buy this warranty package/gap insurance/service plan/scratch repair plan/etc." Dealers around me will straight up tell you that they will raise the price (by a LOT) if you don't finance with them. Even Stellantis dealers are pulling that when they marked the truck down $20,000!

Good luck with that LOL

That sounds pretty sketchy. Hopefully the dealer I'm working with will be straightforward. I'm just trying to arm myself with info beforehand. I feel like I've done this before, then walked into the dealership and got obliterated by financial people that do this everyday. They do have all the leverage if they decide to change the terms before the sale since they know these vehicles are in demand right now. I'd be very disappointed if I had to walk away from buying a 4Runner due to something like this, but I'm also not going to pay thousands more if I feel they're scamming me. Either way, I'll come back and share my experience. Right now, I'll walk in hoping for the best, like I always do.

 

[dirtwheeler]

Back in 2017, I purchase our Rav 4. I had searched on various Toyota forums and found that certain dealers offered the official Toyota extended warranty at steep discounts. I purchased the 10 year warranty (it was a comparative steal) so I have a couple of years left. The thing is, I have used it once in 60,000 miles for a wheel bearing. I didn't purchase an extended warranty on our 4R since it was a lease.

Who can say about the new Gen 6 reliability, but for sure it's a very profitable option for dealers, shop around for internet-based offers and use that as a negotiating tactic.

Are you saying "Internet based offers" for the official Toyota extended warranty or a third-party warranty? I'm still trying to understand the timing of when I can purchase the Toyota warranty - if I can do so after I purchase my 4Runner, or if I can purchase it sometime after the sale. I thought about looking for 3rd party warranties, but haven't started looking yet.

Also, with this being the first year in the 6th generation, I am starting to lean toward getting some kind of warranty. I figure the dealership knows a lot of people will have this on their mind at the time of sale and be willing to pay. I'm just trying to figure out "what's fair" and "what's worth it" (to me). I'd love to know what others are paying for their warranties. I wish this was more straightforward! (If Toyota would just publish upfront pricing on their warranty options per vehicle to avoid potentially sketchy situations at dealerships). I feel like the way it works is that they give you a good looking over, collect a bunch of info from you, and make a calculated guess on how much money they can extract from each individual (how much you're "worth" and/or how gullible you are).

 

[dirtwheeler]

never go with a dealer supplied extended warranty. they are always marked up 500-1500 or more to pad the F&I pockets.

you can get a toyota oem vsa warranty at pretty much $1500 or less depending on how you do the months/mileage matrix

i think the most you have to pay is like $2000 for a the 10/125 and $1500 for a 10/100

i see dealers selling those same warranties for 3-4-5k to the people that dont know any better.

you can do a search and find a certain someone that will sell them for those amounts listed above.

just be mindful, if you do get in contact with them, DO NOT post the cost matrix in a post and keep details confined to DM's.

toyota usa will ban a dealer selling out of state to instate only. has happened before when other dealers complain to toyota usa about that 1 person ruining dealers F&I profits.

and yes i have used that person several times since my local dealer cant match him to a toyota oem vsa extended warranty.

FWIW, "IF" I get quoted $2K for the 10 year / 125K warranty (platinum) I'd jump on that in an instant. I assumed the warranty would be much more, but I'm not sure which warranty level you are referring to. I was looking at platinum, gold, and power-train warranties this evening. I can see what they cover on the Toyota financial website, but no pricing information of course (which I assume varies based on the vehicle - and whatever financial voodoo magic is applied at the dealership based on what they they can get out of me).

In any case, this is helpful info and gets me thinking. Thanks!

 

[Dead Horse]

Are you saying "Internet based offers" for the official Toyota extended warranty or a third-party warranty? I'm still trying to understand the timing of when I can purchase the Toyota warranty - if I can do so after I purchase my 4Runner, or if I can purchase it sometime after the sale. I thought about looking for 3rd party warranties, but haven't started looking yet.

Also, with this being the first year in the 6th generation, I am starting to lean toward getting some kind of warranty. I figure the dealership knows a lot of people will have this on their mind at the time of sale and be willing to pay. I'm just trying to figure out "what's fair" and "what's worth it" (to me). I'd love to know what others are paying for their warranties. I wish this was more straightforward! (If Toyota would just publish upfront pricing on their warranty options per vehicle to avoid potentially sketchy situations at dealerships). I feel like the way it works is that they give you a good looking over, collect a bunch of info from you, and make a calculated guess on how much money they can extract from each individual (how much you're "worth" and/or how gullible you are).

You can buy an aftermarket warranty on used cars. I don't know their criteria or age/mileage limitations...I'm sure that there's a sliding scale on how sketchy the company is vs how old the car is...But I know they exist LOL

 

[Dead Horse]

That sounds pretty sketchy. Hopefully the dealer I'm working with will be straightforward. I'm just trying to arm myself with info beforehand. I feel like I've done this before, then walked into the dealership and got obliterated by financial people that do this everyday. They do have all the leverage if they decide to change the terms before the sale since they know these vehicles are in demand right now. I'd be very disappointed if I had to walk away from buying a 4Runner due to something like this, but I'm also not going to pay thousands more if I feel they're scamming me. Either way, I'll come back and share my experience. Right now, I'll walk in hoping for the best, like I always do.

They always act like they have all the leverage. You have the ultimate leverage. You have the money, they want the money. Never forget that

 

[ModernDay4Runner]

Instead of paying for something you may never need, invest those funds and earn interest on that money and if you need money later on in life for a needed repair for your 4Runner that is not covered by the factory warranty or after that has expired, well then.... problem solved, tap into the investment. If you are financing an extended warranty and paying interest on that purchase, making it even more expensive, again for something you may never need, well.......hmmm, to each his own.