jayta78

Hi,

New to the forum. I was wondering what people's thoughts would be on buying an extended warranty for a 2009 Lexus ES350 with 89k?

Since we live in Canada, it seems dealers have not heard of negotiated on price for warranties which seems to be completely different in the States. Right now I'm looking at $2550 for 72/180k or 84/160k

Is it a smart thing for me to purchase an extended warranty on this vehicle since it is 4 years old? I still have factory power-train warranty though.

I am surrounded by a lot of opinions but not a lot of advice. Should I take the risk of not buying an extended comprehensive warranty to save myself the $2550 or should I give in to the peace of mind even though it is not guaranteeing me coverage on all areas of my vehicle if something should happen. Obviously they will cover the major components but not every little thing.

I have had a lemon with my previous vehicle without warranty. The engine went within a year. So this is why I am waffling back and forth about this.

PLEASE HELP ME with this decision!

EJC

My current Lexuses, 2010 ES350 and 2010 IS-F, are covered by extended warranties, but I purchased them when car was new at big discount ($1600).
That said in th name of full disclosure, I am not so sure that they are really necessary.
I have been driving Lexus since 1991 - '91 ES250, '94 ES300 my mother is still driving this one in Florida, '01 LX450, '02 ES300, '02 SC430, '03 SC430, '07 & '10 IS250 AWD, '10 IS-F current, '10 ES350. That's a lot of Lexuses over 22 years and they have one thing in common none of them broke while we owned them. The closest to come to needed work is the '94 when about 4 years ago the 15year old started needing some work - seals started going, some switches.... original engine and tranny still going strong

CQRT

I've always found extended waranties on this to be a sure fire way to have nothing go wrong- washers, dryers, Corvettes, etc....

I did buy a drivetrain warrranty when I purchased this Lexus off lease and (knock wood) have yet to use it in 3 years-- - - but it was also a heck of a lot less than the money you're talking about.

I guess it's a roll of the dice, but I'd buy a warranty just for the things that cost a bundle when something goes wrong like the power train (and AC if avail) and not spend a lot of money for things that rarely break or are less expensive to replace . ..window switches, headlights, etc.

Just my .02 - -

goku2

I have a 2007 ES350 and while I have not posted on this forum much (currently have an issue with the trunk) I have found that the quality of these cars has gone down... Though it's entirely possible that the case of the ES350 being crap is because the Camry of this generation is also crap. I have had way more serious problems with this car than I've had with any other vehicle. The idea that the transmission went out at only 60K miles and the numerous other irritants like not having a freaking key hole for the damn trunk has soured me enough on this Lexus/Camry. My mom has an '04 LS430 and the primary issue with that car is that I get a lot of complaints around the neighborhood of it having bad smelling exhaust, like rotten eggs yet the car passes smog just fine. I also don't like that the Smart Key system has such a strong drain on the battery that due to how infrequently my mom drives her car (like once a week), she eventually ends up with a heavily sulphated battery that then goes bad. Turning off the Smart Key system helped with the battery life tremendously but I can't turn that feature off on the ES350 or apparently any new Toyotas for that matter. That LS430 has 45K miles and while it does drive fine, I don't like that the engine cranking time has increased from what it used to be, like a full 3 seconds, sometimes you have to crank it twice... (Engine use to start almost immediately but now has extended cranking time)

This is my opinion but it just feels like for the amount of money spent on these vehicles, the amount of maintenance needed just feels excessive.

LexBob2

It sounds like it's time to get rid of the 2007 ES350. There are a lot of choices out there either new or used. Something new with factory warranty can be had for a reasonable price. Both you and your mom might be happier with a change.

CDNlexES

jayta,

there are 2 main reasons why you don't need to acquire a $2.5K extended warranty. first, you're buying a lexus, one of the best japanese cars available. second, you're buying it from a dealer. they will only retain and re-sell a returned lease car because they did all the maintenance and there was no problem with the car. otherwise, they'd sell it in an auction.

i understand the hesitancy due to past experience. but even a brand new car can be a lemon. you may want to consider this guys http://carinspector.ca/ For $200 you may have some 'peace of mind'.