What was the last year Toyota Landcruisers had a manual transmission?

Keep extended warranty for Certified Pre-Owned Toyota?

• I recently bought a 2008 Certified Pre-Owned Toyota Yaris. As part of Toyota's "Certified Pre-Owned" vehicles, the everything in the car was brought up to factory standards before they gave it to me. I was also given a 1 year bumper to bumper warranty, and a power train warranty up to 100,000 (currently at 42k) or 2013. I got a great price for it, and with my large down payment, I was able to get my monthly payments to an amount that even a broke college student like myself could manage. However, when I went in to sign the check and the papers and actually get the car, they bombarded me with tons of information about an "extended bumper-to-bumper warranty" that "everyone gets" and "is a mistake to miss out on." While the warranty did extend my bumper to bumper coverage up to 100,000 miles, and offered free repairs when taken back to the dealership, it also nearly doubled my monthly payment and added a whopping $5000 to the price. Now, a little background information: Before I purchased my Yaris, I drove a 2000 Volkswagen Beetle. I LOVED my Beetle. I did NOT want to sell it, but the transmission was going out, and on top of a myriad of other problems, the repairs would have cost more than the car was worth, and as I'm going to grad school in the fall, I needed something dependable. With my Volkswagen, however, I was lucky if I could go 3 or 4 months without needing at least $300 in repairs. Parts and labor for Volkswagens are expensive, and needed often. For that reason, the extended warranty sounded awesome. However, a big part of why I went with Toyota was to cut down on the need for repairs, and I was promised by my dealer as well as other Toyota owners that Toyotas are very dependable. Back to present day, I was told I had to sign up for the warranty right then and there if I wanted it. I am a 22-year-old girl, and I didn't have anyone to talk it over with, or any time to think about it, and I'm sure that's part of the reason they pushed me so hard. I know they get commission off of that, and I didn't really have any idea what I was doing, but I tentatively agreed after they told me I could cancel at any time if I really wanted to. So now I'm struggling to make these payments every month, and I am wondering if this warranty was worth it. I considered keeping it for the first year just to see if the car was going to cause me any problems, but I'm barely scraping by from month to month. However, if I get rid of it, and then some kind of computer system fails or something in the car, I could be out way more than my monthly payment. I just don't know what to do. Anyone out there a Toyota owner? Should I keep the warranty? Or trust my car's dependability?

• Answer:

  That is a lot of info to read.... Here is my best attempt at sorting through it for a question that needs answering. $5,000 is a large number to swallow for a Toyota Yaris Extended warranty, no matter the coverage term, mileage or component coverage from any warranty administrator. Based on Edmonds.com True Cost to Own your vehicle for the next 5 years just in car repairs will be $1,741. An extended warranty normally comes with more than just repairs, it also comes with benefits like roadside assistance, which is typically not calculated in this estimate of repairs. Additionally, your Toyota Certified Pre-Owned package came with a comprehensive 12 month or 12k mile coverage (extended warranty) plus limited powertrain coverage up to 7 year or 100k miles. This should have lowered the cost of an extended warranty plan to a reasonable cost (this is often called a wrap plan, as its wrapping around existing coverage). Based on Edmonds.com advice, your car will need repairs. The amount you spend on it is up to you. At the moment your going to spend $5,000 (plus any interest accrued on that $$ in your loan amount). And that is only for another 60k miles. So... I would suggest you shop around, find an alternative plan to what you agreed to during your vehicle purchase. Decide based on your needs (not the pushy salesperson's) how long and how much coverage you need. Then cancel your $5k plan with your dealership to either purchase another plan or budget for $2000 of expenses over the next several years. Bad news is that if you cancel your plan. The $5k will only lower the principle of the loan amount. Your payments will stay the same. However, you will save money on any interest expense that that $5k was going to cost you. Good Luck. And keep those studies up!!!