Vehicle Extended Warranty - Are they worth it

[tRidiot]

I don't disagree, but I can get into a Chrysler vehicle with a bumper-to-bumper 7 yr./100K mile warranty for thousands less than any supposedly superior vehicle. Do you know of a vehicle that will last that long and that many miles without needing some type of expensive repair?

I dunno, my 2004 Tahoe has never needed anything expensive, and it has 220k miles. Some AC blend door actuator problems. A water pump. A wheel bearing.

That's essentially it, I think? Not too bad for the kind of mileage and age.

 

[YukonGlocker]

I don't disagree, but I can get into a Chrysler vehicle with a bumper-to-bumper 7 yr./100K mile warranty for thousands less than any supposedly superior vehicle. Do you know of a vehicle that will last that long and that many miles without needing some type of expensive repair?

In the end, accounting for *all* costs and return on investment, they aren't thousands less (on average). That's simply a clever sales tactic.

 

[Ace_on_the_Turn]

I dunno, my 2004 Tahoe has never needed anything expensive, and it has 220k miles. Some AC blend door actuator problems. A water pump. A wheel bearing.

That's essentially it, I think? Not too bad for the kind of mileage and age.

My 2004 Honda Pilot had the same problem. Battison Honda wanted $530 to fix. Got the part (rebuilt) on eBay for $95. Took me about 30 minutes to install it. I hate dealerships.

 

[Backstrap]

I dunno, my 2004 Tahoe has never needed anything expensive, and it has 220k miles. Some AC blend door actuator problems. A water pump. A wheel bearing.

That's essentially it, I think? Not too bad for the kind of mileage and age.

That is good, but I should have stated I'm comparing cost of new vehicles. I looked at new Chevy and Ford pickups when I purchased my Ram last year - and got it for thousands less than a comparable Chevy or Ford. I think they're all a crap shoot these days - they're built better than ever before, but you can still get a lemon from any manufacturer.

 

[Sanford]

Lifetime bumper-to-bumper???? Wow. What did this cost you? And what is considered "lifetime"? Is it seriously as long as you own it, they'll replace any little switch, bulb or gizmo that stops working correctly? I've never heard of that.

It excludes "wear" items like belts and tires, and "lifetime" means as long as the repair cost isn't more than the value of the vehicle.

And to concur with others - it doesn't matter where you have your regular maintenance done, as long as you can document it was done per the owners' manual. For instance, you can change your own oil - just keep copies of the receipts where you bought the oil and make a note on the back of the date and mileage you changed it.

 

[Sanford]

I dunno, my 2004 Tahoe has never needed anything expensive, and it has 220k miles. Some AC blend door actuator problems. A water pump. A wheel bearing.

That's essentially it, I think? Not too bad for the kind of mileage and age.

Had an '84 Dodge that I drove a bit over 300K up through 2001, replaced a water pump and an ignition switch during that time. It had just started using a little oil so I decided to trade it in on a 2001. Didn't take long at all to wish I'd just had a ring/etc. job done on the '84.

 

[Fyrtwuck]

I got suckered into getting one on a truck in 1994. My truck broke and I took it in to the dealership to get it fixed. The service tech told me how much it was going to cost to get it fixed. I told him that I had an extended warranty and it should be covered. I contacted the warranty people and their reply was "according to our books, we will only pay xxx amount for that repair".

Every extended warranty brochure I've ever read since then said the the warranty does not go into effect until the factory warranty expires.

 

[Parks 788]

I bought a used 2013, F150, 4x4 with a few months of warranty left. It is in perfect condition from the previous owner. Never owned a 4x4 and never purchased an extended warranty before either. Just like most city folk, I don't plan on mud doggin in it. I put around 15k miles a years.
Looks like between $2000 and $3000. Would you do better by putting the money in a bank account like a health care account. If you don't use it, you would still have it?

What say you, do you have one? Worth the money?
Also, Aftermarket or the one by Ford?

If you go extended warranty only go through the Ford. Even if it is a bit more cost, go with the Ford factory one. Never third party warranty.

One reason I bought a Ram was because Chrysler offers a factory lifetime warranty. They actually have different levels of extended warranties but I went with the longest one, the Max Care Lifetime. It cost me $2450 for my new at the time 2015 2500 Mega Cab 4x4 6.4. With all the electronics in cars today it makes sense to me to purchase the extended warranties.

 

[dennishoddy]

It used to be the average ownership of vehicles was 3 years.
The folks that offer the extended warranty's gamble you won't keep it longer.
Folks like me that keep them 15 years on average reap the benefits.

 

[JCW355]

I just bought a new Honda CRV last year in July. Said no to dealers extended warranty but did get Geicos mechanical breakdown insurance for around $550 , 7year/100000 mile bumper to bumper coverage. Geico offers this on new vehicles and must be purchsed within a certain time frame after buying. I also have a friend in the car business who will sell me extended warranties at his cost. I have it on my Dodge truck. It's a gamble with warranties, kind of like a gun, have one and hope you don't ever have to use it.