Do you think ‘extended warranties’ on vehicles are worth it?

[FastTrax]

There certainly are more features on this vehicle than we need but the main features of comfort and safety I specifically wanted. My husband is visually impaired so the electronic safety features are something that will help him greatly. Due to that I’ll feel safer. Do we really ‘need’ heated heats? No but they sure are a comfortable feature especially with back issues.

Nice stereo system isn’t a necessity but it came with the package and we both liked it and the built in gps system on the dash board I personally appreciate greatly . Looking down to try and follow directions on a phone gps system I personally find , not only distracting, but dangerous. All the other stuff I don’t even understand but my husband loves the vehicle and deserves it after retiring from a job of almost 30 years where he drove 2 hours a day or more to get to work and back. The price tag was exceptionally good and we’ve never had an suv before so this is new and exciting to us.

Most people aren’t as visionally impaired so wouldn’t need all of these safety features but my man happens to be missing an eye and if this helps him drive safer then it gives us ‘both’ peace of mind. Of course our dogs don’t need heated back seats but we don’t have to turn them on. I was more or less joking about that part. From what I’ve been reading , a lot of SUV’s and other types of vehicles have these same features.

Note: CAA is the equivalent of AAA which we are getting and we most likely will be switching insurance companies soon so perhaps we can get Gieco.

I know how you feel. I miss the days when you could order options one by one and even select different packages. Now darn near every vehicle on this planet comes in two versions, fully loaded and fully loaded. Half the options serve absolutely no purpose and all that glitz gets you not one penny in value come trade in time. It was bad enough when the cars came with those embarrassing doughnuts that made you look poor as a church mouse if you rode on it more then a day. Then poof now no more spares at all but some five dollar plastic crap box tire inflator. NOWWWWW the engines have these gigantic black covers so you can't even find the windshield washer fluid thingy. Now one more issue my friends the battery is now in the side panel in the back of your vehicle. You're welcome and don't forget tomorrow at 10:AM in the back pew. TTFN.

 

[wcwbf]

Most of those calls are scams anyhow. My phone provider lets me know if they are scam alerts or not and I don't answer the phone if they are.

haven't gotten one of these in a long time. i rarely even answer phone when it rings, but if i did... i hope i just mess with them. ask them to tell me what kind of car i have.

 

[Ruthanne]

I don't know if they are worth it or not because I never had one. I applied for it online and they called my cell and left a message and I never got back to them. They contacted me again via email but I did not respond yet. Don't know if I will. I expect that the monthly payment would be high for an older car and not sure if I could afford it.

 

[Capt Lightning]

As it happens, the warranty expires on Mrs. L's car next month. We might have thought about trading in against a new one, but since all the showrooms are closed, it's not practical to look for a new one at this time.
A year's extended manufacturers warranty does not appear to be very expensive - around $200 USD. The trouble is that modern cars have become too complicated - a series of computers and a wheel at each corner. Diagnosing any fault other than a flat tyre needs another computer to tell you what's wrong and yet another to print out the obscenely large bill.

Routine maintenance (in the UK) does not need to be done by a main dealer as long as it's done to the correct schedule and uses approved materials. However, faults which occur within the warranty period do need to be repaired at an approved dealership.

 

[J.B Books]

Hahaha. Yep. We have all that too. Heated seats front and back so our dogs bums will keep warm in the winter and cool, ventilated seats for summer. Heated steering wheel .... ... love it. We have navigation, voice commands, 6 speed transmission, 250 horsepower. Traffic sensors, tire pressure monitors. We are going to trust that these will keep working as long as we own the vehicle which we hope will be 10 years.

My husband needs extra safety features and I need extra comfort features which is why we chose this vehicle. We both just need to remember that these people are sales people who don’t always tell the trust or at least twist it for their own advantage.

Did you get the extended warranty on your vehicle?

Yes.
The only extended warranties I have purchased were at the dealership when I bought the vehicle.
As I mentioned earlier, that is when they are try to close the deal.
I ask more for my trade in, discount on any accessories I wanted, extended warranty, etc. They get spiffs for selling warranty packages. I got the warranty for almost half of what they were originally asking!
My truck came with the standard 3yr/36000 mile warranty.
I extended it to 7 year 80,000 miles from the manufacturer.
I will get rid of the truck when the warranty expires.

 

[Lewkat]

No. It’s a 2019 used car which we put a deposit on and filled out the paperwork. This week we will get our insurance on it and pay for it. I traded in my car since they offered me a reasonable price and we are selling my husbands car privately since we found a buyer offering a decent price. We won’t be putting that many miles on it but will be traveling 1/2 way across the country soon.

Thank you for your help

Is it a certified used car, Keesha? If so, it is probably in tip top shape and all the initial problems have been borne by the previous owner. That's how my son buys his cars. He just bought a 2020 certified used Subaru SUV with all the bells and whistles and it is a terrific vehicle.

 

[JonDouglas]

I have never bought an extended warranty and never needed it. I agree with @Mike and @fmdog44 that today's cars are very reliable and with @Aunt Bea about putting money aside rather than purchasing an extended warranty. As for the "modern gadgets", I find them both helpful and senior friendly. Among my favorites are heated seats, heated steering wheel, HUD (heads up display), blind spot warning, lane change warning, active cruise, crash avoidance, etc. As we all get up there in years, having driving assist features can make driving more enjoyable and safer for us and others on the road.

 

[Fyrefox]

I've gotten the hard sell on extended vehicle warranties the past several times that I've bought a car. I find it the most unpleasant part of the car buying experience since they insist on subjecting you to it, together with every permutation of their sales argument that they can conjure up. One almost expects them to summon "Guido" out of the back room to beat you up with a pipe. Often they'll even offer several types of extended warranties, the cheaper with limitations on what they'll cover. I once bought the cheapest engine and powertrain warranty, and regretted having done that. It was money I didn't have to spend, and will never see again.

Learning to say "no" repeatedly and like a broken record is a skill I learned years ago. It didn't come naturally to me, but has served me well ever since...

 

[Capt Lightning]

If I buy a car, here's what I want ...
an engine at the front,
a wheel at each corner and a spare one in the boot,
a decent radio and A/C. Comfy seats would be nice.

Just about anything else, I can live without (unless I can permanently disable it). I want a car I can drive. I've been driving for over 50 years and I don't want some smart ass computer chip telling me what to do!

Unfortunately, if that smart ass computer chip breaks down, I don't want to spend the price of a new car having it fixed!

 

[Keesha]

Is it a certified used car, Keesha? If so, it is probably in tip top shape and all the initial problems have been borne by the previous owner. That's how my son buys his cars. He just bought a 2020 certified used Subaru SUV with all the bells and whistles and it is a terrific vehicle.

Oh yes. It’s a 2019 certified SUV with 9 months left on its original warranty. Plus we insisted they put on new front tires which we got.

For what this vehicle is, with all its safety features , the fact that its super comfortable and for the
is a steal of a deal. We did our research and even the car manufacturer outlets couldn’t beat its price. We even checked its history to make sure it hadn’t been in any accidents which all checked out fine.

Neither one of us have had what’s considered a luxury type car and while this is at the lower end of a luxury car, the smile and joy coming from my husbands face as I watched him drive it , is all I need to tell me we made the right decision. He is over the moon with excitement and my man truly deserves this. Just seeing him this happy and confident while driving warms my heart and spirit.

Plus I’ve got to be truly honest here, while my car was super cheap on gas, it was a standard car and not very comfortable, especially for driving long distances. This is the total opposite and let’s face it; we aren’t getting any younger but very much want to travel to explore and see new things where we are headed.

 

[Keesha]

If I buy a car, here's what I want ...
an engine at the front,
a wheel at each corner and a spare one in the boot,
a decent radio and A/C. Comfy seats would be nice.

Just about anything else, I can live without (unless I can permanently disable it). I want a car I can drive. I've been driving for over 50 years and I don't want some smart ass computer chip telling me what to do!

Unfortunately, if that smart ass computer chip breaks down, I don't want to spend the price of a new car having it fixed!

You probably have two eyes though.

 

[Keesha]

I have never bought an extended warranty and never needed it. I agree with @Mike and @fmdog44 that today's cars are very reliable and with @Aunt Bea about putting money aside rather than purchasing an extended warranty. As for the "modern gadgets", I find them both helpful and senior friendly. Among my favorites are heated seats, heated steering wheel, HUD (heads up display), blind spot warning, lane change warning, active cruise, crash avoidance, etc. As we all get up there in years, having driving assist features can make driving more enjoyable and safer for us and others on the road.

Exactly. You’re a smart man. Thank you.

 

[fmdog44]

So I have lane departure, auto braking, lane sensors, self driving, power everything, six different drive modes, navigation, hands free, voice commands, heated steering wheel and seats, crash avoidance, cameras, traffic sensors, tire pressure monitors, etc.
How the heck does my maintaining my vehicle apply to all that?. If I change my fluids regularly all my electronics will work for 8 years? I raced cars for 30 years. No way does "maintaining a car" apply to the new computer crap.
How do you "maintain" my power roof?

QUESTION: Why did you opt for all of that crap when you purchased your vehicle? You bought it now live with it. I pay for what I need not what they want to sell me.

 

[J.B Books]

QUESTION: Why did you opt for all of that crap when you purchased your vehicle? You bought it now live with it. I pay for what I need not what they want to sell me.

You don't have a choice anymore my man. To get the options I wanted all the other tech stuff comes with it.
Unless you buy a basic, basic, vehicle these days you can't avoid it.
So unless you buy a Flintstone mobile you get a lot of tech.
When was the last time you bought a new car?
Yes, I wanted this vehicle. I wanted a luxury vehicle, I can afford it and I will live with it.
I bought the warranty for piece of mind and I can afford that too.

 

[J.B Books]

I've gotten the hard sell on extended vehicle warranties the past several times that I've bought a car. I find it the most unpleasant part of the car buying experience since they insist on subjecting you to it, together with every permutation of their sales argument that they can conjure up. One almost expects them to summon "Guido" out of the back room to beat you up with a pipe. Often they'll even offer several types of extended warranties, the cheaper with limitations on what they'll cover. I once bought the cheapest engine and powertrain warranty, and regretted having done that. It was money I didn't have to spend, and will never see again.

Learning to say "no" repeatedly and like a broken record is a skill I learned years ago. It didn't come naturally to me, but has served me well ever since...

The term "Guido" is an ethnic stereo type and I know my in-laws would be offended. LOL
(Actually they would be, just sayin.)

 

[Keesha]

You don't have a choice anymore my man. To get the options I wanted all the other tech stuff comes with it.
Unless you buy a basic, basic, vehicle these days you can't avoid it.
So unless you buy a Flintstone mobile you get a lot of tech.
When was the last time you bought a new car?
Yes, I wanted this vehicle. I wanted a luxury vehicle, I can afford it and I will live with it.
I bought the warranty for piece of mind and I can afford that too.

Haha. That’s how this was for us. We picked this vehicle because my husband has been talking about getting an suv for years now. He wants a vehicle that can pull a trailer and something higher up so he can see. He’s used to heated seats since his last car has them whereas I had a basic bare bones standard car. It was the sports model with standard transmission but far from luxurious so all these new features were a HUGE surprise to us since we didn’t know they even existed. Like J.B. Books says; they came with the car which IS a second hand vehicle for a great price. The fact that it’s super comfortable is definitely an added bonus.

We also just discovered that it has an extended 5 year warranty on the engine/ transmission and all the basic important things which is great. Yayyy! There are a lot of SUV’s on the road so I’m assuming most people do know about all this new technology. Since our cars were so old, we didn’t and like @JonDouglas says; the extra safety features are both helpful and senior friendly. Let’s face it, safety and comfort while we age are important considerations so I am very happy we made the decision to get this vehicle.

Thanks again for all the help.
Today we are telling them to take off that extra extended warranty and will set that money aside in case it’s needed.

That was good advice.

 

[Happy Joe]

Are they worth it?
It depends; I have always serviced and repaired my own vehicles... The last vehicle (FORD Ranger) that I had, from Detroit, went 200,000 miles, before I sold it, and only needed a clutch master cylinder and a hood latch release cable, besides standard maintenance.

That said I am getting ever more antique and find it difficult to do heavy duty power train replacement and modifications now. The current vehicle (SUV) needed major engine and transmission work, which was rough on me. so I will likely get an extended warranty on the next vehicle.

Enjoy!

 

[terry123]

Having worked at car dealerships for years before retiring, I would not recommend getting an extended warranty for all the reasons others have mentioned.

 

[fmdog44]

You don't have a choice anymore my man. To get the options I wanted all the other tech stuff comes with it.
Unless you buy a basic, basic, vehicle these days you can't avoid it.
So unless you buy a Flintstone mobile you get a lot of tech.
When was the last time you bought a new car?
Yes, I wanted this vehicle. I wanted a luxury vehicle, I can afford it and I will live with it.
I bought the warranty for piece of mind and I can afford that too.

Sorry but that is not true and what is do wrong with a basic vehicle? I bought a new 2015 Mustang that the Houston dealer had to import from Mississippi because it was a bare bone conv. 5.0. I bought a 2018 Titan S trim again bare bone. I learned some of the options come only in tiers eliminating choosing individual options but none of them to me are worth paying one cent for. I have survived traveling all over using a paper road map so paying for a built in video screen is stupid as one example.

 

[Robert59]

I drive a 2009 Hyundai. I get 2 or 3 calls a day telling me about the fantastic deals with some fly by night extended warrantee company. They will save me thousands, maybe there might be a teensy, itsy, bitsy, small, infinitesimal "copay", but we'll talk about that later. Almost every reputable consumer group has riled against these warrantee companies as lousy wastes of money, and more likely scams. If you're that concerned with auto bills, start saving your own money, in stead of forking over money to hucksters.

My girlfriend owns a 2009 Hyundai with 183,000 miles. Waste of money for a extended warrantee.

 

[Keesha]

Paying for a built in video screen is stupid?
I beg to differ. I remember using road maps. What I usually did even while having a gps on my phone was to write out my own little map and try and remember it but that doesn’t always work. The reason I did this was that I found looking down at my Gps was dangerous.

My memory is failing and pulling over to look at the map isn’t always possible like on a highway. Looking down at a map is not only putting yourself at risk but everyone else around you.
Regular maps don’t account for construction being done or traffic jams.

The vehicle we purchased had a built in gps which was probably the one feature I was tickled pink with besides the sunroof and heated seats.

Like anything, personal preferences come into play with purchasing anything; what one is accustomed to, age as well as health and possible disabilities. If this wasn’t true, there wouldn’t be as much choice and selection but thank goodness there is , which just proves there’s something for everyone , making no choice a wrong one.

 

[Buckeye]

I love every little bell and whistle on my current ride. If I can keep it for a few more years, I hope my next ride will drive itself while I have a glass of merlot.

As for the electronics, I would venture to guess they are the most reliable component of current vehicles. But I do get it that some folks are basically afraid of the new tech stuff, and try to cover up their fear by bashing it.

 

[Jules]

Like anything, personal preferences come into play with purchasing anything; what one is accustomed to, age as well as health and possible disabilities. If this wasn’t true, there wouldn’t be as much choice and selection but thank goodness there is , which just proves there’s something for everyone , making no choice a wrong one.

Exactly.

Our car is 5 years old now so the bells & whistles aren’t as current as I’d like. The number one feature I love is the backup cameras! I’m like your husband with only vision in one eye, which means limited depth perception. I even use the cameras when parking at the mall, I pull in, turn on the camera & double check my lines.

 

[Keesha]

Exactly.

Our car is 5 years old now so the bells & whistles aren’t as current as I’d like. The number one feature I love is the backup cameras! I’m like your husband with only vision in one eye, which means limited depth perception. I even use the cameras when parking at the mall, I pull in, turn on the camera & double check my lines.

Thank you. ^^^^ This is actually the ‘main’ reason I wanted this vehicle. It has all the safety features that will help my husband with his limited depth perception. Blind spots can be tricky for those with perfect eyesight but for those with only one eye, extra tricky.

I was thrilled that this had the backup camera and extra sensors that help keep him between the lines and a safe distance from other cars. The bright headlights are also a huge help. Those same headlights he bitches about on other vehicles. I’m thrilled with this vehicle not just for him but for myself also. Now I can actually be a passenger who can enjoy the ride instead of being a worry wort or nag.

Thank you for adding your perspective. After I started this thread, I quickly realized that most people probably wouldn’t have the same type of appreciation as those who really ‘need’ them so your viewpoint is much appreciated. That limited depth perception IS a big deal, especially when safety is a main factor.

 

[J.B Books]

Sorry but that is not true and what is do wrong with a basic vehicle? I bought a new 2015 Mustang that the Houston dealer had to import from Mississippi because it was a bare bone conv. 5.0. I bought a 2018 Titan S trim again bare bone. I learned some of the options come only in tiers eliminating choosing individual options but none of them to me are worth paying one cent for. I have survived traveling all over using a paper road map so paying for a built in video screen is stupid as one example.

Well, I 'm glad you are happy.

Personally at this stage in my life, I want every creature comfort I can get.