Thought on getting a warranty on a used vehicle?

[TR Custom Parts]

Picking up a car for the wife Friday. Used with 39K miles, factory warranty has expired. Any thoughts on buying a warranty for it? Pitfalls, experiences??

 

[SGRIM]

What kind of car?

Have the car checked out by a GOOD mechanic... If it checks out and it is the right car to begin with I wouldn't think twice about it with that mileage...

I sale several different types at my lot. Guess how many I actually sale per month? None to very few I am honest with my customers... There are very few warranties that actually will not cost you more in the long run then a typical covered repair would...

These new lifetime warranties are a joke... If you keep those maintenance schedules you will have replaced the whole damn car before all said and done LOL!!!

 

[TR Custom Parts]

Just a little sheetbox 2007 Caliber R/T. Loaded with all options. 2.4, CVT trans. Have checked it out pretty good and seems to be really clean. Know they have front end issues and has had the front lower control arms already replaced. One owner locally, clean car fax and was serviced at a Dodge dealer my friend works at. He got me some additional info that did not show on Car Fax. No major issues.

I would be doing all maintenance myself, looks like those warranties lock you into getting work done at authorized dealers only. Looks like the CVT trans is "sealed" and is a dealer serviceable item.

 

[TurboRegal84]

Mark, warranties usually cover everything that never breaks....save your $$.

Before buying be sure to take it to an independent shop away from the dealership. The small amount they will charge you to look over the car may save your tons of $$ in the long term.

 

[gordyzx9r]

Well, I think allot of it depends on how you use the vehicle too.

I bought my '06 GMC Sierra 2500 HD new at the end of '07. The bumper to bumper warranty for GMC then sucked, I think it was 3 years and whatever mileage. The thing is, I only use it to tow the GN or if I need to move something. So, it only has 35K miles on it and I really wanted to draw out the years some more.

I priced GM and whatever it was the dealership was pushing and they were both around $2500 and sucked as far as coverage went.

Someone on the GMC forums turned me on to a warranty through Mercury Insurance Group. It only cost me $1500 for 5 additional years and up to 100K miles, which is perfect for me since I don't drive it regularly. And it's super user friendly for you and the shop. My steering gear box **** itself and I had to use the extended warranty to fix it. The GMC dealer called them, told them who they were, where they were located, and some info about my truck. They paid the bill over the phone right there and didn't even ask for them to send them the paperwork. The shop guy was dumbfounded...he said it was the easiest experience he'd had with an aftermarket carrier. He said GM probably would have sent out an adjuster to look it over before they paid.

 

[groumoutis]

When we bought our old Jeep Commander we got a warranty with it and it was somewhat worthless. The solenoid in the transfer care went out and the warranty wouldn't cover it but if the transfer case itself went out it was covered! So I would have been money ahead to drain the oil and wait for it to go out and that is what I told the warranty rep on the phone. He didn't like that and put that I said that in the notes. After that fiasco I found out everything that was covered and made sure they fixed everything that was covered that was having the slightest issue. I turned it into a challenge to see if I could get my money back from the purchase of thier useless warranty by making them spend as much as I spent.

 

[machinegun]

I dont know you, did buy a chrysler product!!

Now if it was GM product you never need one

Only kidding but me, since I do all my own work it does not pay.

Personally I shop for a car based on its reliability before looks.

This way I am generally confident that I wont have any large issues

 

[JOHNDEEREGN]

I am not saying there aren't some good used car warranties out there,,,, but all of them I have seen aren't worth the paper they are printed on.

 

[TR Custom Parts]

I already have a Dodge Hemi Ram so we will have a couple of Mopars in the driveway. I pretty much do all my own work too, didn't really think the warranties were worth it but they were trying to push it on me. I love my Hemi Ram so far (except for the mileage but knew about that going in) Wife loves the Calibers and she usually gets what she wants.:smile:

 

[The Radius Kid]

CVT trans?
Get a good powertrain warranty of some sort ... or walk away.

 

[Red C5]

Depends on the company and the fine print. I recently went through the research process and after reading what they cover/don't cover I opted to pass. There were too many loopholes of things not getting covered and realistically I can fix most things with some buddies for a fraction of what a dealer would charge. Ask for a copy of the contract.

Peter

 

[Black3]

Find out what warranty company your mechanic will acknowledge. Most mechanics have horror stories regarding these warranty companies.

 

[jasjamz]

Paid $15,000 for my car and an extra $2,200 for the warranty. I have close to $15,000 in dealer repair receipts. I think it was a GREAT investment. I had to pay for one gallon of antifreeze and one electrical connector($30). I had a service guy that spotted ever dollar he could make when I did bring it in. Been a great car to me. GM!!!

 

[TexasT]

You couldn't get me to hand over money for a warranty.
If they were offering it free I'd try to get them to keep it and reduce the selling price.

Just too much hassle trying to get one to pay. I'd just as soon fix it myself as to get the run around on the phone be so half english speaking, or even worse an automated callin system.