Do You Need An Extended Warranty On Your Car?

By Author: Steve Khzakia
Total Articles: 4717
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Extended warranties amount to extra protection beyond what you get from the dealership or car manufacturer when you buy a new or used vehicle. While some people have settled for pat answers - don't get one for a new car, do get one for most used cars - a careful look at repair records, maintenance costs and automotive build quality yields a much more complicated picture. There is no easy answer, just the right answer, and stopping your search for the former to find the latter instead is a good start. This article will summarize the findings for you, but you are invited to continue your research and make up your own mind if you remain unconvinced.

If you are buying a new car with a super service record over many years, such as a Toyota Camry, you might think there is no need for an extended warranty. Of course, statistics deal with averages, medians or means, and you could instead fall at either end of quite a long, large curve. Yes, your risk for non-warranty problems might be less on the Camry, but this was thought true of all Toyotas until they recalled millions of different vehicles in late 2009 and early 2010.

Despite ...
... the fact that these recalls cost most owners nothing, Toyota owners who had problems after their warranties expired, but before the recalls were announced, had to shell out their own money. If you can't trust Toyota on build quality, you need to revisit all your assumptions about extended warranties. Don't forget, either, that you can buy an extended warranty at any time, not just when you are purchasing your vehicle. If you said "no" when you bought it, you can still change your mind!

Playing by the rules
Most people decline the dealer offer of an extended warranty, as well as third-party offers, on vehicles with historically high user ratings. They assumed that whatever was "part of the usual deal" with, say, Toyota (the company or the dealership) was good enough. For the average owner, during average times, this was probably true. If you follow recommended service schedules for oil changes, belts, hoses and brake pads, the thinking goes, the odds should dictate that you turn out fine. Again, this is true for the average user during "normal" times. Are any times normal anymore, though? Like life insurance (or any other kind), you can't wait until you need it to buy an extended warranty.

For used cars, it is more about the amount of warranty coverage you need than a question of needing it or not. All people have their own tastes in cars, trucks, vans and motorcycles, and the plain fact is that some vehicles need more service, including some very specialized services, than others do. This means you won't get an answer about your needs for an extended warranty without doing your homework, which at the very least means checking out various consumer reporting services concerning the vehicles you are considering. This will at least give you an idea as to the cars requiring more protection on an extended warranty, rather than less. It is that simple. The more you know, the more nuanced and precise your decision can be.

Other used car issues
The main thing to remember about used cars is not that they are used, but that you don't know precisely how they were used. You can never really tell how previous owners treated the vehicle, whether it was a "beater" or even if the "service records" in the glove box really belong to it. This doesn't mean you should automatically opt for the broadest possible extended warranty coverage, but it certainly adds weight to the "default position" vis-a-vis warranties on used cars, namely, that they are usually indicated.

If, in fact, you are purchasing an extremely low-priced auto that historically has been inexpensive to service - and you don't intend keeping it long, anyway - you might consider any money spent on an extended warranty to be wasted. Of course, much depends on the make, the mileage and the maker's reputation for build quality, but leaves unanswered the main question: What if something breaks and you don't have that extended warranty?

The answer?
So, do you need an extended warranty on your car? When does it make economic sense to get one? Despite their so-so repair record, BMWs are always in high demand - partly because of the cachet and partly because of the driving experience. For a used BMW 750Li, which will set you back between $40-60,000 if it's within a few years of new, the added cost of the extended warranty makes good sense. It is very costly to service this car and keep it running right. Still the flagship of the BMW line (although the engine is now six liters, yielding a 760 nameplate) the 750Li is gorgeous, classy and powerful, but an oil change can cost almost $300.

With all the electronic gadgets and computer-controlled gizmos in the Big Beemer, it is a perfect candidate for an extended warranty. As explained previously, for any car of recent enough vintage to be subject to recall - and that could include a bargain-priced VW, too - an extended warranty just, plain makes sense. Frankly, it makes sense whether you have the Big Beemer or the aging VW, since you don't know what tomorrow may bring. The extra cost is not exorbitant, especially as it provides the feeling of "extra insurance" and will certainly support your peace of mind - and isn't that what it's really all about anyway?
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Endurance Warranty.com has been helping car owners save money and gain peace of mind for almost twenty years. You won't find a more affordable or more comprehensive group of extended extended auto warranty plans anywhere. Nor will you find more knowledgeable or friendly staff to help you find the warranty for you. Visit online today.