extended warranties?

[Timo]

I'm considering getting an extended warranty on a pre-owned Impreza Outback.
Desired features:

-- low deductible, per visit
-- payment direct to repair shop of my choice
-- reputable company, easy to contact

Recommendations appreciated.
Thanks
Timo

 

[Sparky Polastri]

WTF is up with this lying "warranty" crap.

Its FUCKING INSURANCE. CALL IT THAT.

I swear car dealers are the lowest garbage scum to ever be invented.

The reason they are pushed so much is they are a huge profit. Save the
money in the bank and use it if your Impreza breaks instead. It's much more
fiscally responsible.

 

[Clive]

My WRX hits 3 years old tomorrow so
out of warranty.
Subaru UK has offered me 'an everything in'
extension covering repairs up to the value of the
car plus hotel and free hire car blah blah.
How much?
£864 for the first year rising to £1100 odd for year 5.
That's around $1500 for the first year and nearly $2k
for the next.
I thought it was a typo.
Pass.

--
Clive Norris
Selectron (UK) Ltd
Musical Equipment Distribution
www.espguitars.co.uk
www.espshop.co.uk
www.emgpickups.co.uk
www.emginc.com
www.whirlwindusa.com
www.deanmarkley.com
www.mightymite.com
www.tube-shop.com
"The more corrupt the State,
the more numerous the laws".
Tacitus

 

[Todd H.]

I'm considering getting an extended warranty on a pre-owned Impreza Outback.
Desired features:

-- low deductible, per visit
-- payment direct to repair shop of my choice
-- reputable company, easy to contact

Recommendations appreciated.

Hi Timo,

Gonna assume you're in the USA.

If you search this newsgroup at groups.google.com on extended warranty
you'll find a lot of helpful stuff I've shared. Basically, the thing
to know:
Do not buy it directly from Subuaru of America--you'll pay way
too much. Use a dealer as they get to set their own prices,
and that Curry Subaru of Chicopee Massaschusetts still seems
to be doing the most aggressive pricing on genuine SOA
extended warranties. That warranty will be honored at your
local subuaru dealer just fine.

Get the better of the two warranties. The lower one is little
more than a poewrtrain warranty and is inclusionary (this list
if all we cover) coverage. The better one is "exclusionary
coverage" which means "we cover everything but this list of
stuff."

It's a gamble/insurance for sure, but many people report their
extended warranties paying off nicely for them. It really
bils down to how long yer gonna keep the car, and how much
service you think it might need. These items make Subaru a
profit somehow, so obviously there's a gamble involved if your
car doesn't have a problem.

I have a 100k plan. I'm at 75k and am only about 25% toward
payback on it.

Best Regards,

 

[Timo]

Todd,
Thanks for the tips. I'll check the folks in Chicopee out tomorrow. The guy
who sells the extended service plans was out of the office today when I
called.
Timo

 

[Timo]

Hey, Sparky, you sound like me when I'm cursing the health care insurers.
The car dealers have some competition for the "Lowest Garbage Scum" award.
We just received a COBRA Continuation Coverage Election Notice for my
daughter who graduated from college in June. *Monthly* health care insurance
bill: Vision $3.26; Dental: $43.85; Medical: $454.62
Timo

 

[Todd H.]

Todd,
Thanks for the tips. I'll check the folks in Chicopee out tomorrow. The guy
who sells the extended service plans was out of the office today when I
called.
Timo

Oh, you mentioned your impreza is preowned. Is it still in the bumper
to bumper factory warranty? If not, i'm not sure you can still get
the insurance.

The subuaru extended warranty plan is honored at all Subaru dealers,
regardless of where the extended plan was purchased. Naturlaly,
Subaru of America (corporate) markets them at the absolute highest
price you'll find as they don't want to everundercut their dealers.
So, it pays to shop dealer to dealer.

 

[B a r r y]

WTF is up with this lying "warranty" crap.

Its FUCKING INSURANCE. CALL IT THAT.

I swear car dealers are the lowest garbage scum to ever be invented.

The reason they are pushed so much is they are a huge profit. Save the
money in the bank and use it if your Impreza breaks instead. It's much more
fiscally responsible.

That's always worked for me.

A.K.A. "Money in the bank" <G>

Living slightly below one's means will fix many things, not just the
car. Since I'm not handing big bucks to extended warranty companies,
banks (interest), etc... I get a lot more bang for my buck.

Don't forget, this stuff isn't limited to cars. Extended warranties are
now large profit items on consumer electronics, homes, computers...

 

[jabario]

Extended warranties are a godsend if you happen to buy a lemon. My
former wife got great value from an extended warranty on her 92 dodge
daytona . For $900 she got three trannies, numerous ac components ,
radiator, sensors,-- not a bad deal.
She also paid $1000 for the warranty on her passat and had well over
that in repairs. I did not buy one for my 94 Trooper and never needed
it. My 04 OBW has so far needed a front strut replaced and the warranty
subaru gold cvered it. Well see if it was worthy or a waste

 

[Hal Whelply]

You mention good warranty experience (payback beyond cost) on a Dodge and a
Passat. Yes, of course. A big part of the warranty/insurance decision has to
do with the make and model of car involved. I wouldn't buy a
Daimler-Chrysler product (including Mercedes), or any VW product, nor (based
on experience) certainly any Volvo, without an extended warranty.

 

[John Falstaff]

I, too, had a good warranty experience. Five years ago, when I bought a
'95 Camry, I bought an extended warranty. A little while later, I began
feeling like I had made a mistake...why would anyone buy an extended
warranty on a Toyota, I thought. But I just tried not to dwell upon it.
I figured I'd write it off as "piece of mind." About a year later, on
New Year's Eve, I threw a rod. It was ugly. But because I had the
warranty, I got a new engine. That engine would have cost more than the
warranty cost me. I also had a few other minor issues that were covered,
and this drove the total value higher.

I understand the idea of putting money in the bank as a hedge against
car issues. However, I also believe that human nature--if not life
necessities--will take over at some point. I can see how many people
will look at that bank account, burgeoning with money, and think to
themselves, "I'll just take a little loan from that and pay it back
right away." Of course, we all know that "right away" turns into "soon,"
and "soon" turns into "some day." Then, before we know it, we have car
problems AND no emergency fund.

I'm not going to sit here and insist that everyone should buy a
warranty. I'm just saying that I had a good experience. So much so, that
when I bought my Forester, I bought the extended warranty. Yes, I know
Subaru's rep and I'll probably take a bath on it, but I feel more
comfortable and, as a result, I feel better about my car
ownership...particularly since my warranty covers the period of time
that I've financed plus a little extra.

 

[Todd H.]

You mention good warranty experience (payback beyond cost) on a Dodge and a
Passat. Yes, of course. A big part of the warranty/insurance decision has to
do with the make and model of car involved. I wouldn't buy a
Daimler-Chrysler product (including Mercedes), or any VW product, nor (based
on experience) certainly any Volvo, without an extended warranty.

My Subaru, as much as I'd love to tell everyone it's been the most
reliable car I've ever owned and prove how smart I was to purchase
one... well, hasn't been. I bought the extended insurance. Time will
tell whether the gamble pays off.

 

[Hal Whelply]

I can understand that. So far my first Subaru (nearing two happy years with
her) has been perfect. I'm not planning at this time to get the extension.

Our '01 Volvo S60 is another matter. Yet I know a couple of people with '01
S60s who say they've had no problems. One person even says we must have a
car made on a Monday or a Friday. Maybe the day of the week a car was built
is as good as any indicator of whether to buy an extended warranty or not!

HW

 

[Timo]

Is it possible to determine from the Subaru VIN the day of week the car was
assembled? I suppose Subaru could, but is there a resource somewhere on the
web that would help me to decode the VIN?
Timo

I can understand that. So far my first Subaru (nearing two happy years with
her) has been perfect. I'm not planning at this time to get the extension.

Our '01 Volvo S60 is another matter. Yet I know a couple of people with '01
S60s who say they've had no problems. One person even says we must have a
car made on a Monday or a Friday. Maybe the day of the week a car was built
is as good as any indicator of whether to buy an extended warranty or not!

HW