Have you ever actually used an Extended Warranty on a vehicle?

I wouldn’t pay extra for one, but my used Toyota came with it and I used it.

Yes, we always purchase the extended warranty, and it has proven to be a tremendous advantage when anything happens.

I used mine for a major repair right before it expired. It saved me a ton of money.

I have never bought one and never needed one. However, my brother did and saved himself $2,000 on something that happened to his truck that otherwise would not have been covered.

I have multiple times, albeit, not on a new car. I have bought cars considered “certified” that come with 100000 mile extended warranties that I have used quite a bit. I have also purchased extended warranties on used cars, a Saab in particular, that saved me thousands because of turbos blowing.

As for a new car, especially domestic, these days I don;t think I’d buy an extension. Used…maybe.

Yep. It has already saved me over $800 dollars.

I made the mistake of buying a truck with 30,000 miles on it (great shape/not beaten) thinking I would save money compared to buying a new one. The truck was 15,000 but after the interest rates and the warranty were added I realised I’m paying almost just as much as if I would had bought a new truck. With the new truck at least the warranty would have covered the time making the payments on the truck (unlike now). Now I have to get some type of extended warranty myself now. I think they have special insurance out that covers vehicle repairs (which may be cheaper than paying for an extended warranty) but I’ve been trying to find something myself in case a breakdown would occur. My regular warranty is up and I still have two years to pay on the truck.

Beware, extended warranties all in our is a big scam. You buy the warranty you pay the premium when your transmission goes out they want to see every maintenance bill from that day the vehicle was bought new. Then they will claim it’s a pre-existing condition and the deny your claim.

I have never owned a car less than 10 years old or with less than 98K miles, and most are closer to 12 years and 160K miles when I get them.

@TonyDahlinVenice How many “pre-existing conditions” do you think an ‘85 Corolla with 219K miles has?

I’ve never purchased one. I’ve always heard that the best thing to do is save that money up yourself to use in the event something goes wrong. Of course, that was when interest rates were higher, and you could actually earn on your savings account…

@augustlan For what those warranties cost, I could just get another beater :P

I have had a few cars that were cheaper to replace than to repair. Then again, I have never paid more than $1,375 for a car, and rarely over $500, so it’s not as hard to do as you might think.

@Paradox I bought a used car warranty through my credit union. The company they use is Intercontinental Warranty Services, but there are other ones out there. In my case, it was worth it – my AC went out when I was living in LA and it paid for itself with that one repair.

I purchased an extended warranty on my used Dodge when I was 18. I thought it was practical considering the life of a Dodge transmission and the 30+ thousand miles I drove per year. The one time I could have used the warranty, I was denied because I did not get pre-approval. Not that it would have made much of a difference since the balance after the $100 deductible was less than $20. I paid over $1,800 for the warranty and never received a benefit. My boyfriend owns a ‘99 v6 Jetta, and the maintanence and repairs are very expensive compaired to other brands. I seriously considered an ‘09 Jetta but decided against it for the fuel cost (premium for the Wolfsburg) and general up-keep costs. You can get some of the parts from independant dealers, but a lot of it needs to come through Volkswagon to fit/work properly. Although the boyfriend has had problems (bought used @ 100k miles), the car is still running strong – I think VW is really a quality product. The best bet is probably to purchase an extended warranty after the factory warranty has expired, and I would base it on the miles you put on the vehicle and how you maintain it. It may even be better to forego the warranty and put the money into a savings account from which you can draw upon for necessary repairs.