Did You Buy An EXTENDED WARRANTY For Your New Focus?

[keelhaul]

Originally Posted by bsp_53

I subscribe to the same philosophy and have never purchased an ESP. That said, I am more on the fence than ever w/ the amount of technology in the new FF, especially with the MFT and Sync.

If it doesn't break in the first three years it's not going to break. Computers aren't like engine parts, they don't wear out or suffer from mechanical stress.

Originally Posted by cappa

The only warranty I got was the Road Hazard package which cost me $600 for 5 total years and they will replace and tire and rim at no cost. Being that I have the low-profile tires and the 18" rims and each rim costs $270 and each tires about $280 on Tire Rack, the warranty was definitely a must have imho.

I would get that if I had the 18" wheels. My last car had rubber bands stretched around 18" wheels and Los Angeles interstate potholes ate 2 tires in 2 years.

[Raistlin]

Originally Posted by keelhaul

No. Extended warranties of any kind pay off so rarely that it's almost always a bad deal.

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/c...ranties-ov.htm

A little devil's advocate ...

Sure, the above is true in a purely statistical manner. Extended warranties, like insurance, are offered because they make money on it. However it doesn't take into consideration the ramifications of if things go wrong.

One has to determine whether moderate to serious failure is something they can financially cope with and what the odds are. Is such a failure expected? Statistically no ... but it also isn't like hitting the lotto in the case of a car.

I certainly agree with the premise on a general basis. You can get extended warranties on anything - either after market, but even at the point-of-sale. Basically any gizmo you purchase at Best Buy. If you buy everyone you'll be out so much money it's ridiculous ... and there's no reason to. Is a $10 warranty worth it on a $90 HDD? Of course not. It's not all that likely to fail within the warranty period ... and the replacement cost is minimal. Same thing with a tablet, an MP3 player, whatever.

However, consider something like your health. Sure, if you're in reasonably good condition and at a moderate age or less, the odds of getting injured or seriously sick are low. But do most people prefer to not have insurance? No. Why? Because the costs of an incident can be life-altering. While a car isn't to the same level, for many people the cost of a serious incident could be more than they can cope with. If you're rich, of course you don't need medical insurance. You can cope with the potential repercussions of betting on the odds. It's more likely you'll come out ahead, but even if you lose, you're fine. Not the case for everyone.

With that in mind. I think a reasonable argument can be made for an extended warranty on a car ... assuming the price is reasonable.



Actually in specific reference to the article you quoted ... they mention that a smart move is to choose something with a known reliability record. The problem here is the 3rd gen Focus is an unknown commodity being that it's a new design. Similarly, with people that have purchased a number of the high-end options, there is a pretty low sample size. Not enough published empirical data to see any sort of trends.

Originally Posted by feta_mgp

Keelhaul, that's a very true statistic however in terms of our Foci with MFT or SYNC... all it takes is one of the modules or the APIM to lose it after our bumper to bumper is up, and then that $1500 is probably going to be worth it.

This car is so tech heavy that I can't see a reason not to... I wouldn't be going for 7 years just 5 for me, but even still.

And to play the flip side ...

Regarding the heavy tech, the reality is most non-mechanical electronics are not something that see a serious upswing in failure rates over moderate time. Basically if there is a fault, it will likely show up well before the bumper-to-bumper is over. If it makes it past that, it's pretty unlikely to fail with the time-lines of an extended warranty unless there is a design issue (example - excessive heat causing degeneration that eventually destroys it).

[Raistlin]

Originally Posted by theos2

It appears that any time during the first 12 months, the price is the same as day 1. Other than getting a rental during service during the first year if you purchase the premium service, there is no other benefit to getting it during the first 12 months. If you would like to finance the service plan, that may be another benefit of getting it on day 1.

I decided to hold on to my moneay and purchase online at some point prior to the 3 year warranty expiration date. Live/work close to dealer and the offer a shuttle service.

I think this is the philosophy I will go with if I purchase one.

I'm already outlaying enough coin with the down payment and tax that it doesn't really make sense to purchase it now versus towards the end of my bumper-to-bumper. Not gonna break into my 'rainy day' fund for something I can purchase later with little to no detriment to overall costs. If anything, my cash is making money for me while I wait.

[TerryVA]

Originally Posted by cappa

So if you get 6 years/60,000 miles that's exactly that, 6 total years from start of factory warranty. So if you buy extended warranty for 6 years you are essentially paying for 3 years you don't even need to pay for which is dumb, imho.

Or, not look at it in years but mileage. The base warranty is 3years or 36,000 miles. I will hit that 36,000 miles by the end of the 2nd year. So I will be getting the 5year 100,000 or 125,000 warranty. I agree not everyone needs the extra warranty but for some its a good idea.

[Binyana2011]

Originally Posted by TerryVA

Or, not look at it in years but mileage. The base warranty is 3years or 36,000 miles. I will hit that 36,000 miles by the end of the 2nd year. So I will be getting the 5year 100,000 or 125,000 warranty. I agree not everyone needs the extra warranty but for some its a good idea.

EXACTLY. There are some of us who drive a lot of miles. I would hit 36,000 miles in about 16 months so an extended warranty is a must have for me.

[cappa]

Originally Posted by TerryVA

Or, not look at it in years but mileage. The base warranty is 3years or 36,000 miles. I will hit that 36,000 miles by the end of the 2nd year. So I will be getting the 5year 100,000 or 125,000 warranty. I agree not everyone needs the extra warranty but for some its a good idea.

Oh of course I didn't mean to generalize but everyone's situation is different but I am just going by the pitches the salesman with throw out you. Dealers make the majority of their profit from selling warranties lol.

but are you sure that it's 5 year 100,000???? I thought the premium extended warranty package was 5 years or 60,000?

If you drive a ton, it makes sense for sure but I commute via train to work so that is why extended warranty isn't a major issue with me.

[Binyana2011]

The brochure says 7/100,000 max. However, if you use the on-line form it will go out to 7/125,000 under certain plans.

[TerryVA]

You can get the coverage up to 7yrs and 125k miles.
I chose 5yrs 125k for $890 with $100 deduct which I think is not bad.

Originally Posted by cappa

Oh of course I didn't mean to generalize but everyone's situation is different but I am just going by the pitches the salesman with throw out you. Dealers make the majority of their profit from selling warranties lol.

but are you sure that it's 5 year 100,000???? I thought the premium extended warranty package was 5 years or 60,000?

If you drive a ton, it makes sense for sure but I commute via train to work so that is why extended warranty isn't a major issue with me.

[BigJay]

Originally Posted by cappa

Oh of course I didn't mean to generalize but everyone's situation is different but I am just going by the pitches the salesman with throw out you. Dealers make the majority of their profit from selling warranties lol.

but are you sure that it's 5 year 100,000???? I thought the premium extended warranty package was 5 years or 60,000?

If you drive a ton, it makes sense for sure but I commute via train to work so that is why extended warranty isn't a major issue with me.

You can talk to your dealer and get them to quote almost any combination of years and miles/km you want

[KMT100612]

I got the 5 year/60,000 mile Premium warranty on my car so that if Snyc/Audio System/Moonroof (basically anything electronic - which is almost 1/2 of the car) has any issues whatsoever - I can have peace of mind about it.

Plus I only have a short commute to work - so I plan to go the 5 years for sure :)