Extended warranty on new car: to buy or not to buy?

As the days lengthen and get warmer, many folks across Maine are looking to buy a new automobile. The old beloved family vehicle may be on its last legs and need replacing. The family may be growing and a larger car is in the offing. Additionally, given the insanely high gas prices that keep moving further into the stratosphere, many buyers are seeking to move to a model that gets higher mileage and uses less of the precious liquid than the gas-guzzling Abrams tank now out in the driveway. In short, there are probably as many reasons to buy a new vehicle as there are buyers.

The public often forgets that our Northeast CONTACT caseworkers are also part of the general consumers pool, and the caseworker question of the week was, “Is buying an extended warranty on a new car worth the additional price?”

A daughter of a seasoned caseworker was facing the decision of, “Do I pay an additional $800 at the time of purchase to extend the three-year warranty on my new vehicle for an additional three years?” The correct answer to that question depends on a number of factors.

First, what is your overall car ownership strategy? If your goal is to trade your new car every two or three years, then purchasing extended coverage is irrelevant. If like many frugal Down Easters – whose motto is often, “It ain’t broke until the duct tape wears off” – you choose to drive the vehicle until it is hauled off to the junkyard sometime far off into the next decade, then extended warranty might be an option.

How many miles do you drive in a year? Most new car warranties are written for a set number of months or a set number of miles, whichever comes first. If the warranty on the new car is for 36 months or 30,000 miles and you are a true road warrior clocking 45,000 miles per year, extended coverage may be worth exploring.

How much risk is the buyer willing to accept? Different consumers have many different tolerance levels to risk-taking with their brand new vehicle and its necessary future repairs. If you are an individual who enjoys life on the edge or perhaps you are a skilled auto mechanic, then an extended warranty will not be for you. Paying nearly a thousand dollars now for coverage that may not begin for three years does not make sense to these consumers.

Read the fine print. All extended warranties are not the same. Do you want bumper-to bumper coverage that not only covers listed car components, but also reimbursement for car rentals, roadside assistance and travel interruption protection? The list can be long and daunting. State component coverage covers most of the major parts of an automobile. Power train coverage encompasses only engine, transmission, drive axles and drive shaft.

Knowing the average life expectancy of car components can be very important as to which type of coverage you choose. The Maine attorney general’s Web site (www.maine.gov/ag) has a wonderful listing of auto components and their life expectancies, from air-conditioner compressors to windshield wiper motors. Also, try to get more information from the real experts, your trusted community auto mechanic. Their advice can be very valuable to your decision making about extended warranties. If you are a regular customer, they know your driving habits, repair history and other factors you may have overlooked. Remember that the new auto dealer mechanic will most likely not be an impartial source of information.

Buying a new car extended warranty is not unlike putting money in the slot machines on Main Street in Bangor – the outcome is never certain. As for the Northeast CONTACT caseworker’s daughter, the executive director suggested she pocket the $800. If she accepts this advice, only time will tell the wisdom of her decision.

Consumer Forum is a collaboration of the Bangor Daily News and Northeast Contact for Better Business Inc., Maine’s membership-funded, nonprofit organization and America’s oldest consumer advocacy agency of its kind, established in 1972. For help, write to Consumer Forum, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor 04402-1339, or email consumerhelp@bangor

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