Extended Warranties

[ponner1us]

I keep reading about good deals on the subaru extended warranties, like 8yr/70,000 miles for $1250. Does anyone know what specific dealers are offering these for online? I'm googling but not finding anything.

[porcupine73]

I don't know specific dealers off hand, but you could give Joe Spitz a try. His site is http://www.cars101.com (which is a phenomenol Subaru reference guide).

[bstone]

Avoid extended warranties. So says Consumer Reports.

[ShawnW]

I would tuck $1250 into a fund of some kind and see if you still have the $1250 when the odometer rolls past the warranty period.

[porcupine73]

I never go for extended warranties on anything I buy, I know I come out ahead that way. It gives some people peace of mind, and if viewed as insurance, then that can be ok for them. For warranties the direct from Subaru warranty would probably be the best bet.

 

But yes buyer beware on those aftermarket warranties. There are tons of scams out there. I've heard of someone's engine losing the engine oil from some failure, and the warranty paid for the engine oil that was lost, but not the resulting engine damage!

 

With any warranty you need to know what it covers for how long, and especially what things are specifically excluded.

[gbhrps]

Save your money. The only people who benefit from an extended warranty are the dealer and the warranty company. Put the same money in a bank account for when you need repairs. Its safer!

 

BTW ..... say you get the warranty and then 2 weeks later your car is totalled in an accident. Will they give you back the extended warranty funds you paid?

Put the same money into the bank, and you still have it.

[Subarupusher]

When you buy a brand new Subaru and you fend off the dealer for their "official" over priced warranty, Subaru will send "Added Security" offers for the first year of ownership. $840 gets you a total warranty of 5 years or 80K miles whichever comes first.

 

If you get a decent warranty from a legitimate company, you can cancel anytime and you will get a pro rated refund. I still got a decent chunk of change when I traded my car in after 3 years into a 5 year warranty. You actually get most of your warranty purchase price back if you cancel within the first 6 months. Been there, done that, too.

 

I have bitten on the warranty a few times but only made the dealer warranty mistake once. However the dealer warranty was on a 3 year old Subaru XT Turbo back in 1989 and that car was in the shop every few months its first year and I more than made my money back on the warranty. All Subarus are much more reliable these days and I have not gotten an extended warranty on a Subaru since 1989.