vmax8

For those of us on this forum who bought 2k2 Maximas--- Did you also get an extended warranty with your car? Why or why not?

In general, what do you guys think about spending the extra money to get an extended warranty? Is it a good idea or is it a waste of money?

I'd like to hear as many opinions as I can get before I decide. Thanks!

MONTE 01&97 SE

iTrader: (1)

Bought it on my 97 and never have used it yet. So I didnt opt for it in the 2k2.

D Love

I got the extended warranty because the salesman that was working out all of my payment information, and the signing of the contracts, etc. told me that it wouldn't change my payments any if I got the extended warranty. I think that I wasn't thinking clearly when he told me this (as I was just about to purchase my first car), because for some reason I was thinking that this meant the warranty wasn't going to cost me anything. Little did I know that they had already figured it into the cost of the car, and without it I could have saved some money. I probably wouldn't have boughten it if he hadn't done it this way. Looking back, I guess that it probably wasn't such a bad idea getting it. I mean it's a little more to spend on the car, but you will have the security of that extra protection. I just hope that I will never have to use it because from what I've read on these forums, it seems like a big hastle to get any warranty work done.

2K255HP

Yup i got extended warranty on my 2k2 max the reason is i do plan to keep this car for a while so better safe then sorry rite lol =)

soundmike

iTrader: (24)

Yep. got 5/75 on mine. Since it was pretty cheap, roughly $600 more, i opted for it. Chances are if something does go wrong i'd balance out the cost of the added insurance during the first warranty work.

dmarion

I might cause a little controversy here (I've got a good track record so far with that silly "mods" post a few days ago )...

Look at it this way: Here's your salesmen pulling out the comps. and convincing you how great the Maxima is next to its competitors' cars. And he explains to you ad nauseam how great the car is built and you'll never see the service center except for the occasional oil change and tire rotation. You're hooked. You decide to buy the car.

Then, WHAM , it's time to talk "extended warranty". Doesn't that raise an eyebrow or two? Why do you need to pay for an extented warranty for such a well built and designed car? So much for the dealer's confidence in their own product! If extended warranties benefited the masses, dealers wouldn't offer them. It's in their interest to offer these warranties because it's $$$ in their pocket.

I say: squirrel away each month a percentage of the money you would have spent on an extended warranty. If your car ever needs repair-type service after the 36th month, use that money to take care of the repairs. More times than not, you'll wind up with extra cash.

Sure, there's probably a few cases out there that purchasing an extended warranty "paid off", but I'm willing to bet that's the overwhelming minority. My 2 cents.

kevc5

I agree 100%. The best thing about the xtended warrenty though is that it will help you sell your car if you need to.

soundmike

iTrader: (24)

You guys made valid points, but here's my rationale on it:

I got the extended warranty pretty cheap at $600. I paid it up front so i don't end up paying for the interest.

So roughly, that's like paying $10/mo for the life of the loan (60mo).

My point is, $10/mo is peace of mind that if something should go wrong beyond the basic warranty term i know i'm covered. I trust that Nissan makes good cars (this isn't the first Nissan in the family nor i've had a pleasure of experiencing) but when it comes to big ticket items like cars or houses peace of mind comes into play.

And in life, something always happens.

It may not apply to your way of thinking, but it's like me telling myself "I don't need airbags, i know they work but what are the chances of me getting in an accident that would need it?".

mattattax

It's all about peace of mind and (for some, not me) it being easier to sell the car.

carguyrob

If you ended up with an extended warranty, but really don't want it, you can usually get out of it. In most cases, you can "return" the warranty at any point before the warranty kicks in and they refund your money. Call the warranty company that supplied the thing. I have purchased extended warranties in the past and then called to find out the ownership transfer rules because I was selling the car before the extended warranty kicked in. They told me that it was transferable or I could sell back the warranty for a refund. They also do partial refunds if you are into the extended warranty already.

A lady I work with totalled her Mustang GT convertible with an extended warranty. She was mad because she thought she was out the grand (insurance doesn't cover extended warranties), but after I explained this bit of news to her, she called. She was thrilled to find out that they refund ALL of her money. She also used it as a bargining chip when negotiating a totalled price. They gave her a bit more than planned because they thought she was out the cost of the warranty.

Just my $.02.

ajahearn

iTrader: (3)

I bought one with my 83 firebird (a serious lapse in judgement) and used it far too many times. Adding to this abuse was that I always had some out of pocket expenses on top.

With my 89 SE I bought one but then never used it. Given this I opted not to buy it with my 02 SE. In my case the cost would have been pretty significant ($1500). I read somewhere that you are better off taking this money and putting it a cd/money market to save for the eventual possibility. If it doesn't happen then you have $1500 more for a downpayment on the next car.

CHAZMAX

I opted for the extended warranty on my 2k2 Max. I wasn't planning on getting it... In fact, I was strictly NOT going to get it. I believed in a previous post that the Max is a quality, reliable car, and the extended warranty would be contradictive.

HOWEVER, according to the finance guy (and he could've been FOS, but he said that because the Max's dependable reputation and other variables, it's this reason why it's only $600. Normally, I would think that he's just feeding me bull, but I priced a 02 Mustang GT day's before this and the warranty was over twice as much ($1300.00), so it's starts to make sense.

chazmax

vmax8

Thanks to everyone who responded thus far! All of you presented good and valid arguments for and against getting the extended warranty. I am really happy that I found this forum!