Is it worth it to buy an extended warranty on my 2015 Nissan Versa?

[CTyankee]

The warranty that came with the car has expired. I got a hard sell this afternoon...I'm wondering if this is a waste of money.For one thing, this is a very good car andd I'm not driving it anywhere but my city and its environs. Also, cars these days are made pretty well. I keep the oil changed and it has low mileage.

What has your experience been? (I'm going to call my mechanic to get his opinion. I trust the guy to tell me the truth...

[elleng]

1. I don't know about NEW cars, yank,

but I'm still driving Dad's '93 toyo camry wagon. !63,000 miles, and few if any problems. (Did have a tire blow out last month!)

[CTyankee]

12. It is downright scary whenn that happens. I inspect my tires frequently. They are in excellent shape

I'm not driving a lot. I'm getting rides to see family in MA on holidays and graduations...

My mechanic recommended when I should get rid of the old car. I was replacing everything. I love having a new car now and wish I had done this earlier. It's a relief not to worry about that any more.

[BigDemVoter]

2. I've ALWAYS heard it's a waste of money to pay for extended coverage.

I only bought it one time-- many years ago-- and I didn't use it. I'm not sure what the scoop is today about extended warranties?

[Hestia]

5. Agreed, heard that too. Only EW I've bought is for tires, which was great, because I happened

to work with a bunch of workers who roofed on weekend and had flats in every tire twice!

The boss finally yelled at them to park in the very back of the parking lot and they are going to have to start buying everyone new tires from that point on!

EW paid for each and every tire at that time. Boy, I sure needed it!

[pnwmom]

3. You might want to check to see what Consumer Reports says about these warranties.

I know we bought at least one and it covered free maintenance that reduced the cost enough to make it seem like a good deal.

[msongs]

6. your powertrain warranty is good for 5 yrs. that's the most important coverage -

most of the other stuff listed in the warranty is way less important

https://owners.nissanusa.com/content/techpub/common/2015/2015-nissan-warranty-booklet.pdf

[sharp_stick]

7. I don't do it anymore

If you've had it running fine up to the end of the standard warranty you'll probably be spending a lot more on the warranty than you'll ever get out of it.

If you're really risk averse though the piece of mind might be worth it to you.

[MineralMan]

8. It depends on how much it costs for the insurance.

Compare that with the average cost of repairs per year for that model.

If the insurance is much less than that average cost, then it might be worthwhile. These days a typical repair job that seems minor will cost you $500 or more.

It can be a tough call, but don't just pass on it without running some numbers.

One of the reasons I bought the car I now own, a KIA Soul is that it came with a 5-year, 60,000 mile bumper-to-bumper warranty, and a 10 year, 100,000 mile power train warranty. That way, I can keep it until it's paid for, and then trade it in after five years. I no longer am willing to drive a car that is not under warranty. Repair costs are just too damned high.

Take something like a transmission problem. Replacing a transmission is a four-figure item., Figure at least $3500 for that job.

Even something like a defective window operator. $500 at least. Everything that needs repair these days is very costly.

[Phoenix61]

9. Depends on whether or not it is through Nissan

I bought a Toyota and they told me the extended warranty was through Toyota. Imagine my surprise when I got paperwork for it from Deerfield Florida. It required preauthorization for most repairs and they had to be obtained during normal business hours, 8-5 M-F. I went back to the dealer to cancel it and the smartass salesman told me it wouldn't lower my monthly payment, I'd still be in the hook for the interest. I smiled and told him I had paid cash for the warranty. Funny, he didn't smile back.

[NewJeffCT]

10. was the hard sell from the dealer?

I think most car extended warranties are not worth it - the dealer ones are definitely overpriced. If you can find a 3rd party extended warranty, it might be worth it. However, before doing that, I would research used car warranties and find out if the company is reliable and stable in paying claims. I think some of these extended warranty promotions are scams.

[opiate69]

11. Was it an unsolicited call?

If so, it's most likely a scam. I used to get calls about my warranty on my 2012 Juke out of the blue. They kept telling me my warranty was about to expire, and they'd sell me an extension for a ridiculously high price. I finally had to tell them "when I bought the car, I got the 10 year/100k warranty, so I can assure you it is nowhere near expiring, and if you ever bother me again, I'll be calling the Washington state attorney general's office." Haven't heard fuck-all from them since.

[CTyankee]

14. Yes, unsolicited. That's why I'm going to call my mechanic for a professional opinion...

[MindPilot]

13. No.

You are far better to put the money you would be spending on the "warranty" in a savings account.

Those warranties always seem to be able to wiggle out of paying for a lot of things that they say they cover. Usually you have to pay first and get re-imbursed, because most shops don't want the overhead of administering the claims. And you often find they pay only part of a repair or have a substantial deductible.

From someone who spent 20 years in the car repair biz, extended warranties are not worth the price.

[Cracklin Charlie]

15. You may not need it in 6 months.

There may not be any fuel to buy, or products in the stores, if the hellscape the republicans seem to be dreaming of comes to pass.

Sorry, I am just feeling angry about the daily dose of terror that is emanating from our nations capital, that no one seems to be trying to stop. Are we under siege?

I don't know anything about cars or warrantys.

[taught_me_patience]

16. Extended warranties are almost always not worth it

New cars can easily go 100k miles with no issue whatsoever.

[moondust]

17. Do you have old records on it?

Those might tell you if it has been well cared for along with a close physical examination. I don't know if Carfax is worth anything as I've never used it.

[CTyankee]

18. I bought it brand new off the lot at the Nissan dealership. It was sitting there, waiting just for

Me!

The only problem I have is the fact that it is a very dark gray (beautiful, BTW) so it looks like so many other cars that color and blacker. So I always have to remember where I parked it...

[moondust]

19. If it's brand new

I personally wouldn't buy the extra warranty unless searching Google reveals online disussions or articles about common problems with that model. You could also check to see if it needs Takata airbags replaced before buying it.

[CTyankee]

20. Thanks. I'll ask that question of my mechanic tomorrow...

[onyxw]

24. My car used to blend in too

Just get a distinct magnetic bumper sticker. Helps pick your car out of a parking lot and easily removed so not permanent should you ever need to resell.

[CTyankee]

29. I have a little pink whale from as store on Martha's Vineyard on the bumper. That helps.

It's pretty distinctive (however, I have seen one just like it parked next to my Versa right here in New Haven -- it knocked me out!).

[JDC]

21. Only if it is from Nissan

My experience is that 3rd party warranties are not well received when the dealer works on your car. I had a Jeep Gr Cherokee with a 3rd party Ext Warranty and the AC went out twice due to a faulty ground wire. Warranty did not cover it. Had it been through Jeep, it would have been covered. I think I share the opinion of others, I would let it ride without it. No Pun intended.

[Tree-Hugger]

22. Probably not

My first Nissan Versa didn't have a single problem (other than normal tire, brake, light replacement) until I got to around 150,000. Assuming the newer Versas are still made well, it's probably not worth it. They are very good cars.

[Xolodno]

23. Nope.

There are usually several exclusions, sometimes a deductible, etc. And when it is a covered item, a royal pain in the ass to use as there is paperwork and needed approval a head of time to do the work. Your car could be out of use for a few days as a result and leave you paying for a rental in the mean time.

And then there is this, they often specify that the repairs be done at the dealer....which is notoriously far more expensive. And if they do something outside the covered repair that was needed to do the covered repair...your on the hook for some serious dough. Its why in some states its illegal to sell extended warranties outside the initial purchase date....to dissuade the purchase of them.

Plus if you blow an engine, tranny, etc. within the covered time, it means you weren't keeping up with the maintenance, continued to operate the vehicle with a known problem, etc....and will get denied coverage.

I know someone who has a Dodge HEMI truck and uses it for his construction business, he has over 500k miles on it and thus far only had to replace the tranny. What does that say?

[ileus]

25. 172k on our 07 Xterra, and 115k on my 05 Sentra.

I've never had the Xterra in the shop....not once in 172k. I've preformed all the routine maintenance myself...but it does need to go in for the Airbag recall.

My 05 and 1990 Nissan sentras were/are just as bullet proof when it come to their engines and automatic trannys. Sure little things bite the dust, you can fix them or have them fixed or just ignore it and keep driving.

Sold the 90 Sentra for 100 bucks to a guy that drove it 3 years before selling it.

[Ilsa]

26. I'll be using my extended warranty tomorrow for a $700 "radio" that is actually

the centerpoint for the vehicles warnings communications systems. All of the digital communications, computer chips, are linked through a generic board of some sort. But my vehicle is a GM.

It may have been a waste of money, but tomorrow I'll be glad that it is on its way to paying for itself.

[redstateblues]

27. I had a Sentra that I put 180,000 miles on. Take care of it

Make sure you change the timing belt at 100,000 and change the oil. It will run for a long time.

[CTyankee]

28. Yeah, at my age and condition I'll be either dead or in a nursing home before this happens...

[lithiumbomb]

30. Not if this was from an unsolicited call

In short, no. Marketing companies have data on car owners and models, and they will cold call you, or send you snail mail offers, for extended warranty coverage. You can expect to get these offers for _years_. They will still be happy to sell you 'warranty' coverage on your car when it's 10 years old with 150k miles.

[melm00se]

31. True extended *manufacturer* warranty

may be a good idea.

3rd party extended warranties? pure junk