Extended Warranties

[Sprockit]

Hello. I am a new Titan owner (we pick it up tonight). As per the drill, at the close of the deal, I spent some quality time with the business manager. He really pitched the extended warranty contract hard. His arguments were that the Titan was a new model and there could be bugs, all the electronics in the engine, transmission, braking system, etc., and the escalating cost of service $85/hr going to $95/hr in the next year or so. I told him that I was glad that I didn't talk with him before the sale as he would have scared me away. I also referenced my '95 Nisson King Cab with 160K miles on it. He did make a compelling argument about the added complexity of these new vehicles.
So, I'm asking this forum: Do you believe that the extended warranties are worth it? (He pitched a 5yr 75K mile plan for $874). Thanks!

[40-Dan]

IMHO, it depends on how much you drive it.

I put a lot of miles on my vehicles. Currently have an '02 F-150 King Ranch that is ALMOST due for her 75k service. Considering saving that bill and getting a Titan, and, if I do, I'll almost certainly pop for the 100k mile plan. (have a 75k mile plan on the Ford)

Dan

[emilioferrer]

Scaring you into a plan is part of business. Like any other insurance, they have to make more money that they spend to cover for it. If there is a widespread problem they will have to recall the trucks and repair them. If it is not you have only a small chance to be affected.
I am personally against extended guarantees. If it needs one I simply buy a different brand. Nissan in general has been very reliable brand, particularly electronic components. Not much in this truck is new.

[TitanBrian]

Same exact experience here a few weeks ago when I picked up my Titan. I was at an out of state dealership so I had to get my ducks in a row, make decisions, and get on with it so I could get on the road homeward. Finance dude really did push the warranty...with the same arguments as you mention. I let him vent just to get it overwith then we moved on to something else, title origination, taxes, etc. Then, he feeds the sale contract into the printer hits the print key and it spits out the deal. The warranty was on it. "Please sign here here here and here...." he says. I checked the full document and told him to remove the warranty. I had NOT agreed to it in any way. So, they'll slam that warranty onto the contract unless you make it VERY CLEAR that you do NOT want it. I told him to remove it....he whined....I got a little louder....then he deleted it off the screen and reprinted the form.

Call me optimistic, or a gambler, but I go easy on my vehicles and I think the Titan will survive.

Brian

[Desert]

Just ask them if it is a good vehicle, why do I need to worry about a warranty?

The salesman tells you how good your vehicle is, but then the finance guy sits down and tries to convince you it’ll kaboom at 36,001 miles.

[caltitan]

You can still buy the extended warranty after the initial purchase (I think a one year time limit for the least expensive plans or at a higher cost before the normal warranty runs out, but I am not sure). Ask if he will honor that extended warranty price up to an expiration date (say 30 days or end of the month). Have him write the quote on the back of his business card and initial it with the plan name, cost, and offer expiration. Tell him you want to make a more informed decision on the extended warranty after driving the Titan for a few weeks. Good luck.

[Butneway]

I reccomend waiting until around 33k miles before purchasing the extended warranty. It can be purchased at the dealership and the coverage begins when you purchase it. I have done that with all of my vehicles. There is no additional costs to do it that way, and if you decide to sell before the 3/36 is up you havent wasted a grand or so.

[wareagle]

all these optimists here that think that nothing will ever go wrong with the truck . Take a look at the threads in this forum and ask yourself if 36000 miles is enough. All it takes is one sevice to exceed $864. I have never owned a car or truck that went 75k without a single problem after the warranty was up...right after it was up in fact. I got the warranty on mine, they didn't offer it to my wife on her nissan altima and now she wishes she had it for just little stuff that's not a big deal, not worth the money to fix without the warranty, but worth it since you bought the warranty (ie. power back window broken). It's not like it is just a powertrain warranty, it is bumper to bumper too so much better chance of using it. I guess I am just a pessimist, I expect the worst and and excited when something good happens, and not as dissapointed when something bad happens. All I have to say is that if you don't buy it you will need it, and if you do buy it you might not use it but at least you have that peice of mind. My plan is to take it in at about 74k and tell them to fix anything that needs to be fixed that is covered under that warranty before it runs out like I did with my old truck. Old truck had a 50k warranty and at 56k I had to take it in for a/c problems, a service light that came on, and some other prob I can't remember anymore. Nissan makes great vehicles but no matter how "soft" you drive them something is likley to happen to them before 75k.
p.s. If you don't buy it please don't go whinning to the dealer saying they should cover it like all these other fools will when their 36k warranty is up, and no I don't work for any dealer, but I did used to sell warranties for computers and hated people coming back yelling at me when they f'd up thier computer and didn't want to pay us $100hr plus parts to fix it when they could have shelled out $50 for a warranty in the first place.

[Butneway]

I fully reccomend purchasing the extended...I would just wait until you get around 33k miles to do it. Same cost and coverage and like I stated, if you sell the truck by then you aren't out the cost of the warranty....

[caltitan]

Originally Posted by Butneway

I fully reccomend purchasing the extended...I would just wait until you get around 33k miles to do it. Same cost and coverage and like I stated, if you sell the truck by then you aren't out the cost of the warranty....

I called two different Nissan dealerships today and was told that although you can still purchase extended warranties as long as the initial manufacturer's warranty is in effect, the cost will likely be higher with each year or 10,000 miles since the vehicle was purchased. Even if both scenarios (extending when new or extending later) had the same coverage period/mileage expiration. They would not elaborate on the cost difference except that it could be a few hundred dollars in addition to inflation. Curious if they were telling the truth, so let me know if anyone's dealer says something different.

[Tom Roper]

Extended warranties should be viewed skeptically with all the caveats that go along with the vehicle itself.

- When the warranty company goes out of business, they are worthless...(it happens)

- There is a LOT of profit. You should shop like you would for the vehicle to get the best price on the SAME policy.

- There is a LOT they won't cover, and misleading wording about it.

- It may cover water pump failure. It may cover cylinder head failure. But if a water pump failure causes a cylinder head failure, they only pay for the water pump failure, and not the consequential damage it caused to the cylinder head.

My $0.02 on warranties, is buy the one that comes along with a new Titan, and trade vehicles before you face major repairs.

Don't finance for more than 36 months, and trade/sell no longer than 48 months. If you can't afford that, drive something less expensive that you can.

Just my $0.02

[SUBTITAN]

Extended warranties are more for piece of mind for me. If it was my only mode of transportation I probably would have gotten it. This is the first vehicle I have purchased without one. I have become more confortable doing my own repairs. They qouted me over $2200 and I was not willing to spend that much for one. If you do decide to get one make sure you keep all the records for routine service such as oil changes, also make sure you do the maintenance on scheduled the two times I went in for service I've heard horror stories of Nissan not honoring the warranty one was an Altima with 16,000 miles with a blown engine rejected to to a quick lube place putting on the wrong size filter.

[Potroast]

insurance is like a game. Usually you can take the money that would have gone to insurance and put it into a savings account and be better off. However, there are times where it pays off.

For example, on my car insurance, I carry full coverage, comprehensive, high-limits, etc... I've never had to make a claim... Wasted money over minimum coverage.

However, on my volvo, I bought the extended warranty and I got 4 batteries and a new transmission out of it... The tranny was around $2000, and the warranty was $500... Now that was worth it!

It's a game of chance... Is it a good deal? Dunno... When the time passes you'll know.... it's just how much you like those odds now.