Extended warranty on daily driver . . . what do you think?

[CarreraS2]

The 4 year factory warranty on my wife's MB is ending in December.

The reliability of the car hasn't been horrible, like a lot of MBs these days, but it hasn't exactly been a Honda, either. Parts of the dash electronics have been replaced, steering rack, window mechanisms, and a bunch of other things over the past 4 years that I can't remember.

We plan on keeping the car for as long as possible - at least another 5-10 years.

I was looking at an extended warranty, which I'd have to buy before the factory warranty ends.

This company seems pretty good from what I can see on the 'Net.

http://www.warrantydirect.com

Basically, it would cost $1400 for an additional 4 years. (Given the miles she drives, mileage won't be a factor). This would be for "bumper to bumper" coverage. It is "exclusionary" coverage, i.e., everything is included unless it is on the list of specifically excluded items. Which is things like tires, paint, etc.

Normally, I wouldn't even consider an extended warranty. But these cars aren't that reliable, they do seem tough to work on (the electrical problems can be daunting on a modern car!), and, it seems like only paying $1400 total for repairs over the next 4 years is optimistic. Even assuming that I do as much work myself as I can.

On the other hand, all of the problems we had with the car happened in the first 2 years. It hasn't had any in the last 2. So, maybe the bugs are worked out?

What do ya think?! Good deal, or bad?

[motion]

Seems like a good deal to me, Brian. Plus, if you sell earlier than planned, the the warranty will make your car more valuable/saleable. Seems like a win/win to me. Doesn't take much these days to come up with a $1400 repair bill!

[B D]

Originally posted by motion
Seems like a good deal to me, Brian. Plus, if you sell earlier than planned, the the warranty will make your car more valuable/saleable. Seems like a win/win to me. Doesn't take much these days to come up with a $1400 repair bill!

I agree, seems like a good deal and $1400 repair bill is nothing these days. Have you asked any dealers about the cost to get one through them as well for comparison? See if they can beat the price.