Should I purchase Extended Warranty

[Meldogs]

Hi. Please help me. I am new to this forum and have just agreed to purchased a pre-owned 04 Vibe (GM Optimum Vehicle). I have have thought about purchasing the GMPP extended warranty for 3 years (36,000km) for $1700 + taxes (CDN). This option comes with a $100 deductible per repair or I can pay $2200 for no deductible (3yr/36000km). I know that the Vibe is a great vehicle so I am tempted to skip it but then I remember that my Vibe has the power package and ABS and I worry that a repair could get costly. I am so torn over this decision as it is a lot of money and if I were rich I would have purchased a new Vibe, right?! Any opinions would be appreciated. I know that it is a comfort decision (and I wont hold anyone responsible if I end up making a bad decision.. haha) but I'd just like to get all your opinions... as you guys sure do know your Vibes!!! Thanks so much and thanks for being the great source of information that you are!

[RIT]

How many miles are on the car? I have 70K and the only problem has been a cat convertor that was covered under warranty. Just a data point, but I would pocket the $2K.

[joatmon]

Which Vibe model is it?There are a few issues that have come up, the 5 speed manual tranny seems to have more failures than expected, a few have had problems with the AWD rear differential, and the GTs have more clutch problems than you would expect, but the base automatic transmission cars have had no major problems. Any car can have something fail, but averaged out among us genvibers, the base auto seems to be the most reliable. Welcome to genvibe

[Meldogs]

Thanks for the replies. It is a 2004 Base 2WD Auto with 51000 km. I was leaning that way and to hear it from you guys just makes me think that I shouldn't buy it (the extended warranty that is...not the Vibe ). Thanks. You guys really are great!

[kevera]

I have an 04 with auto and have had no major problems.Plus here in Canada,we get a 5 year powertrain warranty that should still apply to your vehicle.

[VivaVibe]

If you are willing to dish out that much money without any assurance it will be used, but you want the security, just insure yourself. Why not put the $2000 into an interest bearing account for the unlikely event of a major repair? That way if it doesn't get used for the car, you have not lost that amount after the warranty period ends.

[michaelgt]

My Vibe has just past 110k miles, or 170km. I had a power window adjusted under warranty, and I do not use my passenger window because it make a noise. Otherwise, I did not have any warranty or other non-maintenance work done on the car. I have had new brakes, and finally changed my antifreeze. The price you identified is expensive, and not very many miles or km. I bought a $0 deductible 5yr/75k mile warranty for a Yukon XL for $1500. (I had about $4k in warranty work).

[cmhj2000]

Put the money in the bank and don't touch it for 3 years.Do your maintenance correctly and enjoy yourself.

[redlava]

It's pretty much a toss up. I bought one just because my truck had some problems early on and if it would have happened after the warranty expired it would have been very costly to fix. I haven't had any major problems with the Vibe so far and have had it for 4 years. But there are a few people, *cough* colonelpanic *cough* who have had problems. I would do whatever makes you feel more comfortable. I haven't had to use my extended warranty for anything yet, but I am happy it is there just in case.

[Mavrik]

I'd buy it.If you plan on keeping the vehicle for a while and not modifying it, then its a good investment. Its like having auto insurance... its there when you need it... but you may not ever need it. Now because of what I do to cars and how I drive... I don't personally have it. But if I just daily drove and didn't modify my car then I'd buy it for peace of mind.

[Meldogs]

Thanks to all who offered their sage advice. I just picked it up and I have started the love affair officially! I can't wait to drive to work now. Thanks again!

[michaelgt]

Quote, originally posted by Meldogs »Thanks to all who offered their sage advice. I just picked it up and I have started the love affair officially! I can't wait to drive to work now. Thanks again!Did you take the warranty?Go buy the fog light covers!

[Meldogs]

I didn't purchase the extended warranty based on the feedback here and the fact that a mechanic friend suggested I would probably be OK. He owes me a couple of favours and has said "Consider me your extended warranty" so I gratefully accepted. I'm gonna go check out the fog light covers right now and I get my remote start installed tomorrow!Thanks again!

[Whelan]

Let me tell you my experience with extended warranties. Sure it sounds like a good security blanket, but you have to deal with tons of garbage from the dealer if you try to bring it back for stuff. I purchased it for my last car (02 Civic) it was CPO with 6,000 miles on it. So I got the 100k bumper to bumper. I brought it in for this and that (things I could have fixed). The front seat would not stop wobbling and they fixed it once, then it came back, they wouldnt fix it again. I looked online and found the problem was not the adjuster, but the faulty washer bearings used on the mounts. So I popped the seat off and after $20 of my own money for parts fixed it. Never another wobble for the next 40k miles. Second, the drivers window was not opening and closing right, it would shift and tilt downwards a bit when closing. They could not find a problem and greased all my window tracks. But they did tell me if I came for it again they would have to charge me. yeah right!Thirdly, the car starting buring oil? At only like 60k miles. It was buring a quart every 1 thousand miles. So I brought it in about 7 times. Got a loaner each time, they would do oil consumption tests each month and top me off. American Honda Motor (warranty people) would not do anything. They claimed the following (in letters no less):1) 1 quart per 1 thousand miles of engine use is within the acceptable limits of oil consumption and considered normal.(removed)?!?!?!?!? I have never had this much oil burn. My 94 Saturn with 150,000 miles had a piston ring issue and didn't even burn this much oil!2) If I was to have the engine stripped to find the problem and the problem was not found to be anything covered under warranty or able to be fixed. American Honda would not pay for any work done to the car. In other words, if they took the engine out and apart and found nothing, I would have to pay that labor $700 as well as the labor to put it back together.So I came to the conclusion and called them on the phone explaining that 1) They can go **** themselves and I will not buy another Honda2) I no longer need to change my oil filter as every 3,000 miles I have all new oil in it anyways.To which the person on the phone told me that if I still did not maintain the vehicle I could be subject to a dismissal of my warranty. He then tried to blame the problem on my Shifter, intake, and exhaust?????This guy was a moron. An air intake, exhaust and short shifter have no bearing on how much oil your car drinks between changes. It does not directly affect this in anyway.so with 74,000 on the car I sold it and bought the Toyota. And when the guy at the dealer offered me the warranty, I took him for a spin with this and said, it's Certified Pre-Owned right? he says yes for powertrain and engine for 7yr. 100,000. I said fine, that's all I need. Anything smaller I can fix myself without the hassle of rental cars and drop offs. To say the least his jaw was on the floor after hearing my experience with a bumper to bumper warranty.Oh and P.S.- I transferred the warranty to the new owner, he can deal with it now.

[michaelgt]

A Honda had a problem? Honda did not make the customer feel right? What next, Consumers Report not accurately testing child seats?

[Whelan]

yeah shocked me too since it was only at 74k. Odd for the 1.7 to have that issue.And the only mods were:AEM caiApexi Worldsport II catback exhaustRevo Short ShifterOther than that, it was tints, tires, and some cosmetics. Changed the oil every 3,000 miles with durablend synthetic/dyno mix of 5-20 recommended. Had the tranny flushed at 50k, kept the car pristine.

[dianebrat]

Well i have the worst luck in the world with cars, so if I buy new like I just did with my '06 AWD, I buy the GM extended warranty.My big concerns are always drivetrain, power windows doors.If they had offered either the 100k powertrain on my '06, or offered an AWD for '07 that had the 100k powertrain, I would not have bought the extended.I can pretty much promise that if I didn't buy the extended, that 1 month after the 3/36,000 warranty expired, I'd have a rear differential or transmission issue.. without fail.If I buy the warranty, nothing will ever go wrong.Since I financed for 5 years, and the bumper to bumper is 3/36,000, that leaves 2 years for something major to die while I'm still making payments.I vote for peace of mind, but of course YMMVDiane