Warranty on a 2nd hand car.

[perebrine]

2 cars ago I bought a 2nd hand x type Jag from a garage, it came with a 3 month Warranty, but the salesman was really pushy trying to get me to take an extended warranty, which I wasn't interested in, but gave in after pressure & purchased it. I never did use it. You don't get any warranty when you buy privately.

What are your thoughts on taking a warranty out with a Boxster, is it worth the risk? I don't mean from an OPC
 

[Paul P]

Of course depends on the warranty company but generally better than nothing (but only a bit).
 

Only time I tried to use the one that came with my previous boxster (belt tensioner seized) they immediately said “well it’s not really failed has it because the belt is tensioned it has just worn out”

that told me all I needed to know about them. Although to be fair the supplying dealer did later say that they would have likely paid out if I had gone back to them (distance was the issue) since they were “self approvers” for the warranty company since they did a lot of business with them   

some of the better specialists provide their own warranty (cridfords)  and some use a third party who seem to be ok (paragon) but “honest Joe’s motors with a 3 month warranties-r-us policy” are probably worthless. 
 

as ever. Just opinions. And I am sure others will have a more positive spin.  

[Tyreman]

I've never had or really heard of any good experiences with third party warranties, they are specifically worded as to cover very little.

My preferences are either buying approved used vehicles from franchised dealers or buying private, I tend to totally miss out on anything in between. 

[DaveEFI]

They are a form of insurance, and insurance companies always win overall. Likely only 10% of premiums get paid out in claims. Rest goes on promotion, admin and profit. And more to the point, many dealers seek to limit your legal rights by passing their risk on to an insurance scheme.

[huytonman]

Including a 3 months warranty is a good way of disguising their legal responsibilities to sell you a car that's fit for purpose and the last time I checked their responsibility ran for 6 months and thereafter you would need to prove that any fault was already present when the car was sold to you - not an easy task. I've pretty much given up on third party warranties and if one is included say for 12 months with the car I try to get them to drop the price of the car by the equivalent amount that they would have paid for a third party job - you need to be confident in your numbers though and then use the cash saved to contribute towards a proper warranty (very easy to do with BMW's and theirs is excellent). I have done this with BMW's, Mercedes and a Discovery (that definitely saved me a few bob as a result compared to the rubbish third party one being offered with the car). As for Porsche, I wouldn't buy a warranty from them, maybe I would renew if I had a car that came with one but the last time I looked the prices were getting silly; if a car came with one that's a nice bonus but my last used Boxster that came with an OPC warranty had a failure with the aircon within a few weeks of collection - I stuck it into the dealer to sort out only to get a call from them "have you got dogs? We thought so, the mice have stored the dog food in the engine compartment and eaten the air con wiring for pudding" - needless to say the warranty didn't cover that one! The dog food is no longer in the garage and the ultrasonic mouse scarer seems to have worked too...

Keith

[Paul P]

I have a Porsche warranty on mine.  I found a car that had good provenance for genuine Porsche parts and had its previous service at opc (conditions of the warranty). The battery wasn’t Porsche but I negotiated cost of replacement when I bought it.  

warranty comes in at about £60 a month or “a tank of (cheaper)  fuel”. 

That’s how I chose to go. 

others see it differently (especially if there are a number of non genuine parts on the car when you try and get it covered) 

not needed to claim on it so far but that’s kind of irrelevant given it’s “insurance”.  

As others have said “approved used” is typically good, everything else, roll the dice. 

[thanatoid]

3 hours ago, huytonman said:

ultrasonic mouse scarer

Or cat 🙂