Extended Warranty/Auto Services

[GMTruckGuy74]

Since I purchased the Cadillac last week, I've been hearing/seeing ads for extended warranties and of course there's always the AAA services being advertised. With the Caddy having no warranty, I'm definitely interested in getting some protection for the car, especially since it will be my daily-driver starting in November and want to protect my family when we're on the road. Should I look into an extended warranty plan, and if yes, with what company? Should I look into AAA coverage too? Since this is the first vehicle I have without any owner protection (I've been leasing my vehicles for 10 years now, so I've never paid attention to any services due to the manufacturer's coverage), I'm interested for something soon. Thanks!!

[Drew Dowdell]

NO to the extended warranty.

AAA is fine because it doesn't cover the vehicle specifically and it's only about $100 a month to cover both you and your wife.

The B-Bodies are amazingly easy to work on as far as modernish cars go, any shop can do work on it. Parts are everywhere. Ebay is a diamond mine.

If it makes you feel better, take it to a trusted mechanic to go over with a fine tooth comb. have every belt, hose, and fluid changed, and then just follow a normal maintenance cycle. These are very robust vehicles. Take care of them, they'll take care of you.

[daves87rs]

NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO NO

Just get AAA or Allstate for towing, and you will be fine.

[REDO1GPGT]

For a great majority of cars I would say no to extended warranties. I went against my general opinion for some reason when buying my 03 325i. I was uneasy with the thought of having no warranty coverage on a Germancar especially after spending thousands of dollars on repairs for my relatively easy to work on 2001 Grand Prix. Also knowing how expensive BMW's are to repair I felt the need for some sort of coverage. I purchased the BMW with just shy of 60K at a Lincoln-Mercury dealership and decided upon getting the Premium Ford ESP (Extended Service Plan) good for 4 years/48K miles for used cars. Under this plan essentially everything is covered. I felt like this was about the mileage where things are going to start going wrong and the age also concerned me. The car has to be serviced at a BMW dealership and I only have to pay a $100 deductible per visit no matter how many repairs made. Total cost was an extra $2760. This was 9 months ago and since then have put a little over 11K miles on the car. First use of the warranty was around 65K when the sunroof closed sideways and jammed costing $1600 to repair. Just last week another $2125 for two window regulators, a control arm, bushings, and electrical wiring repair in the tail lights. Rental car is also paid for through the warranty. So far $3725 in work done - $200 in deductibles - $2760 purchase price = $765 ahead and only after 11K miles. Granted this is a pretty rare case, a great majority of owner do not ever come out ahead even at the end of the warranty period. I'm not too familiar with B-bodies but I imagine they are quite a bit cheaper to repair than a German car and it sounds like yours was well maintained hence not as much need for an extended plan.

[mustang84]

I had the option for a Ford ESP on my car, and I decided no even though there is tendency for specific things to go wrong and they can get expensive. But I'd rather take the chance than spend nearly a quarter of what I paid for my car on a 2 year / 24K mile warranty.

For your car, I would say no since parts are available and repair costs shouldn't be too high since it's a common GM product.

[Intrepidation]

Hell no. The car was treated well it should be reliable, if you have an issue, parts are pretty cheap, they're easy to work on and oh yeah...you've got loads of people to help you.

Just get AAA. Get Plus because basic is garbage.

[capriceman]

GM SMC B body = 300,000 Mi of awesomeness!

[daves87rs]

GM SMC B body = 300,000 Mi of awesomeness!

+1

[NINETY EIGHT REGENCY]

NO to the extended warranty.

AAA is fine because it doesn't cover the vehicle specifically and it's only about $100 a month to cover both you and your wife.

The B-Bodies are amazingly easy to work on as far as modernish cars go, any shop can do work on it. Parts are everywhere. Ebay is a diamond mine.

If it makes you feel better, take it to a trusted mechanic to go over with a fine tooth comb. have every belt, hose, and fluid changed, and then just follow a normal maintenance cycle. These are very robust vehicles. Take care of them, they'll take care of you.

He is right like the others here. I did exactly that with my Toronado and Ninety Eight. It can be fun. I made a project out of it. I went back each month and had things done to the cars. I went from the most expensive to the least. It is more than changing belts and hoses and fluids too. The most expensive thing on my Toronado was like 500.00 plus dollars. It was the new rear struts. Check the motor mounts too. With older cars, it is good when parts are around. Also you have to know where to look online too.

[Intrepidation]

You'll save lots of money if you're willing to get up, get a FSM and turn a wrench. Some things are best left to shops, but you can get a lot done yourself and its far more rewarding. It's also part of the joy of being a car enthusiast.