Extended Warranty Advice:

I am looking into getting a 4 yr 100k extended warranty through "warranty direct". It costs 3,000 for the best coverage which covers almost everything but maintenance. The deductible is 100.00. I still owe 16k on my 2005 R50 MINI so I am thinking it may be worth it. Warranty Direct only asks I put 800 down then the rest is paid out over 18 months. Do you think it is worth it?????

 

no

put the 3k in savings .. and pay any repairs out of that

if you owe 16 and put 3k into a warrenty..
wreck the car next week..

you are wwaaaaaaayyyyyy upside down

how about pay 3k on the loan.. then you are looking better.

extended warrenty's are not always a good deal.

 

$3000 is alot of money in my opinion. Personally, I don't usually purchase extended warranties on anything, but I do understand why people do...especially when they keep a car long term.

Does the warranty you are wanting to purchase go to 100k miles on your odometer or 100k additional miles starting from the day you purchase the warranty? If it just covers you til 100k miles on the car, then it would all depend on how many miles you currently have. I would think that you would have to incur alot of repairs to get your money back on a $3000 warranty. I suppose your clutch may go....which can be expensive, but you could find someone other than a dealer to do it for $1000 or less I'm sure.

I say skip the warranty altogether and risk it. Chances are you won't spend $3000 in repairs in the next 4 years. Preventative maintenance is your best warranty, IMHO. If you do get an extended warranty, shop around online and read the fine print...many things are often excluded, even on the highest level of coverage.

Good luck!

 

My $0.02 - skip it. That's betting a lot of money that something BIG goes wrong.

 

"Something BIG," would include a blown CVT, yes? I sure as hell wish I would have had an extended warranty when mine went out, assuming it would have covered it.

 

That would be the one. I almost mentioned it, but he said he had a 2005 - no more CVT on those.

 

I am a she =)

I have an automatic and as far as I can tell it is a CVT tranny


That is why I am so worried!!

If I had to pay 4-7k for a new tranny then I would be upside down since I would not be able to pay for the repair.

When I bought the car life was good. I had a job loss and now I make less money at my new job so now I worry about my MINI too much.

 

not to sound unloyal or mean..

trade it in for a honda..
no worries there.

i have an 05 with auto tranny too.. i am in the same boat.. my warrenty is over june 09
my dealer is looking at my car friday. .i have had it in 3 times for the tranny ..'slamming' into gear

they have a tranny in stock and will replace if they think it is due.. looks optimistic

 

ravenofskys,
First, if you do not have an S model you do have a CVT. 2006 was the last year.
$3K sounds high. Will you be able to hit 100K in 4 years? I know it also depends on the miles you start with. Coverage for my '04 (CVT) with 32K up to 75K was much less.

Asking for opinions on an extended warranty is often controversial. Some times they can be worth it and most times they are not. We're betting that something WILL go wrong and the insurance company is betting that nothing will go wrong. In some cases it is worth piece of mind. I think that if the CVT trans was as bad as this forum would lead everyone to believe it would not be covered by any extended warranty.

If someone can afford it, then it can be worth the cost (even if it just for piece of mind). In the end it is up to the individual to decide how much of a burden on finances having or not having the extended warranty would be.

See if you can realistically get away with a less costly package. Also, call and ask Warranty Direct to see if they are running any specials, or if they would negotiate. You never know....

 

That sounds high. We have researched extended warranties and have several write ups that may help answer your question.

 

I just glanced at your site and it looks really informative. I can't wait to read through all the info and links. Great job!

 

OT, but +1 on the website...first I've heard of it. Took a gander and one link helped me finally track down a part number I've been seeking. Nice!

Okay, back to topic and extended warranties. Have to agree with Eric, a long-term relationship planned for a CVT might be the only justification that would drive me to the warranty investment. The failure and cost risks are both substantial -- probably why the extended warranty price quotes are so high, since the companies marketing them are likely starting to figure this out.

 

I have an 03 CVT and do have an extended warranty however if my car is sold or wrecked I get the value left prorated on time or mileage whichever is better for the warranty company back.
best thing I can say is it cost me $2300 and I have used it to the tune of $1400 in the first year so over all I say worth it

 

Have you had yours for a while? Sounds like you got a really good deal and great peace of mind in case there are tranny probs down the road.

 

I am thinking about getting an extended warranty through warranty direct.

anyone deal with them?

 

I would say (and just my humble opinion), if you have had a 5/6 speed standard MINI, I would say skip it, but since you have a CVT automatic, I would go for the warranty. When the CVT's go (and there's alot of threads into that matter) they can pull up to and above $5,000 to get it replaced(they don't get fixed, only replaced).

By the way, as stated before, R50 automatic MINIs ("justacoopers") had the CVT untill 2006, R53 automatics have an "AISIN" brand (not 100% sure though) transmission and were only available from 2005 to 2006.

Thanks