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Originally Posted by mikefocke
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Good stuff in there, everyone should read it. However, it wouldn't dissuade me from an extended warranty on my Boxster. I've owned various German sports cars for over 35 years, new and used. I've also owned many Japanese sedans and vans, and a few US vechicles. Based on my experience with Porsches and BMW's, and from my record of repairs, the extended warranty I purchased will very likely be a breakeven proposition, and more often than I'd like, may save me about 4 to 5X the cost of the warranty if I'm unlucky and I have an engine or transmission failure due to design or manufacturing flaws. Fact is that Porsche and BMW parts are very expensive, labor rates are outrageous, and both have chronic problems (e.g. MAF, window regulators, switchgear, etc.) and major acute problems due to design flaws they won't fix (IMS, RMS, cylinder liners, block porosity; BMW's - similar stuff, E46 M3 spun bearings, E36 M3 rear suspension mount failures, cooling system failures, etc.).
I've never purchased an extended warranty on any Toyota or Honda I've owned, and my records show it wasn't needed. They simply don't have the kind of chronic and acute problems that German cars have, and when problems do crop up, they find them before I do and issue warranty extensions and repairs without charge (3 so far on our Sienna). The 7/70K extended warranty I bought on our Dodge Caravan was well worth it, and the only way I'd buy another US vehicle was if the original or extended warranty covered the full duration of the time I was planning on owning the vehicle.
BTW, I've had my extended warranty for a year, and it's already paid $450 in claims (window regulator, crankshaft plug leak). I just squeezed a RMS in before the factory warranty expired (I have Tip, so it was just under $2K at the dealer). Even if I end up with money on the table, the other thing that warranties buy you is peace of mind, which is worth at least a few hundred bucks to me.