Extended Warranty
 

I have a 1997 boxster with 25000 miles, Is buying an extended warranty a good idea?Any ideas will be much appreciated

Yeah, it's a great idea IF you can get one that is worth what you pay for it and one that actually pays out.

Do some searching here on this forum and you'll find a bunch of threads with mixed reviews about extended warranty companies and their payout exceptions.

Find one that a forum member has had good experiences with and then ask them to rate your car.

Frankly, it might be smarter to put the $2000 or more in the bank and let it earn interest for the day you need repairs, then use some of the cash at a good independent mechanic's shop vs. the stealership.

97's like ours had some odd glitches like the top transmission cables stretching and disconnecting. Other problems that span model years are the coolant overflow tank in the trunk cracking and leaking, the oil filler tube that goes from the cap through the firewall in the trunk cracking, etc. I have also replaced my driver's side lower control arm twice... go figure.

No one would give me an extended warranty in 04 on my 84k high mileage 1997 boxster. However, yours has low mileage and a vast majority of the 97's and 98's have had new engines put in them... mine had a new engine put in just before I bought it.

So for the intermediate shaft failure or the rear main seal leak issues alone, an extended warranty would be great to have on your car, providing they can prove to you in print that these things are covered.

I looked at alot of warranty when i just bought my car.From everything i read it was a no win situation,had a feeling they would never payout:it was always going to be my fault.

I'm having a difficult time agreeing with this. True, many cars have had engine replacements, but not just these model years. A vast majority, I'm not so sure.

Low mileage older Boxsters can be ticking timebombs. As many discussions have gone in the past, manufacturing and design defects in these engines can take 15-30k miles to reveal themselves, and once you pass out of the manufacturer's original warranty time period (because it is an older Boxster), you are on your own to cover it. I would look for a decent deal on a warranty but make absolutely sure it covers engine failure.

I got lucky, apparently my engine went out at 35k under the previous owner. So it got a new one in 2005. Hopefully he had it covered under warranty at the time!

-David

A wonderful idea
 

The salesperson will love you.

Consumer Reports in their Auto Issue that just came today devotes about 4 pages to Extended Warranties. ..and mostly they talk about why you shouldn't buy them.

Which is not to say that if you can locate a reputable company that has a solid financial basis for staying in business, and you read the contract carefully, and you check with your mechanic to make sure he will deal with the warranty company and that they will deal fairly (both with him and with their insured) and you read the contract..and you read the contract..

But you get the idea...what reputable company will insure a 11 year old car...and why pay 80% in commissions and administrative costs when all you project to get out of the deal is 20% on average...and that is best case and they are still in business when you need them.

Here's a couple of tips IMO:

- Buy a Box still under manufacturer's warranty, CPO, OR with an extended warranty purchased by the previous owner. Insist on all paperwork
- IF the box you're looking at is outside of Porsche warranty and DOES NOT have an extended warranty, insist on as much service history as possible
- IF the box was no warranty OR documented service history, you might as well put your money on black in Vegas, no matter what the mileage, there is a strong possibility you're about to buy someone else's headache.

I purchased my '01 with 65K on it outside of warranty, I wanted a higher but not high mileage Boxster. I was able to retrieve service history back to 48K from a Porsche dealership in Tulsa. Within the service history I was able to confirm repair of the RMS seal, MAF, O2 sensors, AOS, oil fill tube, etc....most of the common problems we bump into have been addressed. In addition, many of these issues were fixed within the past year, so, if they fail again, Porsche will warranty the labor and parts at ANY Porsche dealership.

I was considering an extended warranty through Warranty Direct but have decided to put that 4K in my ING account which as already earned $150 bucks in interest. In addition, I have decided to get my hands dirty around the car in an effort to avoid as much stealership markup as possible. Moral of the story, learn as much as you can before hand.