Accord Sport Owners!

[rshaw125]

Originally Posted By: Vikas
So tell me your experience please! I am assuming we are talking about 8/120K extended warranty. Since most new cars have at least 3/36K (or 4/50K for luxury brands), we are talking about coverage for 5yr/75K starting at 3/36K.

Give me your list of cars and the stuff that got fixed under the extended warranty and realistic repair cost if you had to put your own money in fixing it.

Let us see the real numbers, shall we?


My point is that I did not buy extended warranties on my Buick or Explorer. Transmissions went in both. A massive very expensive PITA.
New sharpie filling out For Sale signs!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Honda-Accord-4dr...em=331526350367

Wrightsville Beach here I come.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Vikas
So tell me your experience please!

Not sure who your question was directed at. If at me, go look through repair reports on truedelta.com - many of them include repair costs.

From non luxury brands, I did own a new Accord once. It had a number of issues that needed fixing during first year alone. I ditched it, but if this was any indication of things to come, I would certainly want to have an ext. warranty in place if I were to keep it long term.

From luxury brands, I wish my BMW had an ext. warranty. It certainly cost me a pretty penny to keep on the road over the years, and I'm only at 90K miles right now. Our C300 did have an extended warranty, and it surely paid for itself many times over. It needed a new NAV unit (several thousands $), new computer (one of them - cost unknown, but not cheap), and new transmission at 61K miles ($8K if I had to pay for it), plus a bunch of other smaller things that escape my mind right now. Granted, I would expect better reliability than this from a Honda. But I would not expect it to be 100% bullet proof either.

 

[Vikas]

I was also very particular about type of vehicle where you may need to buy warranty. I said "reliable" but explicitly left out what I was insinuating.

There is also bath tub curve in terms of reliability. If things work ok during initial warranty period, then they generally don't break down within their designed life time. Now nobody knows the designed life time of their vehicle but we can always take educated guesses based upon voluminous data that is available if only you are willing to look.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Originally Posted By: rshaw125

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Honda-Accord-4dr...em=331526350367


Is that the very car or color? I like the color combo.

I hope you have as good of an experience with a Hendrick dealer that I did. I bought two cars from Hendrick Toyota in Fayetteville and have been pleased with both experiences. I bought our CR-V from Sanford Honda, and have been pleased with that experience, too. The local Honda dealer in Fayetteville is pretty lousy.

 

[Vikas]

I would like to know what was the problem with the Accord in its first year. Can you also say that the subsequent problems were NOT caused by the attempt to fix the original ones? Did Accord had problem with in the engine, transmission or the huge list that I had posted before?

The point I trying to make (and failing miserably) is that even if you end up with a lemon which had zero problem during the initial new car warranty but plethora of them during the extended yrs/miles, would they have amounted to twice the cost of the extended warranty? Once you start with a "reliable" vehicle, your odds are quite low to end up with such a lemon.

Would I hand over $1000 now for sure so that I *may* NOT have to shell out $2000 during specific period (where only extended warranty applies)? What is the probability of that? If it is less than 50%, why would I shell out the money now? The extended warranty is really an insurance. You buy it for things which are extremely costly if they are broken. Everybody has a different baseline for that cost.

You choice of the car dictates that percentage. If that percentage is high, I can understand the urge to splurge on the extended warranty. What amuses me is that some people will go through great length to buy the most reliable vehicle (sacrificing other stuff) but then end up buying the extended warranty. Where is that headslap icon?

 

[Vikas]

Leaving aside insane deal that you are getting on the Accord, what is real reason are you purchasing this vehicle instead of say Fusion or Malibu or Chrysler 2000? Did reliability play any role in that decision?

By the way, is it possible to twist your arm to go for 6MT Sport Accord instead of this? May be you can use the extended warranty money to increase your budget slightly?

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Vikas
What amuses me is that some people will go through great length to buy the most reliable vehicle (sacrificing other stuff) but then end up buying the extended warranty.

Yes, I see your point. All I'm trying to say is that things add up quickly these days, even if you have an overall reliable vehicle. Dealer labor rates are around $100 or so, and good indy shops are not far behind this, so if you're not a DIYer and just don't want unexpected expenses, an ext. warranty might make some sense. I probably wouldn't buy it on day 1 though. I'd wait until the end of the original warranty and determine that I really want to keep the car before paying for the ext. warranty. In most cases, the price should be similar, even though a dealer might try to tell you that you have to buy it at the time of car purchase to get the best deal. Also, not sure about Hondacare, but many of these ext. warranties are transferable which increases your resale price. They also give you money back if you end up not needing to use the warranty.

As for my accord, the problems were of fit&finish nature - various air leaks (causing whistling sounds) and water leaks. Just shoddy quality work courtesy of Honda Ohio plant. However, if they managed to screw up things like this, it made me wonder what else could they have possibly screwed up that would affect the car's mechanical condition in the future.

 

[hpb]

Originally Posted By: Char Baby
Indeed! I will PM you if I test drive the Legacy!

No need to PM, post your thoughts here, I'm sure others would be very interested too. Or maybe start a new thread, since this one seems to have gone off on a tangent about extended warranties...

May as well throw my opinion into the ring then - an extended warranty is an insurance policy, you may or may not get your money's worth out of it. If you do, you'll sure be glad you bought it! If not, meh, it was peace of mind, surely?

 

[Vikas]

Think of this way. If you were to buy 20 Accords for your hypothetical company, would you buy the extended warranty for all of them or not? Would you sunk entire one Accord money upfront? Or would you think that there is no way those 20 Accords are going to cost me $20K combined in unscheduled maintenance during the extended warranty period. Now you know the rational choice.

BUT EXTENDED WARRANTY PURCHASE IS NEVER RATIONAL!!!

All I am pointing out that in some cases, it is driven by irrational fear and not based upon real data.

 

[Vikas]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
As for my accord, the problems were of fit&finish nature - various air leaks (causing whistling sounds) and water leaks. Just shoddy quality work courtesy of Honda Ohio plant. However, if they managed to screw up things like this, it made me wonder what else could they have possibly screwed up that would affect the car's mechanical condition in the future.
Once again given this, you were probably not inclined to keep the car for an "extended period"! The bath tub curve I mentioned in the prior reply is applicable here.

Quote:
They also give you money back if you end up not needing to use the warranty.
This is the best idea the warranty companies have come up with since sliced bread! So when a problem which costs $100 pops up, you decide well is it really worth using the extended warranty now? Because deep down, you are still thinking, "I bought reliable car, I probably will NOT have any other problems. If I make the $100 claim, I lose my chance of getting $1000 back at the end of the warranty. I will just pay the $100 from own pocket." Obviously, there is some cutoff point whether it is $100 or $300, this is the incentive for you to NOT use the extended warranty. If at the last month of the extended warranty, you find that your car needs $500 repairs but it is not affecting safety or drive-ability, would you make claim on the warranty or wait to get your full money back?

 

[hpb]

That's the nature of insurance though - you pay for something you'll probably never use. For example, I've never made a claim on my home insurance, which I've held for over 15 years. Could've saved a boat load of money by not insuring, but would I be without it? Never!

I totally understand your point, but for some people, the peace of mind afforded by having warranty coverage far outweighs the cash outlay.

 

[rshaw125]

As far as I know the ebay listing is the exact car. I talked to them today and the car is ready for pick up. Check,driver's license and insurance all that's needed tomorrow.
As for a Fusion, nope made in Mexico. Malibu? won't buy government motors. As far as I'm concerned GM owe me money.

Just hope the Explorer and Buick sell quickly.

Wife will drive it and does not want a manual for every day commuting. Worth $900 to not hear wife asking 'when will Explorer be fixed"!~!!!!!! If the Honda breaks well drive the loaner.

 

[Vikas]

Most of us don't have money sitting idle to replace the house if it blows up! That is why I said you buy insurance for catastrophic stuff. Few grands in unscheduled repairs during the defined time period better NOT be catastrophic!

Most people don't understand the probability, statistics, odds etc and are easily susceptible to fear mongering. This is evident in every facet of life, whether it is political, racial or economical.

I just threw out Malibu and Fusion there. Were there any other vehicles in running before you decided on Accord for example Jetta/Passat, low end BMW/Audi, Legacy, Altima, Camry? Which were those other vehicles that you specifically ruled out? Did Accord win on predicted reliability?

I think I have been beating decaying dead horse here

 

[rshaw125]

BMW?Audi? cost of ownership too high. Hyundai Sonata was on the list until I spoke to a neighbor who had trouble getting warranty work done.
It was then down to Camry,Accord,Altima. The wife picked the Accord. It'll be in the driveway this evening.

 

[Mr Nice]

Originally Posted By: rshaw125
BMW?Audi? cost of ownership too high. Hyundai Sonata was on the list until I spoke to a neighbor who had trouble getting warranty work done.
It was then down to Camry,Accord,Altima. The wife picked the Accord. It'll be in the driveway this evening.


BMW and Audi are only for affluent people.

The Accord will give you exactly what you 'need' in a vehicle.

 

[Pesca]

Originally Posted By: Mr Nice

BMW and Audi are only for affluent people.


is it transferable to second or third owner?

It would be nice to be seen as an affluent person, even if it is only on a oil forum :-D

 

[Vikas]

Is the cost of ownership of BMW/Audi includes the predicted reliability?

Even for 3rd or 4th owner, the maintenance cost of an expensive car is still expensive. Most the parts are going to cost lot more than on an inexpensive car.

Out of warranty costs for 1st owner or 4th owner are commensurate with the original sticker price of the vehicle regardless what you paid for it.

Today I can buy a 2004 S-Class Mercedes for $15K. I can easily afford the $15K. However, that $15K car still needs maintenance as if it is a $100K car. Almost everything in parts will be at least 4X than Accord/Camry.

 

[rjundi]

The interesting thing is people who buy a $900 warranty are excited they get a $1000 repair covered. They simply forgot they paid $900 for a $1000 repair.

The guy who bets nothing will happen only end up forking out $100 more then the guy who bought the warranty.

 

[rshaw125]

Originally Posted By: rjundi
The interesting thing is people who buy a $900 warranty are excited they get a $1000 repair covered. They simply forgot they paid $900 for a $1000 repair.

The guy who bets nothing will happen only end up forking out $100 more then the guy who bought the warranty.


You're just looking at the $ amount. It gives much more value than that. If I do have a needed repair it'll be picked up at no charge and I'll be provided with a loaner. Anywhere in North America. Put a value on worry free driving and zero nagging from the wife. Cheap.

 

[Hokiefyd]

Did you pick the car up last night?