Extended Warranty: Base, Extra, Or Premium?

[lightrules]

I'm coming on a year of ownership pretty soon, thinking to get a Ford Protect Extended Warranty plan. Given the concerns of engine replacement, A/C problems, etc, I'm trying to decide if the Base plan is sufficient or not.

Hopefully this thread will help others decide too as we have lots of 2018 MY and 2019 MY guys considering ESP right now.

Feel free to contribute any of your helpful thoughts: yes or no on ESP, which plan specifically, and why that plan.

As of note, for the 36K mile + 8 yr + $0 deductible I am looking at, the Base will run me about $1000, the Extra is about $1200, and the Premium around $1500. I believe the pricing goes up slightly after the 1st year of ownership.

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[key01]

I'm not a big fan of extended warranties, but on this particular car I felt it was in my best interest and bought the 7 year-36K mile Ford PremiumCare. I don't remember exactly what the cost was, but I was looking for as much bumper-to-bumper coverage as possible.

 

[svassh]

I actually recently purchased the same $0/8yr/36K mile Ford Premium warranty for the $1500. My car is not driven daily and I do plan to keep it long term (unless I upgrade to an R).

I think its smart given the nature of these cars. You can transfer the warranty to a new owner or get a pro rated refund if you sell the car. Seems like cheap insurance for the $.

 

[CliffClavin]

Where is everyone getting the most competitive pricing? Flood Ford?

 

[svassh]

Where is everyone getting the most competitive pricing? Flood Ford?

Got mine here: www.andersonandkoch-ford-warranty.com

 

[lightrules]

compare Anderson, flood Ford and Ziegler. depending on which plan you want specifically and your choice of deductible and mileage etc, the prices can vary.but those three are considered the best.

 

[THX 138]

Didn't we just do this?

https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/threads/extended-warranty-pricing.125018/

 

[lightrules]

Didn't we just do this?

https://www.mustang6g.com/forums/threads/extended-warranty-pricing.125018/

sort of, wanting specifically to know base, extra, or premium and why or why not. but that's a useful thread also.

 

[18usc371]

sort of, wanting specifically to know base, extra, or premium and why or why not. but that's a useful thread also.

Well, I just bought the Base ESP for my 16 GT350 through Zeigler. Coverage: 8 yrs / 48K from date of delivery (12/15), or about 4 years 36K from today. I won't put more than 5K a year (just no time to do so) so 8/48 will work.
I wasn't looking for bumper to bumper, but wanted drivetrain and A/C covered.
When I compared Base to Extra:
https://fordprotect.ford.com/compare-plans
The Base covered what I wanted, and in some categories, they covered the same amount of components as Extra.

Premium comes at a premium price . . . and it crossed my cost/benefit line.

 

[lightrules]

@key01 , @svassh , @18usc371 , these are the helpful replies i was looking for. thanks for chiming in. my main concerns are engine replacement and a/c, and it "seems" that the BASE care covers this. so leaning that way but part of me just says go for the premium and call it a day.

 

[18usc371]

As a rule, I NEVER buy extended warranties on anything. But like everything about this car, this situation is special. I can be a cheap bastard, so I bent my own rules as far as could - Base plan. It has what I want and I will sleep better a night for the next 4 years. If it makes you sleep better, Premium.

 

[18usc371]

Also, I re-read your 1st post - get the premium and call it night!

 

[Cobra Jet]

Warranty 101

The initial 3/36 is Bumper to Bumper - meaning it covers anything on the vehicle for 3/36 (whichever comes first).

The 5/60 covers the drivetrain and runs concurrently with the 3/36. If the 3/36 is done and say your engine shits the bed, the 5/60 will cover the engine as long as the failure was due to a manufacturing defect or deficiency (and was not a result of abuse, neglect, a modification or addition of an aftermarket component that caused the failure).

Many folks don’t read their Owners or Warranty Manuals...and unfortunately many don’t realize that the 5/60 covers the drivetrain (engine, transmission and rear).

Major emissions control components are covered 8/80k.

————

Now, with that out of the way, let’s get to ESP plan discussion.

The best bang for your buck will be the Premium ESP Plan that offers the longest period of coverage and covers the most components (ie: 8yr/150k miles). Why?

Because the ESP also runs concurrently with the other Ford new car Warranties... it does not mean after your 3/36 or 5/60 is up that you get an additional 8yr/150k.

AND keep the below quote in mind

Per Ford:

• The New Vehicle Limited, Powertrain, Emission, Safety and Service Part warranties, recall, FSA or insurance coverage will take precedent over ESP core coverage if failure occurs within the warranty, recall or FSA time or mileage parameters or under an insurance policy.

So using the Ford new car 3/36 as an example, the below demonstrates ESP after adding 2 of many available ESP coverage options:
1) owner buys the 8/150 = they are really only buying AND getting 5/114 of coverage (whichever comes first)

2) owner buys a 5/75 = only buying and getting 2/39 of coverage (whichever comes first). In many real world scenarios this ESP coverage will get burned up real quick by owners who do a lot of highway driving.

Are ESP plans worth it? Yes if the owner plans on holding onto the car longer than 1-3 years and selects a plan that makes sense from a total coverage standpoint. If you’re going to keep the car less than 3 years, any ESP is pretty much pointless.

When mulling over buying an ESP (from Ford, Credit Unions or elsewhere), always remember to figure in the 3/36 BB, 5/60 (drivetrain) and 8/80 (emissions).

 

[lightrules]

@Cobra Jet , very well thought out. thanks for this contribution.

2 quick pts though.

1) you mention the best value is the 8yr/150k premium plan. but if, say, i only drive 4k miles/yr, the best value is the 8yr/36k plan. that 150k miles plan is sky-high in cost. see screen shot below, but it's $10,500 vs $1,500. has anyone really ever bought the 8yr/150k/premium plan?

2) you mention that if keeping the car less than 3 yrs, ESP is pointless. however, resale should be better since the ESP is transferrable. i think buyers would certainly appreciate having an ESP on a car like this.

anyway good points thanks.

 

[Cobra Jet]

@Cobra Jet , very well thought out. thanks for this contribution.

2 quick pts though.

1) you mention the best value is the 8yr/150k premium plan. but if, say, i only drive 4k miles/yr, the best value is the 8yr/36k plan. that 150k miles plan is sky-high in cost. see screen shot below, but it's $10,500 vs $1,500. has anyone really ever bought the 8yr/150k/premium plan?

2) you mention that if keeping the car less than 3 yrs, ESP is pointless. however, resale should be better since the ESP is transferrable. i think buyers would certainly appreciate having an ESP on a car like this.

anyway good points thanks.

I used the 8/150 as the max example to demo how the ESP would come into play in association with the 3/36... wasn’t really looking at it from a purchase price. But, there’s also many options as to how the ESP’s can be configured based on using deductibles or not.

Well, your 8/36 is a good example. However despite the low miles driven, the plan is still running concurrently with the 3/36, 5/60 and 8/80. It may look good on paper, but why not save that $$$ and utilize the existing “free” plans that come with the car which are already covering nearly 90% of the car and its components? If the vehicle is a secondary or minimal use vehicle, it’s also a low risk vehicle as far as possible component failure from usage and wear/tear. Just merely asking out of curiosity.

My comment about ESP being pointless for those who dump cars in 1-3 years is because again, if the owner is the original new car buyer the car is already being protected by the 3/36, 5/60 and 8/80. Why spend (or throw away) the extra $$$ if that type of vehicle owner knows they won’t hold onto a car for more than 1-3 years? Spend it for the next guy to say “here ya go guy, I bought you an ESP Plan!” (yes, I’m being a little sarcastic in that last sentence, but it makes sense from that angle, no?)

For owners who do buy an ESP but don’t hold onto any car/truck for long:
The advertisements for ESPs make it sound like it’s a fantastic investment since some are transferable when selling the car. But facts are, if the car is being traded to a Dealer, the Dealer doesn’t care about any ESP attached to the vehicle. They’re either going to auction the car off or move it quickly so they’re not carrying a note+interest on it month to month. A private seller may get a “wow” out of it, but it’s not going to net the seller any additional premium vs selling a car without an ESP.

If someone insists on buying an ESP and knows they’re not going to keep the car long enough to benefit from the coverage, then when getting ready to sell, call and inquire about any possible refund if the ESP can be canceled. I wouldn’t bank on leaving it attached to the vehicle and hoping someone is going to give more money or top dollar ‘just because’ be it trade in or private party.

Also so no one thinks I’m biased against (or for) ESP’s that’s not the case. Just offering another avenue to all so the big picture can be seen when looking to buy any ESP. In fact, through my Credit Union I have an ESP - 8/120k (the best they had to offer) - but I keep cars longer than 3 yrs and my S550 is my daily driver. So for me, the little extra $ for the plan and coverage is worth it.

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