Extend Dealer Warranty from 3 yrs to 7?

twin turbo said:

I'm purchasing an '08 GT500 TODAY and of course, the dealership offered to extend the factory warranty from 3 yrs to 7 year for $2,500.

Normally not a good purchase. Any reason to get it?

Click to expand...

tell him to throw in all standard maintenance (oil changes, filters and tire rotations, etc)


after all, you're paying as much as you you would for a BMW or a Mercedes

If you're gunna mod it at all... I say no way. If you wanna keep it 100% stock, I would say sure.

I think you can beat that price by shopping around especially since the factory powertrain warranty is now 5 years. Bumper to bumper remains 36 months/36,000 miles. But the powertrain is 5 years and I believe 60,000 miles. $2,500 seems high to me. It is worth it if you keep the car that long and have problems. You can still buy the warranty as long as the car is in warranty. So you can wait awhile and compare prices.

By waiting, you will be able to tell if your car is a problem car. If you haven't had to do any warranty work by the time 3 years is up, chances are it won't be worth it. You can probably also work them down to at least half of that cost anyway.

There are Ford ESP's (extended service plans) ranging from 3 to 7 years, 36K to 100K miles, 4 different levels of coverage, and 5 different deductible options. This is a huge matrix of possible prices with 500 possible combinations!

That said, a GT500 will have a supercharger surcharge. Waiting to buy until after 12 months or 12K miles will invoke a surcharge. Buying in the first year is the cheapest way to go.

Also, the most common plan (bumper to bumper, 5 years, 60K miles with the standard deductible) is priced around $1,200 to $1,500 on a GT500 at most decent dealers. When you start pushing the years and/or miles up, Ford is banking on more likelihood of needed repairs, so the cost of the plans goes up dramatically - especially on 6 or 7 year plans, and on 75K or 100K mile plans. So, considering that twin turbo is talking about a 7 year plan, then $2,500 starts to sound more reasonable (especially if it is a 75K or 100K mile PremiumCare bumper to bumper plan).

My wife and I both work at a Ford dealership. We bought a Ford ESP for her SUV a few months ago. Essentially a bumper to bumper 7 year plan (60K miles) and our cost (as employees) was $1,500 for such a long, comprehensive plan. Warranties are not cheap, but they can cover so much that we always buy them for our vehicles.

Is it a Ford surcharge that causes it to go up after 12 months? When I purchased my first Mustang, the dealer told me it would be cheaper to purchase towards the end of the warranty period. Maybe he just meant its because they'd mark it up less since they were afraid of not making anymore money at that point. Either way, I bought and extra 3 years ($50 deductible) for $800 when I got the car. I was lucky enough to never need it (or any warranty service), so it turned out to be a waste of money. Part of that could've been because I put 30k miles on the car over 7 years.

Ford charges a $100 surcharge on plans sold after 12 months or 12,000 miles. Also, pricing of plans can have yearly inflationary increases, so absolute dollars will creep up the longer you wait to buy.

I have decided to hold off on buying an ESP for my 07 GT until just before the factory 3/36 expires. The only advantage in buying an ESP now is the loaner car that you get (even during the original 3/36) that you do not get otherwise (factory warranty does not supply a loaner car, but ESP does). However, in my case, as I work at a dealership I can borrow a car if mine is ever in the shop.

We bought an ESP for my wife's last SUV (03 Escape V6 4x4), and we were sure glad we had it. It covered a new Instrument Panel and electronics that failed out of the blue after the 3/36 ran out, and we had a few minor issues that it covered. $0 out of pocket as we had the $0 disappearing deductible ($0 when we use our dealership, $50 elsewhere). Then, when we traded in her Escape for her current rig, we simply cancelled the ESP for her Escape for a pro-rated refund (many people do not know they can do this! Don't ever leave this money on the table when you trade in or sell a car with an ESP).

I've bought ESP's that never got used, but then I've had ESP's cover enough stuff over the multitudes of cars I've owned to know I've come out ahead on the deal. It's much like car insurance; you hope you never need it, but when you do, it's a darn good thing you have it!

You will also find that many dealers discount the plans just like they do cars. There is a guy who works for a Ford dealership, don't remember his name but is will known on the Mysporttrac.com forums, who will give you great deals.
Most good dealers will bargain. I would not be that worried about any surcharge.

You need to make sure that it is in fact a true ford ESP. on both of my last ford purchase's the warranty the salesman sold me as a *extended ford warranty* was infact the dealers aftermarket warranty. What he didnt realize was that i could read and when i recieved my paperwork in the mail a couple weeks later i promptly took it back to the dealer and recieved my refund.

Yes, look for Genuine Ford. That is honored, I believe, by all Ford dealers. Also it is my understanding that the warranty would be transferrable to a new owner if you sold the car or you could actually get a refund from your dealer for any unused portion if you traded the car in.
I bought an extended warranty once. Traded the car in within six months and got most of my money back. Look for all that and, again, shop around.

Genuine Ford ESP's are valid at all Ford, Lincoln, and Mercury dealers in the USA and Canada. Aftermarket warranties have very limited acceptance, require long waiting periods for repair approvals, have plenty of loopholes, aren't as comprehensive, etc. But, on a positive note, the aftermarket warranties probably cost a little less than a Genuine Ford ESP (and they should as they typically aren't worth the paper they're printed on, IMO).

shooterm1 said:

tell him to throw in all standard maintenance (oil changes, filters and tire rotations, etc)


after all, you're paying as much as you you would for a BMW or a Mercedes

Click to expand...

No way they will pay for your maintenance options. Especially with a GT500.

Dealers will let you own stake in their company before they start paying for your maintenance items.

Five Oh Brian said:

It's much like car insurance; you hope you never need it, but when you do, it's a darn good thing you have it!

Click to expand...

Well said.

Also, if you can afford to buy a GT500 in the first place, what's another $2,500?