I've bought extended warranties on some cars, and not on others. In some, it was a good investment and paid for itself time and time again with repairs. On others... never used it. For the Smart... being it is a first year production model with the 1.0 Mitsubishi engine and possibly other components and considering the basic warranty is VERY short... I think the extended warranty may be worth considering. So far, and until the car is more popular and parts more readily available, I would imagine that any out-of-warranty repairs may be quite costly. Personally, I will probably go for an extended warranty... better have it and not need it than to need it and not have it IMHO.
After lots of research, I went with Warranty Direct. I found it very helpful and convenient to read the policies online, talk to reps, and compare/contrast.
I'm good until 80K miles.
HULLO...................covered.......... ......miles of smiles
Warranty Direct satisfied customer
I purchased a 7year/100k $50 deductible ex warranty for my Audit TT from Warranty Direct a few years ago. So far I have been very pleased with there coverage. However, as with any of these policies you need to have work done at a place that will take the time and effort to follow all the rules to get a claim to apply. Over the years I have used a local small shop for all my work. Found that I was better off taking to the local Audi dealer for work under the warranty. They had already developed a business relationship with Warranty Direct's underwriter. That said I don't think I'll use them for the smart as it will not cover towing to my local smart dealer, 240 miles away. Whatever, please understand that what ever company you use for an extended warranty the experience is NOT the same as having a car under the manufacturer's warranty.
Has anyone here checked out warrantydirect.com? I'm considering them, for a year or more from now when my manufacturer's warranty runs out.
I have and they are supposed to be highly reputable. I will probably go for that one, but I wonder about one thing. I saw a repair shop ad that advertised "accept extended warranties." This implied that they don't have to and I wonder if smart dealership will accept something they did not sell...what do you think??
It is always better to buy the service contract from the Dealer. The dealer has the right to decline your independent warranty company. Most dealers want a warranty company that will pay for the repairs over the phone with a credit card once they are approved for repair. If they don't pay with a credit card you might find the dealer holding your car until the repairs are paid for by your company. The companies that the dealers use already have agreements in place to expedite payment.
Not only that, dealers have long standing relationships with there service contract companies and know which one are reliable. Lots of other independent warranty companies go out of business overnight and then your coverage is worth zip.
the last contract i bought from a dealer-approved 3rd party, the company went out of business and failed to refund the several hundred dollars they were contractually-obligated to since we never used them once for the life of the warranty period.
i'd only recommend an extended warranty to someone who is:
extremely anxious about having a warranty
cash poor, no savings, no credit, no means to pay for any repair that might be required
someone who will sleep better at night knowing that if the sky does fall, they might be covered.
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smart - aka Smurf
...................covered.......... ......miles of smiles
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