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I am in the market for a second used car and am looking to spend about $8000.00. Cars at that price are usually out of the bumper to bumper warranty but MOST used car dealers have a 30 day or 1000 miles LIMITED warranty. Trouble is I have a hard time getting the car dealers to pin down exactly what is included in this LIMITED warranty.
I know from experience that it is unlikely that the powertrain/transmission is going to go out within the first thirty days but other things could easily go out including things like the: batteries, alternator, radiator, hoses, starter, alignment, brakes, fuel filter, fuel pump, spark plugs, shocks, struts, etc. are more likely to fail.
So would you expect these things to be included in the standard 30 day 1000 mile limited warranty offered by major auto dealerships?
* After an hour on the Internet using Google, I have yet to get a standard definition of a typical 1000 mile 30 day used car warranty that most dealers offer on their used car. Though it would seem like bad business to sell a used car at that price that had a major thing like: batteries, alternator, radiator, hoses, starter, alignment, brakes, fuel filter, fuel pump, spark plugs, shocks, struts go out during the first 30 days and not repair them for free.
It is not possible to sell you an insurance or warrenty plan that will pay for statistically expected levels of repair for less than the cost of the repairs themselves, in fact the warrenty provider's profit has to be added to the average pay-out cost, or the company will fail to make a profit or at least break even.
You would be miles ahead if you would actually crack the books and learn about cars, to the point that you can figure out what's likely to fail, what's getting ready to fail, and how to DIY.
Most of the items mentioned are the normal maintenence things.
Waaaaaaaaay back when I sold cars for while the 30 day applied to the basic engine and trans and not to the parts on top of the engine such as the carb, tune up parts, Generator, water pump, power steering etc.
There is NO way a dlr (New or Used) would be able to know the life expediency of those items since the car is barely gone over after the tradein...just minor detailing...maybe a qt of oil etc.
The "1000 Mile or 30 Day Limited Warranty"
is nothing more than a "make the rube feel good about buying" gimmick.
I did find an extensive writeup from CarMax describing their 1000 mile limited warranty and it was quite extensive (Why can't all dealers be so specific?
I did find an extensive writeup from CarMax describing their 1000 mile limited warranty and it was quite extensive (Why can't all dealers be so specific?
1) Because they don't sell the (quality and condition) cars that Carmax does.
2) Because they don't sell the LARGE number of cars that Carmax can spread that risk across.
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
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I have never seen such a warranty on a $8,000 used car, only the expensive after market ripoff warranties. I would consider it a gimmick, because the chances of a failure in the first 30 days are pretty low if their mechanic has checked it out, so they really aren't giving you anything.
I doubt you'll find any dealer thats going to give you a bumper to bumper warranty on a used car, you may also want to check on that 1000/30day coverage as it could mean different things in different states and may not even be applicable in some states.
As i've said before, buy a used car from a private source,some one who's really taken care of the car and has all maintenance history..
Buying any car new or used is a crap shoot as far as reliability is concerned,
ya pays your money and you takes your chances,
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