[MichalNY]

I recently purchased a 2011 SC with 104K miles on the clock. The previous owner had a warranty contract from US warranty. During past two years under his ownership, he addressed some big ticket items like timing chain components, fuel pumps, control arms etc.
The previous owner offered to transfer the remainder of the warranty Aug/2021 or 33K miles to me for $2700
On one hand, he addressed all the big ticket items already. However, the car is also over 100K miles. The big question of course...Should I pay him for the remainder of the warranty? I am hoping that some of the long standing members, especially the ones with L322 10-12 can lend some of their wisdom to help me make this decision.
Below you will find an approximate service history and a copy of the US warranty contract the car is under. Thank you in advance

M

Date	Milage	Description	Type
5/16/19	103732	Oil/Filter Change	Maintenance
5/16/19	103732	HVAC Blower replaced	Repair
3/25/19	102229	Replace Front Air Suspension bags	Repair
3/25/2019	102229	Replace Both Lower/Upper control arms	Repair
3/25/2019	102229	Replace LF Axle seal	Repair
3/25/2019	102229	4 Wheel alignment
6/8/2019	90261	Timing Chain, Guides, Blades, Tensioners, Lower/Upper timing cover	Repair
6/8/2019	90261	Replace both high pressure fuel pumps	Repair
6/8/2019	90261	Replace Water pump, oil cooler seal and tube, throttle hose and thermostat	Repair
4/27/2018	87539	Oil/Filter Change	Maintenance
09/19/2017	77905	Replace Susp Compressor Assembly	Repair
07/05/2017	75468	Passanger Airbag recall	Maintenance
04/03/2017	73787	Replace DTML Pump	Repair
08/17/2016	68905	Rotate Tires and alignment	Maintenance
01/19/2016	64102	Front Brake hoses recall	Maintenance
7/1/2015	57945	Oil Change	Maintenance
7/1/2015	57945	60K mile service	Maintenance
12/02/2014	51241	Battery Replaced	Maintenance
12/2/2014	51241	Updated Engine Control Module P039B	Repair
06/12/2014	45193	Oil Change	Maintenance
06/12/2014	45193	Align/recalibrate sunroof	Repair
06/12/2014	45193	45K mile service, replace tires, alignment	Maintenance
03/23/2013	31655	CodeC110C-14 Front left wheel solenoid wire harness replaced	Repair

 

[BillConn]

First thing, make sure the warranty is actually transferable. I am not really familiar with aftermarket warranties.... but I’d want to understand that first.
Second, Is it going to cost the seller $2700 to transfer over the warranty to you? The warranty is useless to the seller, once he sells it... so you should only be expected to pay the $$$ it costs (if any) to transfer the warranty.
If the warranty can be transferred for free, the seller is a jackass.
I probably wouldn’t pay $2700 for the 33K remaining warranty but I also do most of my own maintenance/repair work.

 

[dlimanov]

Did warranty cover the maintenance items as well? Are you planning to wrench on your car? If not, buy the warranty and you have a piece of mind for the next 2 years/30k miles that anything breaks would be covered by the warranty. If you intend to have the car serviced by the dealer or independent, this would make sense. If you plan to do most of the work yourself, then maybe not so much. It really comes down to how handy/adventurous you are, as there are plenty of things that can still go wrong that will cost up to or over the leftover warranty price, should you pay someone to do the work for you.

 

[MichalNY]

Thank you for your responses. The warranty is transferable it is also partially refundable, so if he does not transfer it, he can get his money back. They estimated the remainder of the warranty to be worth $2700 and that is what the previous owner is offering. It does not cover maintenance items. I am having difficult time attaching the pdf, but here is the link to the policy describing whats covered. Thank you for taking the time to look into it.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1V854BK6SCGuQr938N-m_yu4sjWk4Hhpc/view?usp=sharing

 

[JerrytheK]

One of the best lessons I ever learned while working in the corporate world was you only buy insurance coverage for what you can't afford to otherwise write a check for when a problem/loss arises. Therefore, if you can afford the cost of a potentially expensive repair (+$2,700), you don't need to buy the warranty. But if you would find it difficult, or even annoying, to have to write a check for a repair in the future, then buy the warranty coverage. You will then have fixed your downside for the remainder of the warranty period.

 

[anvilrob]

I agree with Jerry.

Given the list of issues addressed, you're ahead of the likeliest problems to surface.

The HVAC system is pretty reliable (AC compressor etc) as is the steering and driveline (front diff, auto trans, transfer case, rear diff and all six driveshafts) providing the transmission filter and all fluids are changed/topped off, especially the transfer case, at the correct mileage intervals.

The rear suspension air bags tend to outlast the fronts (which have already been swapped out) and are easy to change, too.

Thus, I would take the $2700 and put it in a savings account for a rainy day and make sure you find a reliable local technician to look after your ride if you're not comfortable doing most of the maintenance yourself. Unforeseen electrical issues can get expensive if you use a shop which is on the weak side regarding real troubleshooting vs just swapping boxes out until they find/stumble on the problem.

If your vehicle makes it through the next 33,000 miles without a major issue (highly likely, IMHO) you still have your $2700 for future use.

One last thing - these cars can eat brakes about every 15,000 miles or so. You can purchase the replacement parts (rotors, pads and sensors) from Rockauto.com ahead of time and have a local vendor install them, thus saving a bunch of cash on the $$$$ dealership costs.

Also, the tires will last longer if you religiously have them rotated every 5/6,000 miles and the vehicle's alignment is correct.

However, don't be too surprised if the tread wear bars start to "appear" around the 20,000 mile mark. A replacement set of Michelins is in the $12-1300 range.

Rob

 

[BillConn]

Thank you for your responses. The warranty is transferable it is also partially refundable, so if he does not transfer it, he can get his money back. They estimated the remainder of the warranty to be worth $2700 and that is what the previous owner is offering. It does not cover maintenance items. I am having difficult time attaching the pdf, but here is the link to the policy describing whats covered. Thank you for taking the time to look into it.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1V854BK6SCGuQr938N-m_yu4sjWk4Hhpc/view?usp=sharing

I am pretty sure the seller CANNOT get a refund for unused warranty. Please read closely the verbiage highlighted below from the Warranty document you provided:

I think you could kick the seller $100-200 for the trouble of transferring the warranty but I would not pay the $2700 he is asking for both the reasons I and others have already mentioned as well as the fact that the warranty is worthless to the seller once you buy it... so it would only be fair for him to transfer the warranty out of courtesy.

ALL that said, the asking price for this particular seems pretty reasonable given the known service history. If you like the truck (the color/options/physical condition) I think it is a solid buy with or without warranty. One last point, I personally would not own one of these vehicles without either (A) being able to perform the vast majority of repairs myself, or (B) an extended comprehensive warranty.

 

[MichalNY]

Bill, I agree I was pretty bummed when I found out he wanted to charge me for the remainder of the contract. However, we called the warranty company together and they told us they would refund the prorated remainder of the contract ($2700) to him if he sold the car and did not transfer the warranty to me. It seems that with this mileage, indy shop or taking over this warranty are my only options. Here is my dilemma: On one hand Im thinking all major components have been replaced, and not much could go wrong in the next two years. On the other hand, the HVAC blower repair itself was almost 3K, so another repair or two in the next 24 months could potentially make this a worthwhile investment.
Considering recent maintenance and tranny/transfer case/diff fluids Im about to replace, how likely is the car to go for the next 2 years without major issues? Decisions decisions....:/

 

[EEHam]

Bill, I agree I was pretty bummed when I found out he wanted to charge me for the remainder of the contract. However, we called the warranty company together and they told us they would refund the prorated remainder of the contract ($2700) to him if he sold the car and did not transfer the warranty to me. It seems that with this mileage, indy shop or taking over this warranty are my only options. Here is my dilemma: On one hand Im thinking all major components have been replaced, and not much could go wrong in the next two years. On the other hand, the HVAC blower repair itself was almost 3K, so another repair or two in the next 24 months could potentially make this a worthwhile investment.
Considering recent maintenance and tranny/transfer case/diff fluids Im about to replace, how likely is the car to go for the next 2 years without major issues? Decisions decisions....:/

You don't think anything major could go wrong over the next 2 years.:lol:

I think worst case scenario (best case?) you'd just break-even on that deal.

 

[MichalNY]

Thank you for your feedback everyone. I ended up taking over the extended warranty contract. It will provide me with peace of mind for the next 24 months and build on the excellent maintenance record. I will make sure to get my moneys worth too