When you buy a big-ticket item like a car, it’s nice to have that shiny new manufacturer’s warranty. It may last only a short while, but for that precious period of time, you know you’re covered in the event that something should go wrong with your vehicle.
But like all good things, manufacturer warranties don’t last forever. And cars are very complicated pieces of machinery. The cost of repairing or replacing a major part of your four-wheeled machine — engine, transmission, etc. — can be prohibitively expensive.
For this reason, some car owners opt to purchase an extended warranty when they buy their vehicle. Others purchase a plan shortly before the original warranty expires — or even after the factory warranty has expired.
At BestReviews, we took a close look at the extended auto warranty market. What exactly is an extended auto warranty, how do you find a good one, and how do you avoid getting scammed? We asked these questions and more as we researched the following shopping guide.
If you’re in the market for extended auto protection of any kind, we invite you to read this shopping guide to learn about the perks and pitfalls of the auto warranty industry.