I may envy my friends a little as they are all driving beautiful new cars, but I don’t envy their high monthly payments.  After many years of carting with my family around, the interior of my Explorer may not be much to look at, but mechanically it is still fairly sound.  Rather then taking on a new loan and dealing with the monthly payments, I chose to purchase an auto warranty.  I consider used car warranties and essential investment if you plan to keep an older vehicle and it is your primary mode of transportation.

When I returned to the dealer who sold me my car originally and asked him if he could provide warranty coverage, I was told they were not able to sell it to me after the date of sale.  I then went on a quest to find another way to obtain coverage.  I found a number of aftermarket auto warranty companies that offered a variety of different plans and chose a bumper to bumper planned that seemed to work best for me.

After going through this process, which I considered a learning experience, I found that doing a extensive research on the different companies that provided and auto warranty online was essential.  Some auto warranty reviews were available that showed that the quality of the companies varied considerably.  Remember, you usually get what you pay for.

The finance office, what a hassle.  When purchasing a new car you go through all the trials and tribulations of negotiating a good price that fits your budget.  Just when you think this hellish experience is over you get planted in the seat of the finance manager.  His job is to sell you as many products as he can for as much money as possible to try and make up for the lack of profits the dealer makes on the new car sale.  It may not seem ethical but it is the way it is done. 

The products they offer in this ”aftersale chamber of horrors” are for the most part completely unnecessary.  Each of them is made more attractive in many cases by including them in your automobile financing which makes it seem more affordable.  One of the few products you are offered that actually makes sense is an extended auto warranty.  An aftermarket auto warranty can be offered on almost any car or truck.  New car warranties and used car warranties are both available.  Even the Better Business Bureau, who is for the most part anti warranty, recommends purchasing one on an automobile.  Invest in a quality auto warranty program now and save big on repair bills later.

West Newbury Massachusetts officials have proclaimed that the town needs a new fire truck. The curent truck has numerous problems, most notably, the ladder on the Fire Department’s 28 year old Seagrave truck doesn’t always deploy, and when it does deply its weight limit isn’t even able to hold an average sized fireman wearing his gear.  Also, officials say the truck has considerable corrosion which affects several safety devices that are disabled.  It is said that the list goes on and on noting that repair costs are to be considerable. It would not make sense to put a ton of money into a 28 year-old truck.

The truck was taken out of service several months ago the town is now relying on aid from several area towns but the situation is dire. 

Residents are being asked to approve the funds for a new truck at a Town Meeting in February.  In the meanwhile, they hope to line up a new truck.  This way if voters approve the funding it can be delivered right away.

The truck they are interested in is a 95-foot tower truck with a price tag of $785,000.  Once purchased the vehicle would also carry a limited warranty. To have continuous warranty coverage the town now needs to look into an auto warranty program that would cover an emergency use vehicle.  These commercial type plans are available through several aftermarket auto warranty programs.

Does your auto warranty restrict where you can go for your repairs?

Auto warranties come in many different shapes and sizes.  Some limit the locations where you can bring the vehicle for repairs under their coverage.  It’s safe to say that some consumers do not have a specific repair shop over a long period of time that they use but the most consistent customers probably go to a particular maintenance shop.  These contract holders are forced to find a new location that may not be comfortable or convenient for them.  An aftermarket auto warranty program that binds its contract holders to particular locations for auto repair can be quite a hassle on scheduling, travel distance, and the repair shop may not be as reputable as the local competition.

If you’re in the market for an automobile warranty that does not limit you on repair locations, be sure to read their fine print.  The bottom line is that you want to choose an auto warranty that allows you to pick you own repair shop.

Here is the situation presented to us…

Q: One of our contract holders allowed a friend to take over his car payments for 6 months while he was out of the US. A notarized contract was signed by both people. A month later, after the car was put in the shop for repairs incurring a $750 repair bill the person who took over the payments lost his job.  He claimed he was broke and moved out of the state, abandoning the car at the repair facility. The shop refused to release the car to the original owner saying that as the car’s owner he was responsible for the bill even though all repair paperwork was signed by the person who had assumed responsibility for the car.Is the repair shop in the right?

Is it worth the effort of taking legal action against the shop to release vehicle since taking the other party to court is not an option?   

A: Legally it really depends upon the laws regarding an auto repair in your state. In most states the person who authorized the work is the one that is liable to the repair facility for the repairs. Since this person had possession of the car with your consent (and by your “contract” arrangement), they were the one acting as your agent and had authority to contract with the shop for repairs. 

The shop is entitled to get paid for the work they did. They’re under no obligation to release the car to you without any charge. If they wanted, the shop could even get technical about the situation and require that they will only release the vehicle to the party who brought it to them in the first place and for whom the work was performed in good faith.

Obviously, in the future you would be many dollars ahead of the game by simply purchasing a comprehensive auto warranty.  This would keep you form worrying about any used car warranty law issues in the future.  There are many excellent aftermarket auto warranty programs to choose from.  In my opinion the best of the best is Auto Advantage Incorporated at www.autowarranties.com. 

Good luck with your current situation.

Why are some older auto dealers so happy? Some dealers in the US that are in business for 10, 20, 30 or more years have been facing many new challenges in this ever changing industry.  The older dealers however, have much lower operating expenses and quite a few even own their own land which keeps them generating modest profits even in this difficult market. 

Sales at some dealerships have not met expectations since moving into newer, larger facilities but they are still in the black.  Auto warranty service work is still a staple for dealerships even though vehicle quality keeps improving. Some vehicle’s like Land Rovers are some of the more costly for owners and profitable for dealers when it comes to auto warranty repair bills.

A dealership owner I recently spoke with at length said he thought that the aftermarket auto warranty programs offered on the internet were definitely becoming stiff competition to the programs he has so profitably offered in the past.  Regardless of lost warranty profits, the automotive aftermarket sales by his finance office were still very strong keeping his sales department very profitable.

All over America cars are a necessity for our everyday travel needs.

Because we rely on our vehicles as our main source of transportation we sometimes need to bring the car or truck into the shop for repairs.  When we do we sometimes find out we have another problem we weren’t even there for.  It is at that moment that we realize the need for a good auto warranty.   How much will this repair bill be?  A stressful question that can easily be stifled by knowing that you have a good aftermarket auto warranty to fall back on.  More good advice is to use only a reputable automobile repair shop and to always get all of your repair estimates in writing before any work is done..

Even though forecasters predict a slow 2008 for automobile sales, many dealerships are hoping for a steady recovery toward the end of the year.  More specifically, some dealers are backing up their hopeful outlook by reinvesting money back into their own businesses.  Their stocking levels and ordering project 2008 will be about the same as 2007. 

Some think 2008 will have some late momentum and that things will start to get better. They are hopeful that they saw the bottom in 2007. In 2007 just over 16 million cars were sold in the U.S., down from almost 17 million the previous year. 

In Detroit, analysts predict that 2008 may fall to around 15.5 million cars and trucks. Regardless, dealers will be looking for a way to increase profits.  The aftersales market, including auto warranty sales will probably be a great way to make more money.  Dealers who sell new car warranties and used car warranties generally make $500-$1,000 dollars on each warranty sale.  Aftermarket auto warranty companies are their only threat as they have much smaller markups so their prices are considerably lower.

I guess time will tell, we’ll check again in January 2009.

A new law that took place last week in Minnesota requires a higher standard to dealerships selling vehicles advertised as “certified” used cars.

In the past, a dealer might be able to explain certified many different ways, possibly withholding history or damage towards the vehicle. Under the new used car warranty law that is part of a “car owners’ bill of rights” passed last spring, state law requires, among other things, all certified used cars must go through a thorough inspection. All sales must include an auto warranty whether by the dealership or one of the many quality aftermarket auto warranty companies…

Besides defining “certified,” dealers now must make over 40-disclosure statements including whether a credit report was done in determining their ability to pay off their loan. These new requirements help restore a new car buyer’s faith in making their purchase.

Regardless of whether the vehicle is certified or not, used car warranties should be an essential part of any purchase.

Opportunities for some in the New Year means a new car or one that is new to them.

Seems easy enough, but there are some things a consumer should consider, like his or her credit score. Some people are not aware of their credit score until they are ready to finance their new vehicle, leaving them having to seek other credit options. Customers with poor credit may have to go to “buy here, pay here’ lots to make their purchases.

Most financial institutions offer many aftermarket auto warranty programs along with financing and over the course of the loan can be very reasonable… Regardless whether the vehicle is financed or not, a good auto warranty  is essential for the life of your car.