How to Negotiate the Best Price for an Extended Warranty
This means you should negotiate AFTER you've agreed on the price of the vehicle, but before you sign any paperwork. Don't let the dealer "throw in" an extended warranty with the price of the car - that's a sure sign they're ripping you off.
A big advantage to buying one is that you can usually cancel and get a full refund within the first 30 days, so even if you don't get a good deal you can still comparison shop afterwards.
That being said, you really shouldn't agree to buy one unless you've already comparison shopped with several different dealers.
The first thing you want to do is figure out what terms fit you best. Do you drive a lot of miles each year and need a lot of coverage? Are you comfortable paying a deductible, and if so, how does that affect the price?
These are questions that can be answered by the Finance Manager at the dealership where you'll be purchasing the car. They can go over all the different plans, the pricing for each one and answer any other questions you may have.
It's important to note that dealers will markup the price by as much as 200%, so you should ALWAYS negotiate the price of an extended warranty.
When the finance manager gives you a quote, just tell them it's way too expensive and you're not interested at that price, but if they can do better, you'll consider.
They will usually offer you a better price at that point. You can keep asking them to do better or tell them you're not interested until they won't bid any lower.
At this point, let them know you'll be comparison shopping with other dealers and have them confirm that's the best price they can offer you.
Remember, you don't have to buy the extended warranty at the same time you purchase the car. Take your time comparison shopping.
Call up a few different dealers and ask them for their best price on an extended warranty with the same terms. If they can't beat the price you have, let them know and see if they can do better.
Getting the best deal on an extended warranty is simply a matter of doing enough comparison shopping. You'll see it's easy once you do it.
3 Steps Every Car Buyer Needs to Take to Save Maximum Money
The key to getting the best deal is to gather price or lease bids from as many local dealers as possible. Then shop that best price around until no one can beat it. Here are the steps:Step 1 Get Prices From My Trusted Network
Select the vehicle you're interested in to see if there are local dealers in my network who will provide you with their best upfront price. You will get direct access to an internet sales manager who you can further negotiate with online (no need to visit dealership).Step 2 Get Prices From TrueCar / CarsDirect
TrueCar, and CarsDirect are my top 2 online price quote recommendations. These services show you pre-negotiated prices from dealers closest to you - and the deals are usually pretty decent. But remember, you can still negotiate further.Step 3 Complete my Checklist
Follow this up with my checklist to make sure you squeeze out every last bit of savings.- Gregg Fidan
Each week, I'll keep you up-to-date on the latest car deals and news that might affect your purchase. This includes...
- Best Rebates, Incentives, and Lease Deals
- Latest Car Buying Scams and Tricks
- The Best & Worst Time to Buy a Car
- Which Cars You Should Avoid
About The Author
Gregg Fidan is the founder of RealCarTips. After being ripped off on his first car purchase, he devoted several years to figuring out the best ways to avoid scams and negotiate
the best car deals. He has written hundreds of articles on the subject of car buying and taught thousands of car shoppers how to get the best deals.
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