I am buying a 2001 lightning today, but does anyone know anything about the extented service plans and are they worth it?


thanks in advance
tom

 

slvrbolt, most consumer organizations say that the extended service/warranty plans are not worth it. People I know that have them are divided between being worth it and not worth it. Personally, I bought the extended warranty package for my 2001 L because the price wasn't too bad and it gave me a little 'piece of mind' knowing the problems the 1999 and 2000 L's were having. It's really a coin toss based on your personal situation.

 

Hi slvrbolt:

In my opinion, the Ford Extended Service Protection plans are well worth the money. I have the ESP (1 week left) on my '97 4x4, and it has saved me hundreds of dollars in repair costs.

I think with the high-performance powertrain on the Lightnings the extended warranty may become even more valuable. (Note the intercooler problems.)

Wilk

 

I'm curious too, since I may be picking up a lighting in the next couple of days too... what did everyone pay for their extended warranties?

 

I think its a good deal. Price is negoitable. I think for the 100K top of the line it ranges from about 800 to 1300. Tell them you want to cut the warranty deal first. They work you over in the dealership and then you have to go through the whole thing again with the F & I guy. Tell em if they would sell you the best ESP extended for 750-800 you don't want the truck because you are getting screwed enought on the price of the truck and you are not going to get screwed by the F & I guy too. Then sit back and smile at the salesman.........
noelvm

 

They're worth it as long as you don't get your warranty voided.

 

I paid $1000 for 6yr 75000 mi. I got my L in Feb and dealers weren't giving a lot of discounts at that time.

FRITZ, Stock Silver 2001 "L"

 

Just remember that when you buy a 6 year/75k mi. for $1000 you are really paying 3 years early for a 3 year that takes over when the standard 3 year expires. So for 3 years they are investing your money instead of you investing it.

All I ever hear people talk about with these things is that they saved a few hundred here and there....but you paid 1000-1200 to save that few hundred. And don't you still pay a deductible? And worst of all you are locked into taking it to the dealer.

I'm sure it's possible that some of you have a $1000 problem before 75,000 mi. but to me it seems like a bad investment.

 

I believe you can also purchase the extended warranty after you have bought the truck but before the 3 year warranty expires. Ask your dealer about that.

-boarder-

 

I think Logical hit the nail on the head here. When I picked up my 01L. I was of course asked if I wanted to purchase an extended service plan. Why is it that dealers still try to run the idea of getting this plan for something from 1000.00 to up to $1700.. It may cover as much as 7 years or 70000 miles, but you do have to remember that your new L comes with 36-36 coverage as it is. The extended plan is from the start, so like Logical said, you're paying for the first 3 years of a 7 year plan which Ford already covers the first 3 of. I believe it is like just giving the dealership the money for the first 3 years of your extended plan. When I got my 95L back in '95, I got the extended plan for 60000 miles. Thought it was a good idea at the time, but learned over time that I gave them the money and used nothing over the 6 years. To each his own, but I do believe if anything were to go wrong with your new 01L, it will happen before your factory 36-36... Let's hope anyhow!. One more thing, The only thing that I saw on Fords extended plan that was not in the factory 36-36, was car rental for interupted trips (5days) and meals for 5 days (one person. For $1000.00, I can rent a car and eat much cheaper than that. LOL...

 

This may not justify the cost or sway your decision. When I took mine back for some service the Serv Rep kept trying to get me a loaner and it woud be a month before I got a loaner. No biggy but loaners are dirt. The service cashier heard and told the Serv Rep to pack it. I had an ESP and I was supposed to get a rental Not loaner. So she scheduled me right then and got me a 2001 SUV loaner, clean and new. She said THAT was how the ESP is supposed to work. That girl was one cute little Killer. She didn't take any crap from the service guys. She knew how it worked. I'm to see her first when I go back for anything. Why is it such a chore just to give you what you paid for??She shouldn't have had to jump on the Serv rep. Ron Bortnick Ford. Can't recommend them for SVT work.

 

FORDSALES was gracious to offer a lot of us an extended warrantee deal in the past. Contact him and see if the deal is still on.

Good price
Great service
Great Guy!

How is that Jim??

 

Here are a couple of other things to consider:

1. You don't have to buy the warranty when you buy your truck.
You can buy an extended warranty at any time until your factory 3yr/36k factory warranty has expired, but you will have to pay an additional $100 surcharge if you already have more than 12,000 miles.

2. You don't have to buy the warranty from the dealer you bought your truck from.
As some have said, FORDSALES does offer an extended warranty to Lightning owners at a great price (which is worth looking into), but when I bought mine I sent a fax to a bunch of local dealers (non-SVT dealers can sell you one too), CC'ing all of them so they could see who they were in direct competition with, telling them I would be buying an extended warranty before the end of the day. What I can tell after seeing the varying responses is that price is definitely negotiable.

3. You can finance your warranty through Ford Credit for 12 months without interest.
At the time I bought my warranty, FORDSALES didn't offer this "service", but I believe he now does (which is another reason you should check with him first). As a 23 year old grad student, its a lot easier for me to fit 12 payments of ~$100+ each into my non-existant budget, instead of dropping ~$1200+ at once. This is the only reason I didn't purchase through FORDSALES at the time.

4. Not only are there different year/mileage combo's available, there are also different deductibles to choose from.
Just like insurance, you can pick between different $ deductibles, which affects the overall price. If you think you'll be going back a bunch of times for "little" things, then pay a little more up front and save $ each time on the deductible; if you think you'll only be in once or twice for "major" repairs, then you might want to consider paying less up front and spending more those one or two times on the deductible.

5. Free rentals are a great thing.
There's really no need to explain (but I will anyways). The ESP warranty gives you up to 5 days worth of rental. In my case, the dealer has a non-affiliated rental company in-house which was very convenient both times I've had to take advantage of it (drive in- drive out). Even if they don't though, I'm pretty sure you can rent one on your own (up to $28 a day I believe) and Ford will reimburse you for it afterwards.

In my opinion, an extended warranty is not worth the money on for average car...
...but the Lightning is not your average car (which is exactly why you bought it).

"Yeeeah, well I hope whatever I said was helpful" (Leon Phelps - The Ladies Man)

Later...

GK

 

It pays to read your Owner's Guide Supplemental book. Someone mentioned that with an extended service plan, you can get a loaner car while yours is being worked on. Here is word for word what my 2001L book says about that. Now this may only be for the 2001 L. SVT Premium Service (which the 2001 L. has) Owners and lessees of 2001 model year SVT vehicles will be provided with a complimentary loaner vehicle when their 2001 SVT vehicle is in for service (includes warrenty work and routine maintenance, other than oil changes). The dealership will also wash and vacuum the customers vehicle, unless requested otherwise. So the 2001 L. owners will get a loaner vehicle without getting the extended service plan. Like I said, it pays to read the manual sometimes....Gary