Have you done any research on a nissan altima based car forum? That's where I would start. That and find a good local mechanic that specializes in Nissan's. I have driven infiniti's for well over a decade and between my ex wife, new GF, and myself, have had 5 in the family (4 G35/37/Q50 and a FX35). Have only purchased an extended warranty on half of them). Some Japanese cars can have stupid shit on them (like the analouge clock on my G37 that was out of warranty and costs a stupid $500 to fix). IMO, there is no right or wrong answer. If your 2015 is not a new model year car, then it might be worth the risk. The engine is bullet proof, I can tell you that. Its the same engine used in almost all Nissan/Ifiniti cars/trucks/SUV's (if its the V6). If you have the 4 banger, I don't know what to tell you.

With an extended warranty, you're basically buying insurance, hoping that any potential future repairs will offset the cost. I've never bought an extended warranty, but do understand the peace of mind they project to certain people. It comes down to do you believe the ROI will be there...

The dealership is a good place to start. Not all extended warranties are the same, Nissan's seems to be ok. Keep in mind that there are different coverage levels, and therefore different costs. Do you want only major components, or something more comprehensive? The terms are also limited - for example, Nissan caps at 96 months / 120,000 miles on a new car. Is that enough? Is it worth it? How long will you keep the car? If you have no car payments, maybe putting $100 / month into a car maintenance account is a thought, if you spend it, it's cheaper than car payments and if you don't, in 4 years you have 5 grand to put down on a newer car...

Whatever you chose, look for coverage - some plans exclude certain components. For example, Nissan's best plan says:

The Gold Preferred Plan does not cover:
Tires, wheels, wheel balance and alignment, battery, spark plugs and wires, fluids (unless required with covered repair), wiper blades, A/C recharge (unless required with covered repair), lubricants and filters (unless required with covered repair), disc
brake rotors and drums, brake pads, strut inserts/shock absorbers, clutch friction disc and pressure plate, throw out bearing, lamp assemblies/lenses and bulbs, carpet and upholstery, trim, moldings, glass, bright metal, body sheet metal, exhaust system,
paint and rust, squeaks and rattles, water leaks, wind noise, any component of an electrically-powered vehicle (Except Nissan LEAF), immobilizer key, keyfob, air bags and any related sensors and modules, and all items not covered by the Nissan Limited
Warranty or Emissions Warranty. For complete information concerning components covered, and those components which are excluded from coverage, please refer to the Security+Plus Service Contract or contact your local Nissan dealer.


also look for deductible, for plan coverage caps (some 3rd party plans will limit your total lifetime claim) and for service / maintenance requirements (some of the shadier plans will try and deny your claims if you were 1,500 miles late for an oil change, don't have your receipts for service, didn't use OE parts, etc...)

They are pure money makers. For the insurance company.

I'm thinking about buying a car warranty for my car that is just going out of factory warranty. It's a 2015 Nissan Altima with 60K miles and it's just now out of factory warranty.


Last year I bought a 2016 Toyota Rav4 with 54,000 km and a 60,000 km warranty.

When I went to buy the sales guy sat down, rolled up his sleeves and "told" me to buy the extended warranty to I believe 100,000 km and I also believe it was going to cost $3,000 (my numbers may be off cut the idea is the same). I told him I didn't want the extension and he almost fell off his chair and said that was a big mistake. He asked why so my response was that I had more faith in Toyota than he did. I said I believe the major parts in a Toyota will last a long time and if there were repairs needed, you would need something pretty dramatic to cost over $3,000, particularly since the only thing under warranty is the parts and if it was a big job, the labor would likely cost more.

The sales guy probably makes more money selling you that warranty than the car itself...

Yes - I always buy the Chrysler Max Care on all my cars (won't help your Nissan). Great "insurance". Even "little" items are costly these days.

Be careful buying non-"brand" warranties. Many years ago I bought one that I thought was through Chrysler and it wasn't. My 1'st claim was a huge issue, canceled the warranty and bought a Chrysler one.

Call Nissan "corporate" - I'm sure they have something similar.

This is good stuff, thanks for everyone's replies. It's interesting that you brought up starting a car maintenance fund. I've been thinking about that as an alternative, and probably the smarter idea than paying for a warranty. I only have a few payments left, so I'm thinking I should just put some of the money saved by not having a car payment.

For me it depends on the vehicle. I had a Chevy S-10 that I really liked but I knew the quality wasn't the best. I picked up the warranty on that and it paid for itself 3 times over.

I got an extended warranty on a used Highlander I bought. Time will tell how smart that was. I did have the touchscreen flake out the other day so it might be going out. That would almost pay for the warranty alone.
Typically I am not a warranty guy but with vehicles, it has seemed to work out for me.

Read the fine print carefully.
I looked into a third party warranty with my recent used car purchase (dealer/manufacturer didn't offer one). They were not cheap, and the stuff that was excluded was extensive. Researching things, it seemed that it was difficult to get a payout if something did happen. Like most insurance, lots of hoops to jump through and reasons for them to deny.
I decided against it as I bought what is supposed to be a reliable vehicle that is relatively cheap to fix. Hopefully it works out.

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"I keep hoping for you to use your superior intellect to be less insufferable. Sadly, you continue to disappoint." - gofigure

Depending on your expectations, I found having the ECP from Toyota got me better service. They got me a rental car when they couldn't repair a warranty issue within the day (steering failure) which they said they wouldn't have done if I didn't have ECP. I also needed a tow which was covered, and the road side assistance was nice when I was in the middle of nowhere. I think parts wise, it didn't pay for itself but the extra service sort of made up for it. But, by the time I actually had something that needed repairing which cost more than ~1k$, I was already out of that extra warranty.

So - would I do it again? Not sure. It's nice peace of mind for the family and not wasting time arguing over repairs / on the other hand a mechanic family friend retired and he's mostly working out of his own garage so I'm more inclined to go to him now.

I have a 2005 Nissan Xterra 4x4 with 220K miles on it. V6. I know, not your car, but my experience is that Nissans are pretty darn reliable. Best vehicle I've owned and still going strong.

The engine, drive train, and chassis have all been bomb-proof. It has been amazing. I don't particularly treat my vehicles good either, they get used and beat up a lot.

Where Nissan seems to have skimped on are the electronics/sensors. It is a revolving door of different issues, but they are all relatively minor and mainly things that don't effect the performance, just annoying.

So, if your warranty is to cover all the big stuff only, my N=1 experience with Nissans is that the engine and drive-train are pretty reliable.

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Save your $$. The weak link in your car, the CVT transmission, is covered to 120k/10 years.

Unless you are an idiot & don't change the oil every 4000 - 5000 miles, and goto a reputable mechanic, instead of the dealership for all repairs EXCEPT the CVT, you'll come out way ahead vs warranty.

And never buy a warranty from a dealership--they are massive profit centers for both the dealership & the warranty companies for a reason.

Google is your friend:

• Nissan extended the warranty on some of these vehicles equipped with the CVT transmission from 5 years or 60,000 miles to 10 years or 120,000 miles. The extension covers repairs, replacements, and towing for issues related to the continuously variable transmission. For the warranty to be effective, vehicle owners must take their Nissan to a dealership for repairs.

CONSEQUENCE:

• Service Bulletin Subject: Transmission judder, including shake, shudder, and vibration
  Service Bulletin Date: April 1, 2016
  Components:Transmission
  Affected Vehicles: 2013 to 2016 Nissan Altima and 2014 to 2016 Nissan Rogue

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