Official Porsche Extended Warranty - An Unorthodox View - Page 2 - Boxster/Cayman - PistonHeads UK

I know that I am probably going to get slated for my views on this but I am a big believer in the benefit of the official Porsche extended warranty. In 2010 I bought a new Boxster S for around £45k. Normally after 2 years I would be looking to replace the car with a new one using the man logic that "it's out of warranty and needs replacing" - something I have done previously with other vehicles - the fear of out of warranty costs coupled with the desire for a new toy is a powerful motivator. In 2012 as things were financially a bit tight I hit on the idea of taking up a two year extension on the Porsche warranty. As far as I could see the cover was almost identical to that which came on the new car and included the same European wide recovery service and the dealer kindly offered to waive the 110 point check fee as I was having the vehicle serviced at the same time. Now in 2014, whilst things are financially less constrained, my jaundiced view of the latest Boxster and the usual poor residuals for second hand cars has made me consider what previously was unthinkable : to keep the 987 Boxster for even longer. At £1,600 for a 2 year warranty extension this appears to be good value when compared with the cost of changing to a new car, and I can keep on extending the warranty up to 10 years old as my annual mileages are low at 3.5k pa. Even if I kept the car till 10 years old the £12,800 warranty extension cost pales into insignificance compared with the depreciation on several new replacement cars - and yet I am still covered by the same standard of warranty & recovery - and hand on heart, a mint condition Boxster with 35,000 miles on the clock will still be an acceptable drive even if it is only worth £10k and with the possiblity to sell it privately at year 9 with 1 years official Porsche warranty left! In my case Porsche have really shot themselves in the foot with the extended warranty offer, in that it has enabled me to break the cycle of constant replacement of the car with the latest model. Once you break free of the cycle you realise what a mug's game it is - but then maybe, just maybe, I'm getting older and wiser...... Edited by Peter Cee on Thursday 24th July 13:57 Edited by Peter Cee on Thursday 24th July 14:03

the thing which hit me was, "don't live in fear" Porsche will make the money from you some where, you are now forced with 100% Porsche parts even a £250 battery over a better £85 bosche one and of course you are stuck with always running old outdated N spec tyres. I on the other hand am free to do as I wish, I don't live in fear and can fit better more reliable parts which makes me enjoy my cars even more. I am far better off in my pocket also ;-)

Fair comment on the tyres, parts and modifications front - although some might say no modifications means no temptations to blow thousands on 'upgrades'. I know Mrs Cee thinks that £750 per year to force me into not considering changing the car because I've extended the warranty, to be a bargain.

I think you're spot on.

OP, I am with you! For peace of mind the OPC warranty is great. I bought my car privately with a warranty that runs till Feb 2015, the warranty was transferred over to me when I bought the car. I have RSS engine mounts, gen 2 air ducts for the brakes, JZM installed mesh on the radiators, techart top mounts on the front shocks, RSS rear toe locking plates and non-N rated Michelin Pilot Super Sport tyres. My car went into Porsche last month for a complete overhaul of the air-con system as it had failed, this cost several hundred pounds (including replacing the condensers) and it was all covered under the warranty. The only thing it cost me was the time and petrol to get the car there and back.

OP, have you had any or many warranty claims?

Interesting view and no doubt rational , but of course many of us change our cars not because of the warranty. We like the buzz of ordering a new car, the technical and style advances (as we see them) and we don't mind paying for that. For as long as I can afford to, I'll view cars emotionally, not rationally or mathematically.

SFO said: OP, have you had any or many warranty claims? No - never had a thing go wrong in 4 years. Not a squeak, rattle, misfire nothing - the car feels totally reliable - honestly wouldn't be surprised if it went the full 10 years without a claim. That's why I wouldn't factor any such costs into the equation. Originally I did wonder if PDK would be reliable as it's a pretty complex thing' but so far it operates with complete consistency - but in the future I guess you never know....

It always a man maths with a bit of peace of mind thing. In 30+ years of driving with various warranties on some fairly unreliable 80s Italian s te to 2010 German mobiles, I have only at best broken even on inidividual cars. Overall, I am well down - by 1000s if not more. I average around 45k miles per year on various cars. The cost of extended warranties, manufacturer servicing and parts usually outweighs the benefits. The only conclusion I can drawn is high miles on one particular car with another insurer such as warrantywise/warranty direct,is much more likely to result in break even or more, because you can use specialist/ general garages that are much cheaper for servicing and parts. However a warranty, particularly a porsche one, means you can occasionally track it, rev the b ks off it (within the limit of course) and generally drive it like you stole it without mechanical worries and continually having to inspect exhaust pipes, oils and generally worry about any strange noises. There will be many on here that have done small annual miles and been in the garage several times. I have too, but usually in the warranty period provided when I've bought the car - rarely outside it. Finally my last minor service at opc was £950+ to preserve the warranty. This would have been £250 from a specialist, plus I could not put on a louder exhaust. So no opc warranty renewal - I am at least £3.5k better off over the next two years and 10k miles. let's hope very little goes wrong.

V8KSN said: OP, I am with you! For peace of mind the OPC warranty is great. I bought my car privately with a warranty that runs till Feb 2015, the warranty was transferred over to me when I bought the car. I have RSS engine mounts, gen 2 air ducts for the brakes, JZM installed mesh on the radiators, techart top mounts on the front shocks, RSS rear toe locking plates and non-N rated Michelin Pilot Super Sport tyres. My car went into Porsche last month for a complete overhaul of the air-con system as it had failed, this cost several hundred pounds (including replacing the condensers) and it was all covered under the warranty. The only thing it cost me was the time and petrol to get the car there and back. What are you going to do in feb 2015 less than 6 moths away ?

Peter Cee said: Once you break free of the cycle you realise what a mug's game it is - but then maybe, just maybe, I'm getting older I read your whole post I thought, no , this is a mugs (or rich mans) game: "Normally after 2 years I would be looking to replace the car with a new one using the man logic that "it's out of warranty and needs replacing" - something I have done previously with other vehicles" Boxster S is a lovely car, keep it for another 5 years and watch the cost per mike plummet as depreciation curve flattens, doubt I will buy a new car again TBH Edited by Adam B on Friday 25th July 01:06

Peter I have done exactly as you for all the same reasons, worth every penny all day long, I. Too will be keeping my 987 s in the porsche warranty scheme until ite 10 years old, which will be 2017 .So basically driving with the peace of mind of new car ownership for a song, brilliant, Mike

Adam B said: I doubt I will buy a new car again TBH Edited by Adam B on Friday 25th July 01:06 Those contemplating keeping their Boxsters till 2019, may well have to make a difficult choice when considering the purchase of a brand new replacement. I really do suspect that by then the Porsche product will be all hybrid vehicles with associated whistles and bells. Whilst they will obviously be very rapid vehicles and very capable handlers, I think that the enthusiast who appreciates the pure and simple petrol engined sports car for free time enjoyment purposes, may well feel that there is no suitable new replacement. If these circumstances do come to pass then I think the 987 will definitely be considered to be best of breed - last of the pure petrol engined Porsche sports cars.

mrdemon said: What are you going to do in feb 2015 less than 6 moths away ? No idea! Most probably waste money and renew though!

V8KSN said: mrdemon said: What are you going to do in feb 2015 less than 6 moths away ? No idea! Most probably waste money and renew though! Although it is welcoming that Porsche took a pragmatic view regarding your aircon, I suspect that they may take a sterner view to your mods when it comes to the 111 point check at renewal. Let's see.

Peter Cee said: Those contemplating keeping their Boxsters till 2019, may well have to make a difficult choice when considering the purchase of a brand new replacement. I really do suspect that by then the Porsche product will be all hybrid vehicles with associated whistles and bells. Whilst they will obviously be very rapid vehicles and very capable handlers, I think that the enthusiast who appreciates the pure and simple petrol engined sports car for free time enjoyment purposes, may well feel that there is no suitable new replacement. If these circumstances do come to pass then I think the 987 will definitely be considered to be best of breed - last of the pure petrol engined Porsche sports cars. Very good point and very well made. I think the current generation (9x1) has already gone a way down this route - to the point where I decided to keep my 997.2 (and my g/f will also be keeping her 987.2). I know many people really like the new cars, but for me, they're already not a replacement for the 9x7 generation cars. Why? Because I subscribe to the idea that anything taking the 911/Boxster/Cayman lines further away from their pure sports car roots is a huge step backwards that compromises what I want from the cars. I find the thought of an electric hybrid (with ICE assistance only) all-nannying, steer-by-wire Porsche in a few years time excruciating. (But unfortunately, not quite impossible to believe)! Edited by Ian_UK1 on Friday 25th July 12:20

V8KSN said: No idea! Most probably waste money and renew though! no idea how you are going to get a renewal with your mods, saying that I bought a OPC R and the rear pads were some jap cheap pants pad and all the dampers were missing. so a 111 point cheak don't mean that much, they just check for N spec tyres 4mm and push it out the door lol the whole Porsche warranty and N spec is killing these cars for me. and now that an Audi steers better than any current model Porsche, if the GT4 is lame, because lets face it it's not going to be a GT3 killer, the R8 V10 Plus will be my next car. My OPC thinks the GT4 will not even happen. So it's shocking some OPC'a are taking money for them already !!!!

mrdemon said: N spec is killing these cars for me Whilst not the absolute best tyres in the world, if your'e going to drive a Boxster on the road in a reasonably sane manner then Michelin Pilot Sport's do a good enough job. It's easy to get too paranoid about tyres....

I agree I have had 8 sets of Pilot sports a great tyre, but the super sports are in another league and on my 3rd set nothing paranoid about wanting the best esp when they feel so much better and in the wet no contest.

Peter Cee said: Even if I kept the car till 10 years old the £12,800 warranty extension cost pales into insignificance compared with the depreciation on several new replacement cars The counter argument has to be stated though. If you used a savings account instead of the warranty and kept the car for a decade, there is a mightily good chance that there will be money left in the account at the end... Unless you are unfortunate enough to need engine and gearbox repairs, not renewing will leave you better off if you keep it the full 10 years... So now that you have broken the replacement cycle - why not break the warranty cycle too?

Peter Cee said: Adam B said: I doubt I will buy a new car again TBH Those contemplating keeping their Boxsters till 2019, may well have to make a difficult choice when considering the purchase of a brand new replacement. I really do suspect that by then the Porsche product will be all hybrid vehicles with associated whistles and bells. Whilst they will obviously be very rapid vehicles and very capable handlers, I think that the enthusiast who appreciates the pure and simple petrol engined sports car for free time enjoyment purposes, may well feel that there is no suitable new replacement. If these circumstances do come to pass then I think the 987 will definitely be considered to be best of breed - last of the pure petrol engined Porsche sports cars. kept my last car for 7 years and sold it for 50% of that so made running costs very reasonable, now have a 997 turbo, Mezger, manual, speed shifter - faster than I ever need, love the looks and feel, really don't see myself needing to change for a long time, 6 years old so taken most of its hit already. I think the way ahead for me is switching between older, more interesting stuff That said the 981 boxster/cayman appeal as they are so much better styled than predecessors IMHO, and a manual of either is still pretty analogue bar the electric steering (which I have yet to try) - the osrt of car I might try in 3/4 years when they have lost over half their value

If you used a savings account instead of the warranty and kept the car for a decade, there is a mightily good chance that there will be money left in the account at the end.. The important word here is "chance", with an OPC warranty the possible future costs are,by and large, covered at a known price, there is no uncertainty and if your repair slush fund is not as healthy as you would like I think it is a sensible alternative, notwithstanding cheap parts and labour from an Indy. Edited by jredram on Monday 28th July 23:29

If you used a savings account instead of the warranty and kept the car for a decade, there is a mightily good chance that there will be money left in the account at the end.. The important word here is "chance", with an OPC warranty the possible future costs are,by and large, covered at a known price, there is no uncertainty and if your repair slush fund is not as healthy as you would like I think it is a sensible alternative, notwithstanding cheap parts and labour from an Indy. Edited by jredram on Monday 28th July 23:30

If you used a savings account instead of the warranty and kept the car for a decade, there is a mightily good chance that there will be money left in the account at the end.. The important word here is "chance", with an OPC warranty the possible future costs are,by and large, covered at a known price, there is no uncertainty and if your repair slush fund is not as healthy as you would like I think it is a sensible alternative, notwithstanding cheap parts and labour from an Indy. Edited by jredram on Monday 28th July 23:30

mrdemon said: I agree I have had 8 sets of Pilot sports a great tyre, but the super sports are in another league and on my 3rd set nothing paranoid about wanting the best esp when they feel so much better and in the wet no contest. Whilst not wishing to hijack this thread; I am thinking of changing from PS2s to SuperSports on my 987.2S. I have read all about the advantages; are there any downsides or disadvantages to them? (Other than not being N rated)?