I have a 2006 350Z Loaded Roadster with only 25,000 miles. The original Nissan extended warranty expires in May. I have an opportunity to purchase another extended warranty with a company promoted by COSTCO. The Nissan dealer advises that it is a reliable insurer that pays directly to the sevice facilities. The cost is $ 2,400 for an additional 6 years with a mileage limit of 85,000 miles. That is an average cost of about $ 400 per year.

My vehicle is stored every year for five months from mid May to mid October in a garage that reaches temps over 100 degrees. I have had no major mechanical problems with this vehicle to date.

Has anybody had experience with vehicle problems due to age or extensive storage under high temps?

I would appreciate any advise on what failures may occur and the appropriatness of additional extened coverage.

 

Read the fine print on the warranty. They usually don't cover cosmetic damage, which would be the biggest problem you'd encounter due to storing in high temps. When we shipped the Griswold Family Truckster from the USA to the Philippines back in the early 80's, the headliner, dash and steering wheel were trashed due to the heat in the shipping container. We got those fixed under shipping insurance, but relative to your question, those are the kinds of things that can go wrong with a car that's sitting in an oven for months on end.

In terms of extended warranties, I generally say no. But with the Z, it might not be a bad idea. I'm learning that these cars aren't the most predictable in terms of reliability. The very fact that this is a used car presents a whole set of secondary issues (i.e., How was it driven? Did it get tracked? Was it in an accident? Was the maintenance sketchy?). You'll have to do the math, consider issues that might come up that are NOT covered by the extended warranty, and then figure out what you're going to need to spend money on in the near term, like brakes, tires, battery, worn bushings, etc.

Usually, extended warranties don't make a lot of sense, but if you can include it in your financing at a decent rate, then it probably won't hurt so much. If it were me, I'd say no, but I have pretty much every tool you can imagine and two years' experience working in a garage, so I'm not afraid to work on my own cars.

FWIW, I just had two catalytic converters replaced under warranty (there's a thread on it somewhere in this forum) that would have cost me about $3500 if I had to pay someone to do it. The warranty on those is 8 years, 80,000 miles. My car still has 4 years and 57,000 miles before the emissions warranty runs out. If I lose another cat between now and then, I'll probably sell the car due to lack of confidence.