Okay, but no. What kind of car should *I* buy?

[lumberjim]

That's exactly right. And if you get a good plan for a good price, you can "beat the buffet"

I broke even on the blue jeep, and came out ahead on the commander. A $800 transmission job with 40 miles left on my contract put it over the top... But the timing of that repair... I got it fixed the day before I drove it to Charlotte NC.
I had to buy a new cell phone that same day because I didn't get the coverage on that... It would have been brutal if I had to cough up all that money at that time.

Fear of that happening is often what motivates people to get them. 70% of my used car customers get them. I make it hard to decline. I want people to get them even if I have to cut the price to $100 over cost. I'll always ask them to pay heavy , but if they say no 3 times, that fourth offer will be a break even for me.

If you have no coverage and the car breaks, you're either taking it to a shop that charges less than dealer labor rates, or fixing it yourself. Most people can't do the latter. Look at what glatt just went through diagnosing and hopefully fixing his camry...

All things being equal, I'd rather have the work happen in our shop, paid by the service contract... Give you a rental while it's fixed, you stay happy, we stay friends, you buy more cars here. Win win win. Maybe you even get in the habit of doing routine maintenence with us.

Some times people just don't want to hear it though, and pass on really good offers.

Sometimes you find out that they are in the shop with a $2085 PCM repair, and have to show them the waiver they signed with the contract price at $1895. They remember discussing it, but don't remember if they got the coverage.

Hindsight etc. Maybe next time you should consider the coverage. I actually felt bad for that lady. And she's probably gonna look at some different options, next car she buys.. Lose lose.