First car - what do I need cover for?

Bollo2019

I'm about to buy a 7 years old Skoda with 60k mileage. The dealership offers a 15 month warranty for £149 but I'm hoping to get some advice on whether it's best to shop around, where to look and what people would recommend? Is it best to get a warranty with the dealer so if it goes horribly wrong quickly I can take it back, or can I get something to protect myself maybe better from the manufacturer or elsewhere? Do I need breakdown cover separately? Is there anything else to think about?

Any advice appreciated, thanks.

TadleyBaggie

I doubt the warranty will be with the dealer, pretty sure it will just be some 3rd party product that you may be able to by cheaper directly. Be sure to check the small print on any such warranty as to what is covered.

Unlikely that Skoda will offer a warranty on a vehicle of that age. Breakdown cover is always a good thing to have, make sure you don't have it already, as some packaged bank accounts include it.

tacpot12

You should ask to read the warranty policy to see what it covers, but £149 doesn't sound too bad, but you have fairly extensive consumer protection against faults within the first six months, so you might be paying £149 for just 9 months cover; depending on what goes wrong.  

You will need seperate breakdown cover as the warranty will assume that you can get the car to a garage to have the work done. Before taking out any warranty, check where you can get the work done. If you can only get it done at one garage and that garage is a long way from home, it is problably going to cost you  more in tarnsport that it will save you in repair bills. 

The warranty won't cover service items and probably won't coverr items that wear out such as clutches, timing belts and water pumps, so you will need to save for these repairs as well. If the warranty excludes these things then I would be inclined not to purchase the warranty, but to put the £149 in the bank to cover repairs that might be needed in the first 15 months.  

Ebe_Scrooge

As above - the problem with most warranties is that they DON'T cover an awful lot of things.  Read the small print very carefully.  Often it's not worth bothering, and just "self-insure" - put money aside each month so you've got it if you need it.  And no warranty will cover standard consumables or wear & tear items.  The dealer should be offering you at least a 3 or 6 month warranty for free anyway - that's part of why you pay extra from a dealer as opposed to a private sale.  Probably more important than a warranty is a thorough check before-hand - has it been serviced correctly, is it in generally good condition for its age, are there any obvious faults?  Checking the MOT history online can give you a few clues as to its previous life https://www.gov.uk/check-mot-history

Breakdown cover - depends how many miles you cover, and how far from home you tend to travel.  I do a lot of miles and travel all over, so for me it's worth it for peace of mind.  The likes of AutoAid and StartRescue will cover you for a lot less than the likes of the AA and RAC, for me it's a small price to pay for the peace of mind.  But like any insurance, it's only worth it if you need it :-)  

daveyjp

Tell us which Skoda, which engine and which gearbox.  Some models are best avoided once you get to that age, or you need to ensure your warranty covers potentially very expensive faults.

Bollo2019

daveyjp said:

Tell us which Skoda, which engine and which gearbox.  Some models are best avoided once you get to that age, or you need to ensure your warranty covers potentially very expensive faults.

It's an Octavia, link is:
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202108216489277?fromSavedAds=true&advertising-location=at_cars

fatbelly

I don't usually go for the extra warranties as they never seem very good value when you look at what they do cover.

That seems a nice car on the face of it - you'll want to get a note of the reg number and have a look at the MOT history. 

I did note that the three tyres they photograph are all different and I wonder why not all four were there - worth a closer look.

Bollo2019

fatbelly said:

I don't usually go for the extra warranties as they never seem very good value when you look at what they do cover.

That seems a nice car on the face of it - you'll want to get a note of the reg number and have a look at the MOT history. 

I did note that the three tyres they photograph are all different and I wonder why not all four were there - worth a closer look.

Great shout on the tyres and as a first time buyer something I wouldn't have the eye to spot, thanks! I've asked the dealership to pull together the service history and will take a look at what it says. Do you think it's worth going for if all clear then? I really like it, but it's top end of budget. What appeals to OH is the space in the back (not for that reason!) because it's good to fit a couple of car seats in. I'm struggling to find anything comparable for space, reliability and on budget. 

tacpot12

You will struggle to find anything that beats a good Octavia. 

Goudy

As it's not too expensive it might be worth taking the warranty, but as many have already pointed out, it won't cover everything.

You would also need to consider a few running costs this car is likely to run up in the near future.
I believe this has the EA211 engine which has a cam belt. At this cars age and mileage you might want to check when it's due a change or if it's been done already.

You might need a good check through the service history for a bill, if there isn't one, it's likely not had a new belt.
A quick ring to a Skoda dealers service desk will tell you when it's due and the likely cost.

It's also a manual car and has a clutch. That may or may not have a lot of life left in it, but chances are at over 60,000 miles it might not have 10's of thousands of miles life left in it.

Just giving the images a quick once over, some of the brake discs look a bit scored and worn. To me they look like they'll need attention soon.

None of these things will be covered under the warranty, but they are all costly items a car like this will need sooner rather than later.
Anything you can tick off the list now by checking the service history or negotiating the price because they need attention or even getting the dealer to put right before you buy is going to save you money.

Bigphil1474

Ask the dealer to drop the price by £100 if you agree to take the extra warranty