Extended Warranty by Dealership

[Manassas Mauler]

I am in the process of purchasing my first travel trailer, a Big Foot. Included in the sale is the manufacturer's one year warranty. The dealer offers a 5-year extended warranty, redeemable at any Airstream dealership in the nation. It's $20,000. The dealership is 7 hours from my home, so I would likely be taking it to alternate Airstream dealerships, depending on my location. Does anyone have any thoughts on the providence of purchasing extended dealership warranties?

 

[Utclmjmpr]

Save your money,, you wont recover it anyway..There are a thousand reasons in the contract to insure that..>>>Dan

 

[Boat Bum]

The first thing they do when you submit a claim is to look HARD for a way to dismiss it and they're pretty good at that; save your money.

 

[Mark_K5LXP]

Consider the reason you're getting a camper - ostensibly to go camping. Is a warranty worth having your camper sitting for months waiting for repairs? Keep your $20K in reserve and just deal with issues as they arise, on your terms. Way less stress and your camper will be in campgrounds, not a dealer parking lot.

Mark B.
Albuquerque, NM

 

[justlou]

Put the money you would spend on insurance into an interest bearing account.

 

[Manassas Mauler]

Wow! Sage advice. Thanks all. Will be waiving extended warranty.

 

[SMR]

Was it 20,000 for the extended warranty?

 

[bigbAZ]

We looked extensively at Bigfoot and if there ever was an RV that didn't need an extended warranty Bigfoot would be it. Their quality is pretty much unsurpassed.

 

[Gary RV_Wizard]

The dealer offers a 5-year extended warranty, redeemable at any Airstream dealership in the nation. It's $20,000.

Just for the warranty? Seems pretty steep - $5000/yr (the first year is the manufacturer's warranty and free to you). Plus all the other reasons cited above.

Put about $5000 in a separate bank account for RV repairs and that should cover whatever happens. Use the $15k savings to buy fuel and campsite rental. Have fun!!!

 

[Kirk]

Unlike most who post here, I do believe that there are times than the purchase of an extended warranty may be justified, as a general rule I would not do so for a new RV. What they call an extended warranty is actually a health insurance plan for the RV and unless you live in it fulltime, it is very unlikely that it will save you any money. Add to that the fact that Airstream has a very good reputation for quality, I would not recommend it for you. A 5-year extended warranty for a $100,000 RV can cost anywhere from $3,000 to over $5,000, depending on factors like the RV's make and model, coverage level, and provider, but $20,000 is far beyond reasonable. That is far more than any extended warranty that I have heard of would cost. It makes me wonder just a little about the honesty of your chosen dealership.

 

[bigbAZ]

I'm getting a bit confused now, is this a Bigfoot or an Airstream?

 

[Boat Bum]

20K and it doesn't even have an engine, transmission, steering, and on and on...

 

[8Muddypaws]

That insurance is way too expensive. You can buy it almost anywhere. Just google "RV extended warranty"

Do not, I repeat, do not buy insurance that ties you to a dealership, or related dealerships. A friend of mine did that and a few months later they went out of business.

 

[Manassas Mauler]

Was it 20,000 for the extended warranty?

Yes, 3 different warranties, totaling $20,000.

 

[Manassas Mauler]

I'm getting a bit confused now, is this a Bigfoot or an Airstream?

It's a Big Foot sold out of Airstream of Atlanta RV.

 

[Manassas Mauler]

We looked extensively at Bigfoot and if there ever was an RV that didn't need an extended warranty Bigfoot would be it. Their quality is pretty much unsurpassed.

From your lips to God's ears.

 

[Manassas Mauler]

I'm getting a bit confused now, is this a Bigfoot or an Airstream?

A Big Foot, sold out of the Airstream Dealership in Atlanta.

 

[Manassas Mauler]

A Big Foot, sold out of the Airstream Dealership in Atlanta.

Located in Norcross, Ga.

 

[Kirk]

It's a Big Foot sold out of Airstream of Atlanta RV.

That one too is unlikely to need much by way of repairs and being restricted to an Airstream dealership makes it even less useful. Then there is the price, which is astounding! Are you sure he quoted that much money for it, as I would be inclined to not buy any RV that needed $5000/year in repairs for the first 5 years of use. A new 2025 Bigfoot 2500 Series 25B25RQ was listed at $67,995, while another 2025 model in the same series had an MSRP of $89,999. Even if you paid $100,000 for the Big Foot, that is outrageously high priced. If you really want an extended warranty, do some price comparing with places like Warranty Direct or Wholesale Warranties.

 

[SMR]

I would also be concerned about other dealerships doing the warranty work. They might not get paid fast enough or only work on what they sell.
Like said above put the money in an account, whats left after you buy all the RV must haves. Lol
Also find a good mobile rv tech that knows what they are doing.