Originally Posted By: jimmy87
^^^ this, all three things are going to be prorated and refunded, basically the checks in the mail, just got back from the dealer.
So now I'm left wondering is gap insurance really necessary, what about the extended warranty? See the 09 I bought used, that's how I justified the purchase of both the gap and the ext warranty, I just purchased a new truck two days ago and I declined both the gap and the extended warranty, finance guy [censored] near begged me to purchase both but believe it or not I was smarter than that this time around. To answer my own question I believe that the gap and ext warranty were justified on a used vehicle that is almost out of factory warranty and if it totaled I'm almost sure I would have ended up with negative equity (that's my justification for gap). What do you guys think?
GAP INSURANCE:
Purchasing gap insurance depends on your situation. If you didn't put a substantial down payment on the vehicle, maybe you rolled some cash from another vehicle into the new one, etc... the end result is you owe a LOT more than the vehicle is or will be worth if you are in a serious accident with it in the foreseeable future. It takes a while to catch up and get even/ahead on value of the vehicle in a total situation unless you put a lot down.
Some insurance companies provide a sort of GAP clause with a regular policy for the 1st year you have the vehicle( new anyway - my policy from Metlife comes with a 1 year full payoff ). Most don't. So if you drive off the lot with a vehicle that you owe more than say 75-85% of book value on, and it gets totalled within the 1st couple years, you will end up owing more to pay it off than you get from the insurance company. That is where gap insurance helps you out.
Gap pays the difference between what the regular insurance company pays on the total and what you still owe on the vehicle so you don't have to. This can be a substantial amount of money depending on what you owe vs what the vehicle is worth at the time it is totalled. If you put a lot of money down it would be a waste of money. However if you put very little down, no money down, or even rolled money into the purchase gap insurance is a no brainer. Many times these days you can't even get the loan in a situation like that without getting gap as well.
On a new vehicle unless I put a LOT of money down I would definitely have got the gap. The second you drive off the lot it takes a huge depreciation hit. All you will get from insurance( even if the other person is at fault and pays you )is book value. You would then be on the hook for the remaining balance you owe which can be thousands of dollars even with a small or modest down payment. My BIL had a 3 day old brand new Dodge Dakota he put some cash down on get seriously damaged by a lady who ran a red light with no insurance. His insurance wanted to total it which would have left him owing over $3900. I managed to get my body guy to repair it( replaced entire frame )for what the insurance was willing to pay and saved him that financial disaster. Trust me it can happen to anyone. He now gets gap insurance.
Also, the cost of the gap insurance policy will be related to how much you borrow on the vehicle vs it's value. The less you have to borrow the less the policy will be. Gap insurance is just like any other insurance policy( auto, home, health, etc... )you buy it with the hopes you never need it. It is NOT a waste of money as some say if it is appropriate for your situation.
Most who say it is a waste of money have the financial reserves to absord a multiple thousand dollar hit if their new vehicle was totalled and they got less than what was owed from insurance. Those people more than likely bought the vehicle outright anyway or put a big deposit down so gap wouldn't make sense for them. Most people don't have that kind of flexibility in their finances or the money to buy a vehicle for cash or make a huge down payment however. For them gap is a smart investment.
EXTENDED WARRANTY:
A 2013 Sierra( I assume Sierra as you didn't say anything other than you got rid of the 09 for a 13 )has a base 3 year/36,000 buumper to bumper warranty and then a 5 year/100,000 powertrain warranty. That is good basic protection but after the 3 years is up it leaves a LOT of expensive items uncovered.
If you plan to keep the vehicle beyond the 3/36 base warranty an extended warranty is a great idea IMO( as long as it is reasonable priced ). An extended warranty is like insurance. You are paying a little now to protect against a big financial hit down the road or even multiple hits. Modern vehicles have a LOT of expensive to repair items that are not powertrain related. Electronics, ABS system components, and dash repairs are 3 very common and expensive areas powertrain warranties do not cover. One or two repairs in those areas after the 3/36 expires have you even or ahead on your warranty cost.
I would not buy a new modern vehicle with so many expensive items to repair without an extended warranty if I planned to keep it beyond the factory bumper to bumper warranty.