What would be a warranty alternative when buying US vehicle?

[Anbeduma]

:?: In our ongoing research about buying a new vehicle in the States, we have a new hurdle.
I've read through enough threads as to which manufacturers are offering warranties and who isn't, etc. so I don't need that information. (My goodness you people are patient!) It is that we are interested in looking into the possiblility of purchasing a warranty (ie. for a Honda CRV) from a private company.
This is something that I was not aware existed until the last few days.
~ Are there many such companies in Canada?
~ Are they reputable?
~ Is their coverage comparable to manufacturer warranties?
~ What is the cost difference?
If anyone can enlighten me on this subject or point towards someone who can, I would very much appreciate that. Thank you!

[techboss]

If you are buying a new Honda from the US, you should not worry about warranty. The savings from buying there is enough to cover minor fixes on the car. Any recall fixes can be a good excuse for a travel down to the states anyway ;).

[Tomy]

If you are buying a new Honda from the US, you should not worry about warranty. The savings from buying there is enough to cover minor fixes on the car. Any recall fixes can be a good excuse for a travel down to the states anyway ;).

troof

[JeffR]

I contacted Secure Warranty (www.securewarranty.ca) and they referred me to Kingsway Honda (I'm in Vancouver). I called, and they quoted me $3100 for 4 years/80,000 km bumper to bumper and $2600 for 4 years/80,000 km powertrain. Based on the pricing I'm hearing from US dealers, I'll save more than $8000 on an CR-V EX. With that much in my pocket, I'm going to bet on Honda quality. My confidence is bolstered by the fact that the CR-Vs in the west coast USA are made in Japan.

[michelb]

Before buying any extended warranty, make sure that it's clear that the vehicle has no existing manufacturers warranty (many extended warranty company require that the vehicle is still covered by the original warranty).

As techboss mentioned, if you save enough, not having a warranty is not the end of the world if you save enough money but be sure to realize that although recalls will still be available in the US (assuming you can get the car there), once the car is exported, if the warranty is not valid in Canada, the warranty will probably be void in the US as well (e.g. if you export a Honda to Canada and lose the warranty, you CANNOT take it back to the US for warranty service as the warranty is VOID)). I believe that by law they have to perform recalls whether or not the warranty is valid (although if it's a recall only in the US, you will not be able to get it done in Canada (our Volvo recently had a recall that initially was only offered in the US but eventually was extended to Canada as well)).

From my experiences (had a 3rd party extended warranty on 2 cars), 3rd party extended warranties kind of suck and are a total pain. You often have to fight them over claims and it almost always takes longer to get repairs done because garages have to call to have work authorized (if it's major enough, they'll actually send an appraiser before authorizing). Sometimes they'll only pay for used parts (which you have to wait for), etc. Some warranties are only valid at garages in their 'system' (total pain)