Hello

I am looking for my next used car on the private market. I have never used an extended warranty before, wondered if it would be worth it, and what other people's experiences were, good and bad.

As 10-year old cars are so much more money to buy these days it makes things quite a bit more risky. Here are some examples: I bought my 2002 Polo in 2012 for £1700 and a year later it turns out it needs an engine rebuild possibly costing over £1000. So it's written off.

I want to get a Honda Jazz, like 2005-ish because my mother has an '03 which is very reliable. However they cost about £2500 to buy and there are known issues with the gearbox bearings that could emerge on the first generation Jazz. Second generation Jazzes cost £4000 and up, so no economy there.

What to do?

Could I buy a reasonably tidy car (again) for £1500 and spend the rest on a warranty? I intend to DIY service to keep costs down. However I still don't like the above maths for I do not have unlimited amounts of thousands of pounds to spend buying another car every 2 years if there was something I or my mechanic just didn't pick up when I bought it. Heck it makes the bus look very tempting.

Any advice on warranties, types of cover, exclusions, worth it at all?

Oh yes, and do you buy the warranty after you buy the car (off Gumtree etc) or at the time of sale? Ta very much.