Unless you're lusting after a car that isn't made anymore, like a pristine 1993 Mazda RX-7 R1 or a lightweight Honda CRX, money is the only thing keeping you in a Reagan-era ride. Everybody should experience buying and owning a brand-new car at least once. A sense of pride and accomplishment washes over you by getting something crisp and untouched, a blank canvas with which to paint whatever automotive fantasy you have in mind. There's a reason companies sell new car-scented air fresheners.
Besides showing up your neighbors by sporting the latest thing on the block, other new car advantages include the fact that nothing should break for at least a little while and there's a warranty to back up whatever issues may arise. If you buy a brand-new Honda Civic and a brake line bursts, it'll be repaired no problem. But if the same thing happens in a no-warranty, used Honda Civic, you'd better aim for something soft.
Here at 2NR, we're not much for stock, factory compromises, and we're pretty sure you aren't either. The entire enthusiast industry is hell-bent on getting more power, better brakes, louder stereos and better looks. But constantly taking off factory parts and messing with manufacturer workmanship has the automakers popping aspirin. How do they know what parts you're going to use and who's going to install them?
What is a warranty?The most fundamental step in protecting yourself with warranty coverage is to understand just what the hell a warranty is. As defined by the Federal Trade Commission, a warranty is a manufacturer's promise to stand behind its product. For cars, the two warranties to keep an eye on are basic coverage (the whole car) and powertrain (engine, transmission and drivetrain). The industry standard for new consumer cars is roughly three years or 36,000 miles (whichever comes first) for basic coverage and five years or 60,000 miles for powertrain-although Hyundai and select Mitsubishi models offer 10-year, 100,000-mile powertrain warranties.
Keep in mind, a warranty isn't a catchall where if you break it, the company will fix it. It isn't designed to allow consumers to claim free engine repairs for three years. A warranty states if you drive normally, the car will function as the manufacturer intends for that period of time. A five-year powertrain warranty means if you don't speed, you'll have five years of protection from any factory defects, not five free years of drag racing. Anything that breaks will go under a microscope. Ultimately, the dealership will decide whether it was a defective part that broke early and should be replaced, or if the car was entered in the World Rally Championship and should have its repairs denied. Try to keep all of this in mind the next time you do constant 6000-rpm clutch drops in your WRX and then bring it in for transmission services.