I definitely would buy the extended warranty. I bought it for my 2013 (when it cost about $2,500) and don’t regret it. I am looking to get the extended warranty on the Model 3 when it becomes available.
I used to work on cars myself, doing repairs including brakes, alternator rebuilds and even engine repairs. Two years ago I came down with cancer of the spine (make sure you have health insurance; I stopped adding the costs when the treatments exceeded $700,000), and no longer can bend and lift 100 pound objects like I once did. While many people say they can work on the car themselves, they don’t know what their health will be down the toad.
I had 3 door handles replaced by Tesla, 2 after the 4 year warranty expired. I believe they charge over $1,000 for replacement handles out of warranty. I had several charge ports replaced because the door would either not open or it wouldn’t stay closed. I believe they cost about $800 out of warranty. I had 2 touchscreens replaced beyond the original warranty period, 1 because it developed a black line in the screen (no crack in the glass) and the second for the yellow band problem. Tesla charges over $1,000 for the screen replacement. Last year while driving cross country, the GPS navigation acted up. Tesla said the antenna was defective, which required breaking the rear hatch glass and installing new glass and the third brake light. Tesla said the cost would have been $1,100 if I didn’t have the extended warranty. One of the fog lamps started flickering. It’s replacement required dropping the front bumper and installing a whole new unit (not just the bulb). I was told the cost without warranty is about $400. I had a sun visor break that they replaced. While driving cross country I also had a blowout. Because I had the extended warranty (including ranger service) Tesla paid to tow the car over 50 miles to a shop to get a new tire (I believe towing is normally only covered while the first 4 years of the car’s “life”).
The MCU has a memory device that tends to fail after a certain number of writes to it. Tesla doesn’t replace the memory, they replace the entire MCU at an out of warranty cost over $4,000. The junction box under the rear seat is also an expensive replacement, as is the HVAC system and several other components in the car. I haven’t had these issues, but other owners have.
BTW, while the extended warranty states there is a $200 deductible, Tesla has never charged me the deductible.
I came out ahead just with respect to the door handle replacements.
