re: Buying a Truck when did protection plans become a thing?

As a F&I manager, it's illegal for me to sell "warranties." I do sell a mechanical breakdown policy though. Along with GAP, Tire and Wheel, pdr and fob replacement. I'm Louisiana, f&I are legally bound to offer GAP to any customer above 70% LTV.
Most new car limited warranties are 3years/36000 miles. Typically, in the real world, that's really only about 2 years and a couple months of coverage, we average 15k miles per year in MS and LA. I always offer a 5 yr 75000 policy and can adjust those numbers to fit different customers. With the prices of parts and labor steadily increasing, about 85% of my chances buy the policy. It can cover 2 repairs and be worth all the money. It's fitting an extra $50-60 a month in to your budget vs having to come out of pocket thousands of dollars for a repair at one time.