Its not a case of weathering the storm as you put it but more a question of why should I?
If I have to pay £1000+ to get repairs when I can spread the cost over a period of time and potentially payout significantly less than the cost of the repairs.
You should because on average it'd save you money, the only reason for insurance is because you're speeding the cost (plus more for the pleasure) over time. People do this because if the worst happened they couldn't afford it.
Potentially yes, you could save money, chances are you won't though.
You're substituting the unknown for a higher known (a warranty). The problem occurs when warranty company's try to get out of paying for work to lower costs.


Benefits out weigh the cons these days with autos its not like the power/fun sappers of ye olde days.