[Clueless] Balance of existing warranty?

[SiD the Turtle]

Excuse the possible dopey-ness of these questions, I've never bought a car this new before!

I'm looking at cars at the moment that are around three years old. A couple are newer than this and have 6 months - 1 year 'balance of existing warranty'. What does this cover? I've checked the cars out and they are fine but if I drive it off the forecourt and the exhaust falls off (for example) or I find out it needs two grand of work I missed am I covered by the main dealer?

Salesmen seem to be cagey when asking these kinds of questions.

 

[SoliD]

If its got a year left of warranty, it will be covered for stuff that isnt consumables, ie tyres,brake pads etc, if the engine blows up you will be covered for any damage incurred, but make sure the car has been serviced correctly otherwise they won't honour the warranty.