People should also keep in mind that every state has its own set of laws designed to protect consumers. Note that each such law's "teeth" and usefulness in this situation varies state by state and its application to this type of transaction may also vary given the dollar amount, sales contract with distributor etc.
As with all things you hope to never have to rely on a warranty or consumer law versus simply working out a reasonable solution with your business partner (the distributor and/or manufacturer). Life is never that simple and it seems anecdotally that some people have received better service than others (minor issues on play fields resulting in a replacement versus major issues being let go without resolution).
As prior posters have said - it makes being second/third owner more attractive sometimes.