poblon

Anyone have advice for extended warranty on 2006 S65 with 80K miles. I have put quite a bit into the car and feel bigger expenses are around the corner. Is there anything avail? What are the costs? Any bad experiences?

Viper55

I am also curious about this. What warranty options are there for 05-06 V12 models that are out of warranty? Is it only possible if they currently have a warranty which could be extended? May consider getting one of these but it appears that I grossly underestimated maintenance costs and the Diablo is already enough of a worry so I think a warranty on one of these would be a must. I saw somewhere that carmax has warranties on the Benz's they sell but does that apply to an 05-06 V12 as well. Thanks

Ryan Bell

There is a dark gray '06 S65 I looked at last summer (which, interestingly enough, just popped up on eBay again today I believe) in the mid $30k price range with ~40k miles on it. Gorgeous car. I called Easycare about a warranty, and a TWO YEAR Platinum coverage warranty cost $8100. Seriously. They wouldn't cover it longer than two years if I remember correctly. I guess I was naive, but I was expecting a price of around $2k per year.

Based on everyone I've ever talked to that owns a V12 Benz, Easycare - though expensive - is absolutely the way to go.

Viper55

I guess its good that they even offer it. The cheapest is to buy through carmax and a longer warranty up to 150k miles is around $4k. Thanks for the info

Ryan Bell

Do you have more information than that? What's the time period on the warranty that's $4k and covers up to 150k miles??

Viper55

She did not specify the time duration. It was just a general comment that they offered warranties up to 150k on every car they sell and warranty costs ranged from 1500-4000. I believe I saw another guy mention carmax coverage somewhere else on here that 6 yr durations were the Max. I would definitely verify and find out more from them on coverages and all that before buying. I'm going to hold off a few months I think.

Ryan Bell

There's a nice looking silver W220 (2006) S65 on the carmax.com website right now.

Viper55

Yeah, in AZ. That's what got me to ask. I'll have to see what's on there when i'm looking. I filled out an alert thing for the V12's.

Reckless

Easycare is ok - I had them on my BMW 750IL some years ago.

Fidelity is much better but costs even more I think. They doubled prices last year on their plans. They have covered over $40k in repairs on one car and about $10k on the other.

Ryan Bell

Holy cow. That's a ton.

How much did your policy run if you don't mind me asking?

Reckless

$6800 (Dealer cost) - it helps to know people. I still have 30k/4 years left. It would have been $6500 if I had signed up two weeks earlier.

Ryan Bell

So it was $6500/$6800-ish for how long? Up to how many miles?

Reckless

7 years / 100,000 miles from date of purchase (car had 24k miles 3 years ago). I bought the longest years and mileage package they had as I knew I would be making double or triple back. I had no idea I would be getting closer to 10x my money back. They have since doubled their price as of 1/1/2012.

To be honest the amount of maintenance these new Benz's require makes me sick. I love them but things go wrong even if they are parked in the garage. I started buying other cars to cover the downtime and now rely on them more. I don't forsee this changing with the new models and for that reason went back and bought a 99 BMW 750IL (most reliable car with a naturally aspirated V12 in my book). It may not be sick power but you can still feel the torque. I've had two of them in the past and must say that they are the pinnacle of what BMW has to offer in luxury even 15 years later.

I started respecting Lexus for their reliability after this experience. My plan is to keep the S600 alive until she falls apart but my service adviser is advising me to ditch it once the warranty expires. I don't mind putting $5-10k in annual maintenance but he is predicting it will be much more (~$20k). The thing is I don't think I will be happy with any less than 500HP/500TQ and right now I hate the new S-class's W221/W222 (I used to hate the W220 even more).

Ryan Bell

The price has doubled?? Geez. I mean, I understand, but wow...that's quite an increase.

That really sucks to hear about the MB V12 cars as far as maintenance. Seems like EVERYONE says that. I've always wanted to own one, but it just seems like a "rough around the edges experience" considering the down-time and repair bills. Even the warranties are the price of a small car now. haha.

SL65amg

i only have an 05 sl 55 and on top of the price of the car and the almost 6 grand for a three year 36000 mile extended warranty, i have spent another 20 grand on it with mods....and it constantly needs work.....this is my very first amg and im realizing now that they are a never ending black hole for our money to keep running well.....ive heard gallardo's and continental gt's are a lot more reliable....maybe in a couple years ill get one of those.....or if not then something cheaper but brand new with a full warranty.....you live and you learn i guess....