CarMax purchase...would you buy the MaxCare warranty or buy SDS instead?
03-25-2011, 05:16 PM
#26
Junior Member
I can fix my own car. I'm looking at some horror stories of the E55 breaking down on the ride home.
My question is would you buy the MaxCare CarMax warranty (~$2500 bumper to bumper w/$100 deductible) or would you instead spend the money on the SDS system to fix it yourself, if so inclined?
Looking at '06 w/53K for $33K...clean carfax.
My question is would you buy the MaxCare CarMax warranty (~$2500 bumper to bumper w/$100 deductible) or would you instead spend the money on the SDS system to fix it yourself, if so inclined?
Looking at '06 w/53K for $33K...clean carfax.
03-25-2011, 05:18 PM
#27
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Id say if they fix the above listed issues, jump on it, and drive it hard the first days to make sure all is well then enjoy, knowing you have a warranty. GLWP
03-25-2011, 11:30 PM
#28
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2007 S600
My local MB service representative told me my MaxCare warranty is one of the best out there when it comes to paying for repairs. I have a $75 deductable at MB and $50 at CarMax.
It's a great value.
It's a great value.
03-26-2011, 10:54 AM
#29
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2012 SL 63
Cool...thanks for the feedback from those of you with the CarMax warranty. Makes me feel more informed going into this.
Here is the latest on the 'laundry list'. Got a call from the sales guy at CarMax, he says they are going to have to send the car to the dealer for diagnostics b/c they can't figure it out. I'm assuming they are talking about the dynamic seats and active headlights not working...and I'm pretty sure they don't have the tools (SDS) to diagnose what's going on.
I'm going to push to see if they'll (the dealer) do a PPI, which I would pay for. This CarMax won't allow a vehicle to be taken offsite for an inspection prior to purchase so this is a perfect opportunity for me to try to capitalize on the situation. The 30 day warranty and the extended warranty certainly offer a piece of mind, but there ain't nothing better than getting everything resolved prior to handing over the money, IMO! If they won't agree to a PPI, I'll try calling the dealer to at least get a service history and their opinion on the car.
So it looks like CarMax is going to do the right thing and I'm happy to hear that they want to send it to the dealer. That's not to say the dealer will fix it...it'll probably be fixed by the CarMax service center...I only hope they at least know how to R&R something correctly.
Here is the latest on the 'laundry list'. Got a call from the sales guy at CarMax, he says they are going to have to send the car to the dealer for diagnostics b/c they can't figure it out. I'm assuming they are talking about the dynamic seats and active headlights not working...and I'm pretty sure they don't have the tools (SDS) to diagnose what's going on.
I'm going to push to see if they'll (the dealer) do a PPI, which I would pay for. This CarMax won't allow a vehicle to be taken offsite for an inspection prior to purchase so this is a perfect opportunity for me to try to capitalize on the situation. The 30 day warranty and the extended warranty certainly offer a piece of mind, but there ain't nothing better than getting everything resolved prior to handing over the money, IMO! If they won't agree to a PPI, I'll try calling the dealer to at least get a service history and their opinion on the car.
So it looks like CarMax is going to do the right thing and I'm happy to hear that they want to send it to the dealer. That's not to say the dealer will fix it...it'll probably be fixed by the CarMax service center...I only hope they at least know how to R&R something correctly.
03-26-2011, 11:30 AM
#30
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////E55
For the dynamic seats, I couldn't figure out initially why mine didn't work... They were turned on in the dash setup to the highest setting but nothing was happening.... I then noticed that there was a button on the actual seat that turned it on and off. I felt fairly silly that I hadn't seen that button before, but to be honest, you can see it unless you get down on your hands and knees and look at the front of the seat.
03-26-2011, 11:59 AM
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2012 SL 63
For the dynamic seats, I couldn't figure out initially why mine didn't work... They were turned on in the dash setup to the highest setting but nothing was happening.... I then noticed that there was a button on the actual seat that turned it on and off. I felt fairly silly that I hadn't seen that button before, but to be honest, you can see it unless you get down on your hands and knees and look at the front of the seat.
03-26-2011, 12:42 PM
#32
As always read the small print:
http://rennology.wordpress.com/2010/...ur-1st-choice/
http://rennology.wordpress.com/2010/...ur-1st-choice/
03-26-2011, 12:53 PM
#33
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Wow.. Just find one at a dealer and pay the asking price and get all the additional years. Much better off in the long-run.. For every "great deal" I hear about, there are always dozens of horror stories. I feel I have gotten fair deals from the Benz dealers in the past.. But never had to sweat any service issue. My E55 used to blow a puff of smoke at start-up, so they tested oil consumption at 58K for me and did a free rebuild with new bearings/pistions/rings/gaskets, etc.
Good luck with your decision. It's the long-haul before you'll know if you got a good deal.. Just hate to see you get soured over an AMG/Benz with a 3rd party if somethings not covered for any reason.
Good luck with your decision. It's the long-haul before you'll know if you got a good deal.. Just hate to see you get soured over an AMG/Benz with a 3rd party if somethings not covered for any reason.
03-26-2011, 03:11 PM
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2005 E55
I got your PM and sent you a text. So what's the update?
By the way the staff at that particular Carmax location were horrible. I called head office and dealt with some very helpful staff there regarding this car.
By the way the staff at that particular Carmax location were horrible. I called head office and dealt with some very helpful staff there regarding this car.
03-26-2011, 03:19 PM
#36
I called two of the MBZ dealers that are close to me asking for names of good 3rd party warranty crowd that they have good experiences with..
Dealer #1): Used to sell Fidelity up until 2 years ago when the new finance manager came in. They now sell CNA and quoted me $4200 for 4/4800
Dealer #2)- Lady in Finance dept told me they only sell CPO and MBZ warranty and even though my '06 E55 with 38,000 miles that's still under CPO plan,will not qualify for a 3rd party warranty
Three weeks later while getting the car serviced,i was told by the advisor to get the Fidelity at their dealership
She left a message for the finance guy in front of me to call me and 2 months later i still haven't heard anything back yet 
However,service advisor did tell me they never had any issues with Fidelity
Anyways,i just purchased it from a Cadillac dealer down the road from MBZ dealer #2 and just can't wait to tell them where i bought it at
I paid $4700 for 5/60 knowing i won't have to worry about what's covered and what's not covered. It might be $1000 expensve but that's nothing for the piece of mind that comes with it.
Dealer #1): Used to sell Fidelity up until 2 years ago when the new finance manager came in. They now sell CNA and quoted me $4200 for 4/4800
Dealer #2)- Lady in Finance dept told me they only sell CPO and MBZ warranty and even though my '06 E55 with 38,000 miles that's still under CPO plan,will not qualify for a 3rd party warranty
Three weeks later while getting the car serviced,i was told by the advisor to get the Fidelity at their dealership
She left a message for the finance guy in front of me to call me and 2 months later i still haven't heard anything back yet However,service advisor did tell me they never had any issues with Fidelity
Anyways,i just purchased it from a Cadillac dealer down the road from MBZ dealer #2 and just can't wait to tell them where i bought it at
I paid $4700 for 5/60 knowing i won't have to worry about what's covered and what's not covered. It might be $1000 expensve but that's nothing for the piece of mind that comes with it.
Last edited by Faast; 03-26-2011 at 03:23 PM.
04-14-2011, 08:44 AM
#37
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2013 Audi S4 Stasis, 2013 Audi TTS, 1996 C3500 Dually, 1967 442, 2005 CL65-Sold, 2006 E320 CDI-Sold
Buy the warranty, I've had two cars from CarMax and had it on both. On me2006 E320CDI it was just over $2000 for 5 years/60,000 miles of coverage, They had to fix my panoramic roof after two months, the warranty paid for itself already. On mine the deductible is $50 if I bring it to CarMax $75 for any other shop. They are the only place I will go to get a used car.
04-14-2011, 09:30 AM
#38
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2004 S55 (SOLD, miss it every day), 2009 GL550
Buy the warranty, I've had two cars from CarMax and had it on both. On me2006 E320CDI it was just over $2000 for 5 years/60,000 miles of coverage, They had to fix my panoramic roof after two months, the warranty paid for itself already. On mine the deductible is $50 if I bring it to CarMax $75 for any other shop. They are the only place I will go to get a used car.
2K for 5/60 is a nice price if it's full coverage and not a hassle to get repairs
Last edited by i_am_amused; 04-14-2011 at 09:32 AM.
04-14-2011, 10:56 AM
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2013 Audi S4 Stasis, 2013 Audi TTS, 1996 C3500 Dually, 1967 442, 2005 CL65-Sold, 2006 E320 CDI-Sold
The prices on the cars at Carmax were very reasonable all things considered. The biggest things for me are:
1. Three for free. Take the car for three days beat the tar out of it and find out any problems. If you don't like it bring it back and pay nothing.
2. Full coverage of almost anything for 30 days, even if you don't buy the warranty.
3. They address all service and maintenance items (tires, brakes, battery etc.) before they sell the cars.
4. The extended warranty covers virtually everything and can be used at any legitimate repair shop.
Could I have gotten it for cheaper direct from a third part seller, yes about $1500.
The issue is that almost any used car will need some sort of repair. In my case I could have saved a few bucks, taken a chance on a third party. In the end I would be stuck with the creaking sunroof and the broken homelink or spent about $2500 to have them fixed if I didn't have a warranty.
The other route was to go to a CPO. My CDI would have cost me over $2,000 more to get from a dealer with a CPO warranty that was not as long...but I could brag to all my friends that it was a Mercedes CPO
.
You are right, peace of mind can come at a price but on the flip side being cheap can get very expensive in the long run.
1. Three for free. Take the car for three days beat the tar out of it and find out any problems. If you don't like it bring it back and pay nothing.
2. Full coverage of almost anything for 30 days, even if you don't buy the warranty.
3. They address all service and maintenance items (tires, brakes, battery etc.) before they sell the cars.
4. The extended warranty covers virtually everything and can be used at any legitimate repair shop.
Could I have gotten it for cheaper direct from a third part seller, yes about $1500.
The issue is that almost any used car will need some sort of repair. In my case I could have saved a few bucks, taken a chance on a third party. In the end I would be stuck with the creaking sunroof and the broken homelink or spent about $2500 to have them fixed if I didn't have a warranty.
The other route was to go to a CPO. My CDI would have cost me over $2,000 more to get from a dealer with a CPO warranty that was not as long...but I could brag to all my friends that it was a Mercedes CPO
.You are right, peace of mind can come at a price but on the flip side being cheap can get very expensive in the long run.
12-21-2011, 09:53 PM
#41
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cls55
12-21-2011, 11:25 PM
#42
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Carmax warranties rock! They use CNA which is a great company and only warranties cars that are bought through dealers. (You can't call CNA on your own and buy a warranty).
I got mine for $2K which covers my E55 up to 100K miles. They've never denied a claim and I only have a $50 deducable. So far they've paid out over $12,000 in repairs (all done by the dealer, hence the expense) and save me a ton of money.
It's a smoking deal through them and CNA is a great company.
Trust me here on this one, I really do know what I'm talking about. (Feel free to PM me as well if you'd like additional detail).
Alex
I got mine for $2K which covers my E55 up to 100K miles. They've never denied a claim and I only have a $50 deducable. So far they've paid out over $12,000 in repairs (all done by the dealer, hence the expense) and save me a ton of money.
It's a smoking deal through them and CNA is a great company.
Trust me here on this one, I really do know what I'm talking about.
(Feel free to PM me as well if you'd like additional detail).Alex
12-21-2011, 11:32 PM
#43
MBWorld Fanatic!
I paid $30K for my 2004 E55 with 23K miles on it. My warranty was $2K on top of that and it rocks!
Guys seriously, this is the secret key with warranties, trust me here. They've covered over $13K in repairs for me and I'm only at 64k miles and they'll cover me to 100k miles!
I should start a different thread about this, it really is a secret steal where all of us can benefit for our next MB/AMG purchase. Plus their prices are bad at all. (For the car.)
Alex
12-21-2011, 11:36 PM
#44
MBWorld Fanatic!
As always read the small print:
http://rennology.wordpress.com/2010/...ur-1st-choice/
http://rennology.wordpress.com/2010/...ur-1st-choice/
Alex
12-21-2011, 11:38 PM
#45
MBWorld Fanatic!
Buy the warranty, I've had two cars from CarMax and had it on both. On me2006 E320CDI it was just over $2000 for 5 years/60,000 miles of coverage, They had to fix my panoramic roof after two months, the warranty paid for itself already. On mine the deductible is $50 if I bring it to CarMax $75 for any other shop. They are the only place I will go to get a used car.
12-21-2011, 11:40 PM
#46
MBWorld Fanatic!
The prices on the cars at Carmax were very reasonable all things considered. The biggest things for me are:
1. Three for free. Take the car for three days beat the tar out of it and find out any problems. If you don't like it bring it back and pay nothing.
2. Full coverage of almost anything for 30 days, even if you don't buy the warranty.
3. They address all service and maintenance items (tires, brakes, battery etc.) before they sell the cars.
4. The extended warranty covers virtually everything and can be used at any legitimate repair shop.
Could I have gotten it for cheaper direct from a third part seller, yes about $1500.
I bought 3 cars from Carmax in 3 years, everything listed above is 100% correct and accurate.
The issue is that almost any used car will need some sort of repair. In my case I could have saved a few bucks, taken a chance on a third party. In the end I would be stuck with the creaking sunroof and the broken homelink or spent about $2500 to have them fixed if I didn't have a warranty.
The other route was to go to a CPO. My CDI would have cost me over $2,000 more to get from a dealer with a CPO warranty that was not as long...but I could brag to all my friends that it was a Mercedes CPO.
You are right, peace of mind can come at a price but on the flip side being cheap can get very expensive in the long run.
1. Three for free. Take the car for three days beat the tar out of it and find out any problems. If you don't like it bring it back and pay nothing.
2. Full coverage of almost anything for 30 days, even if you don't buy the warranty.
3. They address all service and maintenance items (tires, brakes, battery etc.) before they sell the cars.
4. The extended warranty covers virtually everything and can be used at any legitimate repair shop.
Could I have gotten it for cheaper direct from a third part seller, yes about $1500.
I bought 3 cars from Carmax in 3 years, everything listed above is 100% correct and accurate.
The issue is that almost any used car will need some sort of repair. In my case I could have saved a few bucks, taken a chance on a third party. In the end I would be stuck with the creaking sunroof and the broken homelink or spent about $2500 to have them fixed if I didn't have a warranty.
The other route was to go to a CPO. My CDI would have cost me over $2,000 more to get from a dealer with a CPO warranty that was not as long...but I could brag to all my friends that it was a Mercedes CPO
.You are right, peace of mind can come at a price but on the flip side being cheap can get very expensive in the long run.
