Carmax Warranty or Self Insure on a 3.0si?

[Taylorguy74]

Originally Posted by HEY32G

I called them, they said, it can be done by them, a BMW dealer, or any shop that offers a 6 month/6,000 mile warranty on the repair.

Be sure to read that fine print! I'm sure there is a max per hour rate they will pay as well as a possible pre-approval on parts cost and labor estimates before work can begin. $50 deductible sounds nice, but not all extended warranties cover all costs.

[spiceyxi]

Let us know what you decide on and how you feel. I am looking at a coupe from Carmax in Orange County California, but on the fence with the 4-6K cost of the insurance. When you start adding that into the figure the price delta between carmax and a used dealership/private party is substantial. Not sure what the best way to go is. Save a good chunk of change or have a better customer experience.

Sadly I searched the VIN of the car being transferred and saw Carmax probably paid 4,500 less than they are offering to sell.

For a car that I have been idolizing for year what is a few grand? Other than 20% of the cost.....

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by spiceyxi

Let us know what you decide on and how you feel. I am looking at a coupe from Carmax in Orange County California, but on the fence with the 4-6K cost of the insurance. When you start adding that into the figure the price delta between carmax and a used dealership/private party is substantial. Not sure what the best way to go is. Save a good chunk of change or have a better customer experience.

Sadly I searched the VIN of the car being transferred and saw Carmax probably paid 4,500 less than they are offering to sell.

For a car that I have been idolizing for year what is a few grand? Other than 20% of the cost.....

I was in the same boat just a few weeks ago. CarMax charges a premium and doesn't negotiate. My car was about $1,700 over the NADA value and $800 over the KBB value. But the car had only 23,000 miles and the interior was pristine, the engine bay looked brand new, and it drove like new and had almost new Pirelli P-Zeros on it. I had to pay $350 to transfer it from Ohio to Virginia, so I had some skin in the game once it came to my local CarMax. I found a bit of body damage on it on it after purchase that I didn't see when I bought it (the right front fender had a crease above the headlight and the headlight was misaligned). CarMax fixed it for free with paintless dent repair. It looks great now. The way I looked at it was, CarMax goes through the car and details it very well, at least mine was, and gives you a 5-day return policy plus a 30-day warranty, which is worth some extra dollars. You get none of that at a Dealer or private sale. Z4 Coupes are rare, so you've not much choice in the matter.

[spiceyxi]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

I was in the same boat just a few weeks ago. CarMax charges a premium and doesn't negotiate. My car was about $1,700 over the NADA value and $800 over the KBB value. But the car had only 23,000 miles and the interior was pristine, the engine bay looked brand new, and it drove like new and had almost new Pirelli P-Zeros on it. I had to pay $350 to transfer it from Ohio to Virginia, so I had some skin in the game once it came to my local CarMax. I found a bit of body damage on it on it after purchase that I didn't see when I bought it (the right front fender had a crease above the headlight and the headlight was misaligned). CarMax fixed it for free with paintless dent repair. It looks great now. The way I looked at it was, CarMax goes through the car and details it very well, at least mine was, and gives you a 5-day return policy plus a 30-day warranty, which is worth some extra dollars. You get none of that at a Dealer or private sale. Z4 Coupes are rare, so you've not much choice in the matter.

Thanks for sharing your experience Efthreeoh. I looked at the Carmax car today and couldn't pull the trigger because of the below issues. I am now going to check now to see if I should ignore them and go back tomorrow to purchase.

Did you get the Maxcare warranty with your purchase?

1) I noticed that one of the headlights was crooked and caused a noticeable gap between it and the front bumper. Carmax said it was within their tolerance and it wouldn't be corrected.

2) When I was driving the pre-approved lap I noticed an odd whirling sound when using the gas. I haven't noticed it in previous Z4's or BMWs I have driven. Sales guy said it was normal and he has heard it in Audi's and Miata's before.

3) It has a navigation system, but is missing the Navi DVD. Nor does it have the owners manual. Sales guy said Carmax would reimburse me for them if I have a receipt.

They told me to simply buy the car and have a mechanic look at my #1 & #2 concerns and if it is an issue return the car in 5 days. Seems like a lot of hassle on my part. I don't think the Carmax Premium is worth that much work. Even though I would have a mechanic look at it regardless.

Off to search and see if I am being overly paranoid.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by spiceyxi

Thanks for sharing your experience Efthreeoh. I looked at the Carmax car today and couldn't pull the trigger because of the below issues. I am now going to check now to see if I should ignore them and go back tomorrow to purchase.

Did you get the Maxcare warranty with your purchase?

1) I noticed that one of the headlights was crooked and caused a noticeable gap between it and the front bumper. Carmax said it was within their tolerance and it wouldn't be corrected.

2) When I was driving the pre-approved lap I noticed an odd whirling sound when using the gas. I haven't noticed it in previous Z4's or BMWs I have driven. Sales guy said it was normal and he has heard it in Audi's and Miata's before.

3) It has a navigation system, but is missing the Navi DVD. Nor does it have the owners manual. Sales guy said Carmax would reimburse me for them if I have a receipt.

They told me to simply buy the car and have a mechanic look at my #1 & #2 concerns and if it is an issue return the car in 5 days. Seems like a lot of hassle on my part. I don't think the Carmax Premium is worth that much work. Even though I would have a mechanic look at it regardless.

Off to search and see if I am being overly paranoid.

I didn't get the CarMax warranty nor any warranty. I'm an addicted car guy so I have built a shop and trained myself over the years to do most all my own repairs and all maintenance requirements. Also I've owned various BMWs since 1988 and I'm going in with the understanding stuff breaks on BMWs, and I've also learned that they fix themselves too, meaning you can worry about noises and strange behaviors and they either go away or never materialize into anything.

Regarding 2. and 3. My car had the full set of manuals (except the phone) when I saw the car on line in Ohio. The sales guy said if they didn't make it with the car to Virginia, CarMax would reimburse me for buying a set. My car doesn't have Nav. Take them up on the post-sales inspection at a BMW dealership within the 5-day period, my sales guy told me the same thing. It'll cost you $100 for the inspection.

Regarding 1., I'd make them fix that. The headlight is obviously out of alignment and it could affect the safety of the vehicle if it can't be aligned to within spec.

Good luck with the decision. I went snooping... is it the Black '07 with the automatic out in LA? It looks like a nice car.

[spiceyxi]

Lucky enough a new Z4 Coupe showed up at the Carmax dealer last Thursday and I was able to test drive and buy on the Friday. I have an appointment with a BMW dealership to have the oil changed and them to inspect the car on Monday. Assuming that goes well I will be a happy new owner of a 2006 Black on Black coupe.

I ended up getting the Maxcare program up to 125K miles. Currently the car is just shy of 50K. The decision was a combination of not being useful at all with tools, added security for the wife and never being restricted by miles on determining somewhere fun to drive to. Plus, it is refundable and transferable.

[chickdr]

Carmax didn't change the oil when they got the car? Seems strange....

[spiceyxi]

Originally Posted by chickdr

Carmax didn't change the oil when they got the car? Seems strange....

I was told they do oil changes, but they only use the basic oil for all of the cars they bring in. Also, Efthreeoh mentioned earlier in the post he had a non-OEM oil filter jammed in there.

I assume they fill the car up with cheap gas too. I am looking forward to filling up the tank with 91..

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by spiceyxi

I was told they do oil changes, but they only use the basic oil for all of the cars they bring in. Also, Efthreeoh mentioned earlier in the post he had a non-OEM oil filter jammed in there.

I assume they fill the car up with cheap gas too. I am looking forward to filling up the tank with 91..

When I changed my oil it was still fresh from CarMax's oil change and smelled new, and it definitely smelled like non-synthetic oil to me.