tallcaguy

Here's my CarFax experience. I bought a report. It's not worth $40.

The report I got didn't include the several thousand dollars of work I had done by the local Lexus dealer. When I complained, was told that the Lexus dealer "doesn't participate in our free information service". I submitted copies of the actual invoices. Was told "we can't add that to the report". It doesn't list any work done at another Lexus dealer. The work listed at my local mechanic was incomplete. It included just part of the work done. Same "we can't add that to the report". Local mechanic got the mileage wrong. CarFax correct now shows another service visit with "service performed" when nothing was done. Date of transfer of title (to me) was incorrect. Etc, etc.

The ownership history is value added. The accident history is somewhat useful IF the work is reported. A careful examination of the car (check for VIN on all body panels, look for irregular or excessive gaps in door/hood/body spacing, mismatched or poorly done paint, etc) is equally useful. The title history (in CA) is semi useful.

If you're looking at a possible buy, it's a good sign if the seller has taken the time to make a detailed service history which includes receipts for all work done. If it's all dealer service then a print out is great. Both are "good insurance".

If the seller will allow, you can't beat having a mechanic (w/ Lex experience) road test the car and put it up on a rack to do a full inspect. I looked at a non local car. Owner was willing to drive to Lexus dealer. I paid for the inspect. Glad I did. The car had many expensive problems that weren't obvious. More "good insurance"

Balex11

Hi there! Almost 2 years ago I bought a 2005 LS430 from CarMax and purchased the extended warranty coverage.
The car has been great. I've had a couple repairs done at my local Lexus dealer covered by the warranty. In my case the warranty paid for itself and more in the first year. Of course I could have done the repairs myself for MUCH less, but I was glad to have the coverage.
The driver's side mirror wouldn't go back to its original position after tilting down in reverse. $700ish.
The alternator made a funny noise and the battery light came on. $600ish.
The tilt and telescopic steering wheel motors stopped working. $1100ish

Each time the company paid the dealer directly with a credit card. They are very meticulous about paying for repairs. They will reject a repair if the dealer adds something that isn't required or the wrong part number. They price the parts at a local Lexus dealer and add 10%. If your dealer charges more than the national price plus 10% they'll only pay the national price. They are fair and know their stuff.

I could have ordered the OEM alternator from RockAuto for $200 ish and installed it. So I guess it comes down to how much money you have to spend on repairs and if little things bother you, like the mirror not returning to its exact position after backing up.

If you get the UL I think a warranty is a MUST.

I hope this helps.

BradTank

Do you have to buy the car through CarMax to get the warranty.

FWIW, the CarMax warranty MaxCare is getting some horrible reviews

https://www.consumeraffairs.com/auto...-warranty.html

tradosauru

You could have done the 1st and 3rd repair for less than $10.00. The 2nd repair could have been just the batter but if the alternator it could have been done for less than $400 at an indp't shop or $150 for parts only by doing yourself. I don't see the warranty worth it if preventative maintenance was performed throughout the life of the car.

campisi

Thsi is absolutely true. Dealerships are in the business of making money from primarily maintainence work on the new cars they sell and secondarily on the profit from the new cars they sell. Used cars are an annoyance to them, most trade-ins get wholesaled. Carmax, however, pays decent money (compared to a dealer trade-in) for their used cars and the selling of those cars is their major source of profit. You're more likely to get a better deal on a used car at a new car dealer than Carmax.
Warranty on a 10 year old car? Wouldn't buy it, if one can't do their own work should probably just stay away from older, higher mileage used cars.

ronas

Hi, I bought an 06 ls430 ul with the extended warranty from carmax. I think its very much worth it, unless you have the time and knowledge to do your own repairs. Ex. air suspension work if you are considering the UL, ac work, electrical work.
I bought mine on November 2015 and so far I've only taken it once for ac work it was fix and covered under warranty, but now its showing the same symptoms again. So I will be taken it to a lexus dealer, its $50 more on top of your deductible, but Im sure they'll do a better job.

Also if you buy from carmax you can ask them to do the belt before you buy it, and im sure they'll do it if its past 90,000 miles, I ask them to do mine which was 77,000 when I bought it and i was told they would only do it if it was past 90,000 miles

BradTank

Amazing how many "new" posters here are talking up CarMax and their warranty

ronas

Ive been reading here ever since a bought the car, so a few months, never made an account because i didn't have anything to say until now...

Howzit

I've bought a few cars from Carmax, with the Maxcare warranty. I've never personally had a bad experience. I picked up my LS with a little over 100k on the clock. The warranty has already paid for itself. SLU solenoid went bad, they replaced the tranny. Had a cam seal leak, too. I only paid $1200 for the warranty that is good for three years or when the car hits 150k.

I asked about the timing belt being covered by the warranty. If you bought the car before the belt service was due, and you didn't do the service when it was due, the warranty will not cover it. If you bought the car after it was due, and it breaks before the next belt service is due, than it is covered. So if you buy it with 100k and the belt breaks, it is covered. Your are only responsible for proving you kept up with the maintenance schedule for the time you had the vehicle. Hope that helps. I also find it is worth the extra $50 to just take the car to the Lexus dealer for warranty repairs. I'm not the biggest fan of the Carmax service center.

6 Iron

Those are largely unflattering, but I have yet to find a used car warranty company that does not have similar reviews. They are in the business of looking for reasons not to pay. Something to consider.

coolsaber

1) Its a lexus
2) Its a lexus
3) The warranty is pretty good for used car dealership. However I never get a consistent picture of their warranty. Publicly the most popular experience is Doug DeMuro of Jalopnik fame. He basically would have his unreliable POS Rover get basically all new components every other week. The reason I recommend him, is cause hes got documentation, a story, and some videos to illustrate the CarMax Point. However the big red flag though is, hes an auto journo, who may or may not have been paid to be positive. In regards to people who have purchased them its been a hit or miss. Those who bought reliable models, never got to use the warranty for anything major. Those who got a bit higher up models used it and majority came in positive (ie. claims were paid). The select few who didnt either had an issue that is outside the terms of the agreement or just had a bad rep handling their situation
4) Common sense. If you are handy with tools and resources needed to fix your car, then you know the answer. If you are the person who`d rather do anything but wrench on cars out of need then I`d say get the warranty

2KHarrier

FWIW I bought my 2005 from the Carmax dealership here in Milwaukee back on May 5 2016. The warranty program they were offering me was between 2200 and 3500 dollars for the coverage levels based on the purchase price of my car at 19K. I did not opt to purchase a warranty from them, as most things that will fail on this car are fairly easy to repair on my own, and usually not too expensive. (switches, window motors, speakers, hinges, etc.)

As we all know these cars are bullet proof.

Johnhav430

3500 is higher than my 2007 BMW and 2200 is higher than my wife's GM 2011suv, both factory extended warranties, not third party. Either the LS 430 is very risky, or there is serious profit there....

Tom57

There is major profit expected in these so-called extended warranties. And it's not unusual that the premium would be higher for an older vehicle / higher mileage, no different than life insurance, or really any other type of risk-shifting insurance. However, the question of premium calculation really depends upon whether the extended warranty insurance quote takes into account actual LS430 failure of major components, or if the quote is simply based upon age of vehicle and mileage. As we know, age and mileage is not a major factor for the LS. If the quote does not include actual LS430 failure of components experience, then you can be doubly sure that you're paying way too much.

OsideTurbo

Doug was certainly paid by Carmax. It's creative "guerrilla" marketing that is carefully disguised, but it is definitely a form of advertising. He did dozens of youtube videos and articles about Carmax (who would write about Carmax that much?) In addition to the many Range Rover stories, he also had series of articles & vids about selling his Hummer to Carmax and more about getting an appraisal for his Aston-Martin at Carmax and stories about trying to sell his Ferrari to Carmax. He's even discussed the value of Carmax stock.

Even though he sometimes pokes fun at Carmax, it is always mild criticism which usually serves to highlight a benefit that Carmax offers. Doug is definitely a paid spokesperson. A well-disguised spokesperson.

I'm just guessing here, but perhaps it is because your cars with extended factory warranties have not ever been out of warranty, so they've always had dealer maintenance, making the car a safer bet. A 10 -15 year-old LS, on the other hand, will have had many years out of warranty and is more of a risk because they don't know what was (or was not) done to the car.