Just bought one from Carmax

[EvanstonI3]

Thanks to all the people who have posted their experiences in this forum. I spent a lot of time looking up things here before pulling the trigger.
My wife has a 2018 BMW 530 that is leased. That's up Nov 30 and she did not want another one after leasing for the last 6 years.
Also- their stock of vehicles was really low! Even if she wanted another 5-series there was nothing available for her.

She's a Realtor, she's older, she doesn't drive as much as she thinks she does. (averages 12 miles a day).
I found a 2015 REX at a Carmax and we went to test drive it. We both loved it. But that particular one was not for us and it was gone within a week anyways.

We live in Evanston IL (just N of Chicago).
After shopping around for a few weeks, We found 2 that had the package(s) and features she wanted. Both needed to be transferred to our local Carmax.
She picked a Protonic Blue 2017 BEV w/ just under 20K miles. We set 2017 as a minimum year because the batteries were upgraded then (even then only to "some" 2017 models).

We paid a non-refundable $1499 fee to have it shipped from Washington State to here (local selection is terrible). They said it could take "up to" 21 days but the website actually says 28 days.
For anyone thinking of buying one from Carmax, this is our experience.
Do your homework because they know next to nothing about these things.
Also- don't believe them when they say you will get weekly updates or that you will get a notice when it is shipped. None of those things happened.
Don't buy the MAXCARE extended warranty because it won't cover the "engine" and "transmission" or the "battery".
Ask if the car has 2 FOBS. Ours did, but they said they guarantee only "2 keys and 1 FOB"

After 3 weeks of nothing while watching fire storms raging on the West Coast and then Snow/Ice storms on the routes that would take the car from there to here, I called the Washington store to see if it was still on the lot. After some confusion about my question they confirmed it was no longer there and had been picked up. I then drove to my local Carmax and simply walked around until I found it sitting on the lot. Apparently it was waiting on paperwork.

A little more than a week later we got a text (despite email being preferred contact) that the car was ready for us.
I called, made the appointment and asked if they could please charge it for a bit as we intended to drive it home. "No problem" we were told.

When we got there, the car had 19 miles left on the battery. After driving around to make sure there was nothing major wrong with it the car had 14 miles left. We asked the guy filling out our paperwork how we were supposed to get the car home since they obviously did not bother to plug it in the night before. "Oh you should be fine" he said "it's got a little gas engine that will keep you going".
"No it doesn't" I replied. "This is all electric". So how are we supposed to get it home? Tow it on a flatbed?"

Well it turns out they have a Level 2 charger onsite that was recently installed but nobody knew how to use it.
Other than TESLA, electric vehicles are apparently not really big here in Chicagoland.
A team of 3 Top Men went to work trying to hook it up to give it enough charge to get us home while the paperwork was done.

After an hour we had sufficient charge to safely drive it home.

I did have a problem later that day trying to charge it using the Level 1 OC charger. The plug got pretty hot after a few hours and when I pulled it to look at it, I saw some slight "melting" on one of the spades. I changed charging from MAX to REDUCED and the plug is barely even warm now.

Not sure if that was like that we we got it or if it was something I did. It has a dedicated 20 amp circuit and I noticed nothing wrong with the hardwired plug end. Hopefully I can get it replaced under warranty from BMW.
I don't think we really need a Level 2 charger at this time so I am holding off on that for now.

I did buy a set of 19" wheels from TireRack and then bought a set of BLIZZAK winter tires from Costco installed on them to use when the temps get down around freezing.

Took it out last night to pick up dinner and could not stop grinning the entire time. What an absolute pleasure to drive.
No more gas stations, no more Emission Tests either. If you register it as an EL (Electric Vehicle) in Illinois you don't have to do Emissions Testing. I know this was an issue (based on a previous post here) for someone else in my area with a REX who apparently registered it as a normal passenger vehicle.

 

[Anonymous]

From other CarMax i3 buyers, the MAXCARE extended warranty is one of the better ones in the industry. Many have had major repairs done, all at their local BMW Dealer, and all paid for without question by the MAXCARE warranty. Who told you it doesn't cover the Engine or Transmission? Totally not true. One advantage of the Maxcare warranty, is it covers EVs, where most other 3rd party warranties have fine print that excludes most of the major (expensive) EV components.

Maxcare Covers:
Engine
Transmission
Drivetrain
Electronics
Electrical Systems
Steering
Suspension
Cooling System
Climate Control

Excludes:
Normal Maintenance service and parts including (spark plugs, batteries, wiper blades, engine wires, filters, shocks fluids, hoses and belts).
Essentially anything that is considered “wear and tear” that requires regular replacement.
Brakes (Rotors and Pads
Tires
Catalytic Converter
Exhaust System
Body Panels and Glass
Emissions Repairs
Alignments, and wheel balancing

 

[EvanstonI3]

From other CarMax i3 buyers, the MAXCARE extended warranty is one of the better ones in the industry. Many have had major repairs done, all at their local BMW Dealer, and all paid for without question by the MAXCARE warranty. Who told you it doesn't cover the Engine or Transmission? Totally not true. One advantage of the Maxcare warranty, is it covers EVs, where most other 3rd party warranties have fine print that excludes most of the major (expensive) EV components.

discussed this with Carmax rep when we first paid to transfer the vehicle and she tried to sell us the warranty.
I told her it did not have an engine or transmission and the batteries were already warrantied for 8 years. So I didn't think pre-paying $2100-$3000 was worth it.

Then it came up again when we were doing the paperwork. The sales guy said it would cover "that little gas engine, they always go bad".
When I pointed out that this car had no engine, only an electric motor and batteries, he said "oh. I guess it won't cover that".

While I wish they would have pointed out that Maxcare DOES cover EVs because when I pushed them about it they did not.

 

[Anonymous]

Things to remember about car sales people.
1. They know next to nothing about the car(s), or anything else (like warranties) they are selling.
2. If they don't know an answer to a question asked, they will just make something up instead of actually finding out for you.

I am aware of one i3 owner who had both the main ECM and the electric motor fail. His CarMax warranty picked up the entire $12,000 repair tab.

 

[jadnashuanh]

If the receptacle you plugged the OUC into was worn, or a connection was loose, on a high current device, things can get hot enough to melt. The plug should have some significant resistance when pushing it in. If it doesn't, replace the receptacle.

The OUC is basically a smart on/off switch...it just passes the current through like an extension cord. The actual charging is all done inside the vehicle where it converts that ACV to DCV to charge the batteries.

You'll have fun with the thing.

 

[EvanstonI3]

If the receptacle you plugged the OUC into was worn, or a connection was loose, on a high current device, things can get hot enough to melt. The plug should have some significant resistance when pushing it in. If it doesn't, replace the receptacle.

Thank you for the tip.
This morning I tried an experiment where I put a 6ft long 12/3 extension cord to a "KILL-A-WATT" meter and then plugged the OUC into the KILL-A-WATT device.

After a few hours at REDUCED charge, I increased to MAX charge, I've noticed no heat on the OUC plug as before, but some heat on the 12/3 cord plug.
So at this time I am going to assume the issue was the wall plug, which I will now replace.

 

[bocabimmer]

Check your receptacle and also check the wiring behind it. My plug was loose and after four years of service, I started smelling “that smell”. I had no heat or visible melting, but upon closer inspection both the back side of the receptacle and the roamex were toasty.