re: Anyone buy a car from CARMAX?

I looked at one of their cars in Greenville, SC around 2011, made clear to the salesman that it had issues I didn’t want to deal with, and drove home outside of ATL.
They shipped the car to ATL and claimed I asked them to do it.

I laughed and haven’t dealt with them since.

Never bought a car from CARMAX, but twice I’ve sold cars to them when they offered me more in cash for my car then the dealer offered in trade-in.

They offered aboot $1250 for an $8,000 van, in great shape. I know it was an $8k van because NADA said so, and Carmax had one like it for sale.

Ive bought 2 cars and sold 2 cars.
I felt great about selling the 2 cars as the vehicles had problems and rough condition. I got about 10% less than average "retail" on nada. I felt lucky to move the cars so quickly.

On the 2 purchases, the cars were reasonably priced. BUT, we found every issue possible and had carmax fix them all in the first 7 days. It felt like we had them by the balls. They didnt want the wasted time, money, and effort to take the vehicle back.

When you are in the 7 day window, they are a "customer is always right" mindset regardless of the cost.

Dont expect their cars to be in good condition. And hold them to it when you are in the 7 day window.

Yes. Will definitely be going back for my next car.

Their entire inventory is online and you can research all you want before stepping foot in a lot. Through the app, I found the vehicle I wanted in their lot in Metairie. They sent it to BR for free for me. All that was left to do was show up and test drive it and make sure everything was good. It was a 2012 but it looked brand new. They take great care to make sure your car is as pristine condition as possible inside and out before they sell them.

But don’t just walk up without knowing your shite and doing your research. I was researching and comparing various years, makes, models, and prices for 6 months before I made my move.

I like them. You’re going to pay a bit more, but it’s an honest process and you’ll know exactly what to expect with the vehicle you buy. Nothing hidden from you, and you won’t get ripped off

Never bought.. always have gone to get the offer on my car before going into negotiations with a dealer for trade in. Have also sold to them for having the better deal.

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This is just false. Carmax buys a shitload of cars. Each car is gone over carefully before it hits the lot to make sure it reaches their standards. Most never see a carmax lot. One of the best things about carmax is you know you are going to get a quality used car. Their rejects will be among the ones you will find in a run-of-the-mill used car lot.

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Our car had a patch in the sidewall of the tires.

What kind of standard has a patch in the sidewall of a tire?

After taking the vehicle back and shaking them down, they replaced 2 front tires on our vehicle. They made good. But that isnt the only issue that we have had (maybe the only illegal one though).

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At the end of the day they are still used cars. They don’t have omniscient mechanics going over them.

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My guess is that they plugged the tire themselves. Just a guess.

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And I don’t believe you that you had to shake them down.

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They didnt want to replace the tire. At all. They thought it was drivable.
We told them that it is illegal for a tire/mechanic to plug a sidewall. And that our experience was getting worse by the minute. Not only would they be taking the vehicle back but our online review would mention the patch in the sidewall on a minivan/family vehicle. We got 2 front tires from that point forward.

On a separate vehicle, a bolt came out of the rear trunk arm. They didnt want to fix it because it is not "mechanical". It is true that a missing bolt is not mechanical, but the mechanical arm requires the bolt for the mechanics to function. Their sales manager was kind enough to fix the arm personally for us as their contract clearly would not support us. Thus, we bought a second vehicle from that dealership years later.

My wife can continue to shop there if she likes. I personally wont for my vehicle (despite them making things right in the end, i dont think selling a vehicle with a patch in the sidewall is ok).
I drive my cars until they can no longer drive. I will continue to sell them to carmax. It seems that they have a healthy appetite to buy those vehicles for no hassle and a good price.

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They bent over backwards for me.

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They have resolved all of our issues. A couple of times, not very willingly. That is where the 7 day return policy has them by the nuts.

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One question though. Do you think you’d be less likely to find a problem car on a typical used car lot than a carmax lot?

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Dealership lot? I am expecting fewer issues than at carmax. Lots of dealerships have certified used vehicles. And i have more faith in them than carmax.

At ma and pa's dealership, probably the same.



I like the hassle free nature of buying at carmax. My first purchase at gwinnett place honda was a nightmare. Future trips to new car dealerships on their used lots, i see a lot of the BS salesmanship that they pull. Carmax is a superior experience picking out a vehicle and price.

My personal choice, though, is a used lot. My last purchase was at a import used car lot. Found the car online. Test drove it. Bought it. And have been happy with the entire process. $13k for a 7 year old Honda Accord with 30,000 miles. No haggling because the car was priced right to begin with. They didnt try to charge $1k to $3k for bogus prep fees. And now 7 years later, i am still driving that vehicle at 197,000+ miles.

Everything ia relative.