CarMax

CarMax

 1.6/5 (71 reviews)

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Overall Rating1.6 out of 5
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Page 1 Reviews 0 - 5
Rated with 5 stars
Verified Reviewer
Original review: Jan. 10, 2023

I never thought I would buy a car online, but when I totaled my car just before Christmas, injured my shoulder and couldn't drive for one of the two weeks my insurance provided a rental car, found myself in the middle of a full scale blizzard and no dealerships within 60 miles of me had any inventory in the two cars I was interested in, I searched Carmax and found the exact same car I had totaled with a few modifications (better color, cloth seats - which I prefer for dogs) and it looked brand new, I was hooked.

The $250 shipping charge was a hiccup that almost kept me from getting the car of my dreams. It's well worth it to have the HUGE inventory to search. The pictures, car history and 30 day guarantee convinced me it was worth it to give it a shot. I will never buy a used car any other way again. I cannot speak for other online dealerships, but my experience in Fort Wayne was amazing. They could not have been nicer or more accomadating. I LOVE my car. To get the same car that I had with less miles, a prettier color and NO dog hair (yet!!!) was worth the extra money I had to put with my settlement. I look forward to driving this car for a long time. I recommend Carmax without a smidge of hesitation.

9 people found this review helpful
Rated with 5 stars
Verified Reviewer
Original review: Aug. 16, 2022

I sold my Toyota Tacoma yesterday, the process was easy, quick and pleasant. They honor their online offer, so I got paid right on the spot. Their offer is better than Carvana, better than TrueCar.com. I strongly recommend people go to Carmax if anyone need to sell their vehicle. TrueCar would offer you less money, and when you go to a participate dealer, they don't honor their online offer, not even take a look at your vehicle. It is more like a scam. So please don't waste your time to try.

4 people found this review helpful

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    Rated with 5 stars
    Verified Reviewer
    Original review: Aug. 3, 2022

    I found a vehicle on their website and drove down to their store in Urbandale (Des Moines) to check it out. Found it just as described, other than a small defect that the SALESMAN pointed out to me. Said they would take care of it, no problem. Drove it, loved it, bought it and drove it home, full tank of gas included! Got a call a week later to set up the appointment to fix the issue (a tack weld on the fuel filler door hinge was broken loose). If you love to haggle, this isn't the place for you. If, however, you just want to know you're getting a fair price and that you will be dealt with as a fellow human and not just "a sale", then this is a GREAT place to purchase a vehicle.

    23 people found this review helpful
    Rated with 5 stars
    Verified Reviewer Verified Buyer
    Original review: July 21, 2022

    First, a big shout out to Wayne, at the Edison New Jersey CarMax! I bought out my 3-year lease, 2019 Kia Optima Turbo. 5,000 MI and in excellent condition. Got a lot of offers from other places, but some of them were ridiculously lowball, KBB & Edmonds use dealerships and I despise sleazy dealerships!! I did initial research a month before actually selling it. The best offers were from Carvana and CarMax.

    When it finally came down to actually selling it, Carvana dropped their offer by more than $2,300. Disappointing because they actually come and pick up the car. CarMax's offer remain constant over A month's time. They offered me $25,000 online and after a 90-minute drive from Flushing Queens to Edison New Jersey at Rush Hour LOL, actually paid me $25,000! I was in and out of there in 90 minutes. And the cashier's check can be deposited regardless of where you bank. Their checks are good LOL! A Very professional, efficient and fair company. Refreshing to say the least. Highly recommended if you're selling your car!!

    11 people found this review helpful
    Rated with 5 stars
    Verified Reviewer
    Original review: June 5, 2022

    Most people don't write reviews unless they're unhappy with the service. I am an extremely happy customer. Carmax offered me 4k more than the KBB for my 2020 Ram 1500. I didn't believe the offer and almost changed my mind thinking that there would be a bait and switch once I got there. Or at minimum, try and sell me one of their cars. In about an hour I was out of there with a check in my hand in the amount of the promised quote. They didn't try to sell me a car or offer less, once I arrived.

    6 people found this review helpful
    Rated with 1 star
    Verified Reviewer
    Original review: May 20, 2023

    Want to have no idea how a company can charge so many add on fees? Buy at Carmax! What a bunch of liars. They wouldn't even give me a price on a vehicle they had in stock. They could only give me an estimate. And the estimate contained $1,400 in fees that they say go to the state. I used to sell at a dealer. The only fees that go to the state are the sales tax, tag, and title. Any dealer that tells you otherwise they are lying. Also they would not answer simple questions about the car's history. I was continually told they have no way to access that information. What? Don't these people have computers? Of couse they do. They are just the bottom of the barrel in the car business. "If you want to pay too much, and get screwed, go to Carmax! They will be happy to separate you from your hard earned money.

    Be the first one to find this review helpful
    Rated with 2 stars
    Verified Reviewer
    Original review: May 9, 2023

    We are looking for a Toyota Prius c. There are four trim levels of the Prius c. Carmax has a car in Georgia that they claim is a Prius c three. We live in Massachusetts, so the car needed to be shipped - for around 600.00. Carmax has a good warranty period, but you cannot retrieve your shipping costs, once the car is shipped to your area. That's all reasonable.

    Before agreeing to having the car shipped, we called their sales department to ask questions about the car. A Prius c three should have a navigation system. It's a standard feature. We were told that this car does not have a navigation system - but it's still a trim level 3. How could that be? The sales manager said that the previous owner failed to have the navigation system installed. This just doesn't make sense, because it was supposed to be a standard feature on a Prius c three. I suspect that the car is really a Prius c one, but it cannot be a three. This matters, because the average price of a three is higher than that of a one or two.

    3 people found this review helpful
    Rated with 1 star
    Verified Reviewer
    Original review: May 1, 2023

    I purchased a flawless (looking) one owner Lexus GX460 from a Carmax in the Dallas area. Before purchasing, I ran a VIN check for this vehicle on the Lexus owner's site and found it had been meticulously maintained at the same Lexus dealer since original purchase with no issues of concern listed in the maintenance records, so I felt pretty good about moving ahead with the purchase. I realized there could still be issues with the vehicle since it had just over 100k miles. A few days after purchase, and after a heavy rainstorm, I noticed a musty smell and found the driver and front passenger carpets were wet and mildewed under the floor mats. I crawled under the vehicle to inspect the floor pans then looked up at the rear of the engine and saw evidence of a coolant leak where the pink coolant had dried and crusted all over the transmission housing, but it was also wet from fresh coolant. These were two leaks that had been going on for some time.

    I removed the large plastic shroud at the front of the engine bay and found the coolant reservoir and power steering reservoir both empty. It was obvious Carmax had not checked these fluid levels prior to putting the vehicle on the lot or even after I had purchased it. So much for their touted “extensive” 125 point inspection. I immediately returned the vehicle to Carmax explaining the critical nature of these issues, and they very quickly accepted the returned vehicle no questions asked and refunded my money within 30 minutes. I was suspicious, so less than a week later I went online to see the same vehicle for sale at the same price at the same Carmax location. I know that specific coolant leak is typically from a valley plate seal which is a very time-consuming and expensive repair, so I very seriously doubt they fixed it. (Many GX owners know the pain of this specific leak.)

    I feel bad for the next buyer of this vehicle who will probably discover these issues down the road when it’s possibly too late and they’re stranded on some Texas back road after the engine has overheated and the temps are 100+. A professional post-purchase inspection would have found these issues within 10 minutes, but I doubt Carmax even knew about these obvious issues or cared enough to not to sell it if they did know. After many Carmax purchases over 25 years, I’ve made my last Carmax transaction. Carmax only looks at the vehicle like most customers on the lot would look at it: “it drives ok, interior looks great, body looks great”. I may have been born at night, but not last night—I know used car sales have always been like this. The issue here is that Carmax advertises their extensive inspection protocols to provide some peace of mind to the rightfully doubting customer, but I believe the thorough inspections to be deceptive.

    13 people found this review helpful
    Rated with 1 star
    Verified Reviewer
    Original review: April 27, 2023

    They offered me $17,000 for my Mercedes and then when all was said and done I only got 12,000. They emailed me about a week later asking me if I want to sell it for $17,000. I will continue to tell everyone not to sell your vehicle to CarMax.

    5 people found this review helpful
    Rated with 5 stars
    Verified Reviewer
    Original review: April 10, 2023

    I would love to say thank you to Sam over at the Carmax in the Tampa area, he was amazing and helped me trade my car in for an another car, Sam made the process so simple for me, I will definitely be buying more cars from you. Thank you Sam.

    Be the first one to find this review helpful
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    CarMax author review by Emma Simon

    The prices on CarMax are non-negotiable, meaning there’s no need to haggle. The site exclusively offers used vehicles. However, there are a moderate amount of cars with very low mileage. CarMax spends an average of 12 hours prepping each vehicle for purchase — each car must pass a 125-point inspection and undergo a thorough cleaning before being put up for sale.

    • Store-to-store shipping: CarMax has 200 locations nationwide. If you find a car online that you like, it can be shipped to any of CarMax’s locations for you to pick up.

    • 7-day guarantee: If you are dissatisfied with your car, no matter the reason, you can return it within seven days of purchase, no questions asked.

    • Multiple financing options: Customers can apply for financing through CarMax Auto Finance or several other third-party institutions. Options are available for those with weaker credit.

    • Extended service plans: You can protect your car by purchasing an extended service plan that will help you pay for repairs you may need down the road.

    • Filters to narrow down searches: Find the perfect car by selecting the right price, type, brand, year and location. You can also search using the “lifestyle” option, depending on whether you are outdoorsy, living in a big city or want a family car.

    • Test drive before buying: If you find a car online, that means it’s available at a CarMax location. You can test drive any car before buying.

    by Emma Simon ConsumerAffairs Research Team

    As a member of the ConsumerAffairs research team, Emma Simon is dedicated to creating accurate and valuable content that helps consumers make difficult decisions.

    CarMax Company Information

    Company Name:
    CarMax
    Website:
    www.carmax.com