CARMAX...has anyone dealt with them before?

tia travels's Avatar
I know Carmax has a NO HAGGLE price, but are you still supposed to haggle some?

Has anyone bought thru them before and if so, how would you rate the whole experience on a scale of 1-3?

Any comments?

(I just noticed I forgot the G in knowledgeable as well as the E too. Someone slap me!)
Boltfan's Avatar
I had one experience with them and it was positive. They bought my car with no haggle on the value and the offer was actually fair.

I would say "no haggle" dealers are going to be a small % more than those who wheel and deal but in the end how much is your time worth. If they give you a good value generally the quicker, easier purchase is always worth the time.
Shep3.0's Avatar
I bought 2 cars from them in last 4 years. No haggle is attractive, they have only (usually) cars 4-5 years old at the oldest. In house financing, they can track down any car at any other carmax dealership for a small fee. They back up the service part really. Battery died 2 month after I bought my first car, they reimbursed towing and battery as well...

Happy customer.
Chica Chaser's Avatar
I have bought a car there. No problems at all.
Utanks's Avatar
I love the experience. I just sold a car for some liquid capital in a pinch and got great market value. The 7 day return on a purchase is outstanding. I love that you can walk the lot, see exactly what the price is, and not worry if that is "msrp and what is the wheel and deal" like any other dealership where there's either no prices or only MSRP. Bought 2 cars there and will buy again next time I'm looking for nearly new vehicle.

Have your car appraised just for fun (the quote is good for 7 days) and while you wait ask to test drive an Infiniti G37 or an Audi roadster, they don't care.
nktatc's Avatar
I know Carmax has a NO HAGGLE price, but are you still supposed to haggle some?

Has anyone bought thru them before and if so, how would you rate the whole experience on a scale of 1-3?

Any comments?

(I just noticed I forgot the G in knowledgeable as well as the E too. Someone slap me!) Originally Posted by tia travels
I've purchase 3 vehicles from Carmax. The 1st 2 purchases were flawless. The third had some serious issues that were eventually resolved but only by taking an extremely aggressive actions.
The flaw regarding the 3rd vehicle purchase was that the car was orderde and ship from an out of state location. Apparently Carmax vehicle transporters are not required to cover the vehicles during transit. When the car arrived it had accumulated and enormous amount of rock chip damage. The vehicles color was a deep navy blue. The local Carmax made a very half hearted attempt to cover the rock chip damage with touqouise paint no less. This was totally unacceptable (we're speaking of a $60,000 vehicle). The sub-managers at this particular Carmax were unresponsive to my ex-wife's attempt to have this issue resolved (one was subsequently dismissed). I established contact with Carmax at the National level and was finally able to reach the General Manager. As a result the vehicle was sent to a very very reputable Shop and the damage was repaired and the vehicle was returned to it's pristine state.

Summary-Carmax DOES NOT HAGGLE. To my experience with them I can recommend them as I do believe the issue regarding the 3rd vehicle issue was problems within that particular Carmax Dealership lack of Good leadership and management and lck of concern for customer satisfaction.

By the by my 1st 2 vehicles were purchase from the same dealership, regarding the issues on the 3rd vehicle this does bring up a question of overall quality control amongst the various dealerships.
Munchmasterman's Avatar
I've purchase 3 vehicles from Carmax. The 1st 2 purchases were flawless. The third had some serious issues that were eventually resolved but only by taking an extremely aggressive actions.
The flaw regarding the 3rd vehicle purchase was that the car was orderde and ship from an out of state location. Apparently Carmax vehicle transporters are not required to cover the vehicles during transit. When the car arrived it had accumulated and enormous amount of rock chip damage. The vehicles color was a deep navy blue. The local Carmax made a very half hearted attempt to cover the rock chip damage with touqouise paint no less. This was totally unacceptable (we're speaking of a $60,000 vehicle). The sub-managers at this particular Carmax were unresponsive to my ex-wife's attempt to have this issue resolved (one was subsequently dismissed). I established contact with Carmax at the National level and was finally able to reach the General Manager. As a result the vehicle was sent to a very very reputable Shop and the damage was repaired and the vehicle was returned to it's pristine state.

Summary-Carmax DOES NOT HAGGLE. To my experience with them I can recommend them as I do believe the issue regarding the 3rd vehicle issue was problems within that particular Carmax Dealership lack of Good leadership and management and lck of concern for customer satisfaction.

By the by my 1st 2 vehicles were purchase from the same dealership, regarding the issues on the 3rd vehicle this does bring up a question of overall quality control amongst the various dealerships. Originally Posted by nktatc
Them being a national franchise helps when a local does less than the level of service that corporate expects.
tia travels's Avatar
nktatc: couldn't you do their 7 day guarantee (which is now only 5 days), and just say you didn't want the chipped car because it's not what you bought originally? Or did they not even present that option for you?
tia travels's Avatar
I'm hijacking my own thread here, but who's LIKING posts here? My 2 posts are the only ones LIKED and I'm not the ones liking them. LOL. I want to make that clear. Now, the first one, I can understand that maybe someone liked the question. But I don't see why someone would LIKE the post above? Cracks me up.

Getting back to the Carmax poll....this says a lot about Carmax. I'll give them a try.

.... while you wait ask to test drive an Infiniti G37 or an Audi roadster, they don't care. Originally Posted by Utanks
That sounds like fun. While you wait though you say...for your quote right? They won't let you test drive overnight will they?
notanewbie's Avatar
a few years ago they were known for very high quality, in the current market they have shifted their buying habits to include cars that would not have made the grade from the previous standards. Get the carfax or Autospec report on any car you purchase.