CarMax?

[WickerBill]

Anyone here used them? Opinions on them?

I'm still in the market to replace my totaled vehicle and like the concept of their stores... just wonder what the catch is.

[chop456]

Their prices seem high. Guess that's the convenience charge for not having to deal with this guy:

http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/hotproperty/used_car_salesman.jpg

[RTKar]

Their prices seem high. Guess that's the convenience charge for not having to deal with this guy:

http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/hotproperty/used_car_salesman.jpg


Good starting point to negotiate down from.

[Cam]

Anyone here used them? Opinions on them?

I'm still in the market to replace my totaled vehicle and like the concept of their stores... just wonder what the catch is.

Girl I worked with (Joan would prolly love to hear me call her a girl) Bought her Bug thru Cmax from outta state. Seemed like a great deal and she loves that car.

[Sean O'Gorman]

Car Max has high prices and supposedly does not negotiate on pricing. I suppose you could negotiate the trade-in, but you don't have one.

Dealers are a waste of time. Why pay someone else's overhead? Just go on craigslist or eBay.

[WickerBill]

Well I can tell you the prices for the car I'm looking for are about the same on eBay as at CarMax.... maybe $500 less. Might be cheaper on Craigslist; I'll look, but I'm being pretty specific and that means the pickings will be slim, I assume.

What I'm getting at is trying to make sure CarMax isn't some sleazeball operation that sells cars with "washed" titles or something...

[Cam]

Well I can tell you the prices for the car I'm looking for are about the same on eBay as at CarMax.... maybe $500 less. Might be cheaper on Craigslist; I'll look, but I'm being pretty specific and that means the pickings will be slim, I assume.

What I'm getting at is trying to make sure CarMax isn't some sleazeball operation that sells cars with "washed" titles or something...

Ya dont get a chunk of prime Hamco realestate the size of what they have if you are suspect. Obviously the turnover is there for them and they are not getting the complaints. Wanna learn more join that babes list that has it out for poor businesspeeps...

[cameraman]

It is worth it if you are not interested in wasting a lot of time looking for a car. The convenience factor is huge.

[extramundane]

Perhaps it's because I live in CarMax's hometown and the message has been beaten into my skull for the last 10 years, but I've never had a problem with them. The Missus' Outback came from CarMax- even had it transported from another location in Florida or Georgia. Very good price for a loaded low-milage car. They bought my old Saturn for a very fair price, especially considering I wasn't buying anything from them at the time.

I don't think there's any more sleaze factor than you'd find elsewhere. There are a ton of CarMax vehicles on the road around here and I don't know anyone who's had any gripes above and beyond the typical used car experience.

[Sean O'Gorman]

It is worth it if you are not interested in wasting a lot of time looking for a car. The convenience factor is huge.

How could you not want to put a lot of time into finding a car?

[dando]

How could you not want to put a lot of time into finding a car?

Have kids. You'll get it then. :saywhat:

I checked them out last year when I looked for a new truck for the missus. Seemed about as close to a certified used car w/o buying from a dealer. I managed to find a better deal on eBay, so I drove to the Motor City to pick up a new truck.

-Kevin

[cameraman]

How could you not want to put a lot of time into finding a car? Quite easily.

When the main question is, "Does the kid's car seat fit?" any and all joy of the process is gone.

[Sean Malone]

Perhaps it's because I live in CarMax's hometown and the message has been beaten into my skull for the last 10 years, but I've never had a problem with them. The Missus' Outback came from CarMax- even had it transported from another location in Florida or Georgia. Very good price for a loaded low-milage car. They bought my old Saturn for a very fair price, especially considering I wasn't buying anything from them at the time.

I don't think there's any more sleaze factor than you'd find elsewhere. There are a ton of CarMax vehicles on the road around here and I don't know anyone who's had any gripes above and beyond the typical used car experience.

they opened a huge CarMax in my old town a couple of months before I moved. I don't think any car on the lot (easily 500 vehicles) was older than four years old. I stopped in to look at a Crossfire they had. Very clean, fair price. The only thing that kinda bugged me is that there wasn't an employee above the age of 22 and there must have been two dozen of them and they swarmed like ants. They didn't have that used car swarminess but that had that "I was a coffee expert at Starbucks last month, now I'm a car expert at CarMax" kinda vibe.

[Sean O'Gorman]

Quite easily.

When the main question is, "Does the kid's car seat fit?" any and all joy of the process is gone.

I can fit a car seat in my car, and God only knows what else if it wasn't for the factory-installed bass tube in the trunk :rolleyes: , but I still spent about something like five months trying to find the right car.

[dando]

they opened a huge CarMax in my old town a couple of months before I moved. I don't think any car on the lot (easily 500 vehicles) was older than four years old. I stopped in to look at a Crossfire they had. Very clean, fair price. The only thing that kinda bugged me is that there wasn't an employee above the age of 22 and there must have been two dozen of them and they swarmed like ants. They didn't have that used car swarminess but that had that "I was a coffee expert at Starbucks last month, now I'm a car expert at CarMax" kinda vibe.
BBY syndrome. :irked:

-Kevin

[extramundane]

Have kids.

Please don't encourage him.


The only thing that kinda bugged me is that there wasn't an employee above the age of 22 and there must have been two dozen of them and they swarmed like ants. They didn't have that used car swarminess but that had that "I was a coffee expert at Starbucks last month, now I'm a car expert at CarMax" kinda vibe.

Yeah, I did run into that at one of their stores. They got a bit aggressive about having cars shipped over from the other store in town too. The salesdork didn't understand why I wouldn't come back tomorrow and allow him to show me the car when I could drive 20 minutes to the other store and see it today. Sorry, kid, but my schedule trumps your commission.

[dando]

Please don't encourage him.

:laugh: I thought about that, 2. Like I always tell my wife, why do we need ids when you aleady have me. :D ;)

-Kevin

[cameraman]

I spent six hours walking behind a tricycle yesterday on a tremendous tour of Salt Lake and the Aviary. We were all the way across town when his legs finally gave out and Mom drove out to get us. Where do 3.5 year olds get that energy?

As for the car, the only thing that matters is it can hold the tricycle. The next car will be another green Outback. How long does it take to shop for that?

[racermike]

Their prices seem high. Guess that's the convenience charge for not having to deal with this guy:

http://www.businessweek.com/the_thread/hotproperty/used_car_salesman.jpg

This could be your local Gas station nowadays too

[dando]

I spent six hours walking behind a tricycle yesterday on a tremendous tour of Salt Lake and the Aviary. We were all the way across town when his legs finally gave out and Mom drove out to get us. Where do 3.5 year olds get that energy?

Mini nuclear reactors. (sez daddy who spent hours playing with 2 girls in ~2' of snow over the weekend) :saywhat: @ least mine still nap. :)

-Kevin

[TravelGal]

Where do 3.5 year olds get that energy?



To quote my neighbor, "Where do kids get all that energy? They suck it out of US!"

[JLMannin]

I can fit a car seat in my car, and God only knows what else if it wasn't for the factory-installed bass tube in the trunk :rolleyes: , but I still spent about something like five months trying to find the right car.

Wow. You need real problems. :D

[Winston Wolfe]

Anyone here used them? Opinions on them?

I'm still in the market to replace my totaled vehicle and like the concept of their stores... just wonder what the catch is.

WB my humble opinion...- Carmax is owned by Circiut City and is trying to bring "big box retail" mentality to the car biz, much in the same way that Autonation started back on the west coast in the mid-to-late 90's where they "took the guess work" out of buying a used car.
The entire business model is flawed, and while they may get you in the door with their massive ad campaigns, "we wont screw you" sales pitch, and we can get any used car for you that is on our massive website with 1XX,000 vehicles.... that mentality will appeal to some, but they prey on the uneducated and once they get you in the door, they will make it easy to test drive, buy, etc.... but wait until you get the grind for the extended warranty, paint sealant, fabric protectant, etc.... I have been in the automotive business for 18 years and have seen all of these "new business model" ideas come and go... until customers demand change, it will remain the same, which is a bunch of guesswork and no one really knows if they got a deal or not... even at invoice, considering all of the rebates, incentives, factory to dealer cash, and incentive promotions that go on "behind the scenes" these days....
Buying a used car should be easy... kbb.com is the hot ticket.
CarMax is, however, a great place to unload a new car.... I have several friends who have unloaded their cars there at close to kbb price, and have avoided the hassle of having to list the car, show the car, have someone come to your house, and put up with someone having to get a loan to come back and get the car, etc.etc, etc...

I would recommend using them to get an idea what a car is worth, along with plenty of research from kbb.com, but you cant beat a low mileage, MANUFACTURER'S Certified Used Car, with a warranty FROM THE MANUFACTURER, as opposed to a dealer group, national insurance policy etc. Not many car companies going out of biz these days (except Isuzu - and they really only made trucks for sale in N.A.) - just my two cents

[Sean O'Gorman]

I'm not a big fan of going off of KBB values. Whenever I declare a car a total at work, the KBB value is always $2,000 or so higher than NADA, Edmunds, ADP, etc. Good I guess if you plan on totaling your car, but not so much if you are buying.

[extramundane]

WB my humble opinion...- Carmax is owned by Circiut City and is trying to bring "big box retail" mentality to the car biz,

Was. CC spun CarMax off about 5 years ago, thinking it to be a money draining failure waiting to happen. Funny how life turns out...

[cameraman]

Was. CC spun CarMax off about 5 years ago, thinking it to be a money draining failure waiting to happen. Funny how life turns out...

The guys running CC have a knack for making the wrong decisions. Mebbe it is the letters cc...

[WickerBill]

The guys running CC have a knack for making the wrong decisions. Mebbe it is the letters cc...

What, you have something against carbon copies? Cubic centimeters? Sheesh.

:cool:


Well fellas, I might be going an even more dangerous route... the car auction. Have a guy looking for what I'm after who says they go for a bit over half of KBB retail, usually. This guy is a friend, for now, so I'm not dealing with someone shady, but of course the car could be a disaster because they're all sold "as-is". He assures me that the local auction is flooded with nearly new cars right now; repos are off the charts and it isn't uncommon to see 10 cars in a row with less than 5,000 miles on them.

We'll see.

[chop456]

This guy is a friend, for now

:laugh:

[Sean O'Gorman]

I've been to auto auctions before, its actually a pretty good idea.