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We have looked at a few cars at Carmax. Have never bought from them before, never heard anything good or bad about them. I have read from Consumer Reports & other sources that the best used cars are usually at dealerships; that they keep the best of their trade ins & sell the rest at auctions, etc.
Same as above. Went there twice. Both times cars were overpriced. Once an Accord with major accident & repair was being sold as a car with no accident. The bondo/paint job was bad.
The no negotiation clause is also a no go for me. Since then, every time I have looked on their site, the cars were more expensive than a similar CPO at the local dealer.
The only thing I might use them for is selling my cars-it might be easier than a private sale if I am in a rush.
Bought a car from them once. Price was slightly higher, but it was worth it. If it hadn’t gotten totaled in an accident I would probably still be driving it.
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They are like any used car dealer and buy low and sell high (in my opinion a little lower and a little higher respectively than most due to their huge marketing machine). Your experience will have more to do with the particular car you buy than anything magical that they do. They have some sort of inspection process, but like any used car buying experience they can't tell the future or know exactly how the car was taken care of beforehand.
I prefer to buy from a private individual myself, because the mark up is ridiculous there. It's a calculated risk either way.
They offered me $1,000 on the spot for my old car after test driving and inspecting it for about 30 minutes. Dealerships were offering like $400 over the phone, sight unseen. I ultimately sold it for $1,700 private sale.
Not a bad place to sell in my opinion, if you are in a hurry or don't want the hassle of a private sale.
We have looked at a few cars at Carmax. Have never bought from them before, never heard anything good or bad about them. I have read from Consumer Reports & other sources that the best used cars are usually at dealerships; that they keep the best of their trade ins & sell the rest at auctions, etc.
What has been anyone's experience at Carmax?
Yes and no...I wouldn't get hung up on that. Look at the car, not the folks selling it. There is nothing wrong, on the whole, with the vehicles they sell. The price may or may not be competitive and its up to you to figure that out.
Carmax is the Quicky Mart of car sales. They pay less for used cars they buy, and charge more for cars they sell. (Compared to other used car dealers).
Like the convenience stores, it has some real benefits, but you pay for the convenience.
SELLING: No appraisal fee and no haggling. You can bring your car by and a few minutes later they'll give you a price that's good for a few days and a few miles.
But it will be lower than what you will get from other sellers, and far less than you'd get selling it yourself.
BUYING: Again, no haggling, you'll get a warranty that's better than most used car lots, and a higher-credibility of the condition of the car. The cars they sell aren't necessarily 100% of the cars they buy. They inspect what they sell pretty closely.
But it will cost more than you'll find in some lots, and a LOT more than a car you buy yourself.
But you're saved the cost and hassle of taking it to a car-for-sale condition inspection mechanic's shop, the cost and condition research, weird classifieds respondents, and bad-check risks.
Used car shoppers pretty much have to buy 'em where they find 'em. Could be private party, could be the used lot at a new car dealership, could be a mom and pop used car lot, could be a retail used car chain like Carmax. Value for the money is usually my first concern so I usually go private party, but if I were looking for something specific and Carmax had it I wouldn't have a problem going there if the price was fair.
I sold a car to Carmax and got right in between KBB trade-in and private party value. Though I went to sell a second one to them and got a better offer at a traditional dealer. Knowing how much Carmax will give you is a nice bit of negotiating info if you bring it as a trade-in on another car.
Buying from them...eh. I use them for test drives then find a better deal elsewhere. Was shopping for a GTI. Found one at Carmax. Then found one that was CPO at a dealer with fewer miles and all the options for significantly less money.
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