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View Full Version : Carmax, your thoughts...


memyselfI
01-28-2005, 08:42 AM
As I posted a couple of weeks ago, we are in the market for a mini-van ( :Lin: ) and were checking out the various types and dealers in our search. We found something we could live with in our budget and without spending a quarter of 100k on a vehicle neither of us are thrilled to be driving. We sealed the deal on Wed.

Our search took us to (and from) Carmax. Their concept is interesting but I think very misleading and geared to high pressure low researched sales. We walked away from a deal when the dealership would not allow us to take the car to an independent mechanic for an hour. The salesman indicated the way they operate is you purchase the car, THEN can have it checked out and if it's not to your liking you can 'return' the car within five days and obtain a refund...He indicated our perplexed irritation was the exception and not the rule.

I believe they had a number of turnip trucks in stock... :hmmm:

We know two other people who have bought cars from them. One was screwed on their trade-in and the other on the price they paid. Both said they had not done research on what their cars were worth. We thought we could avoid their mistakes because we had done our research. We just didn't know they would not allow for an independent mechanic to check out the vehicle they sold.

I just read they ranked as one of the top companies to work for so they must be doing something right. Has anyone else checked them out?

jiveturkey
01-28-2005, 08:45 AM
I took a look at them last Sept when I was buying a Camry and got a much better deal at the dealership.

memyselfI
01-28-2005, 08:48 AM
I took a look at them last Sept when I was buying a Camry and got a much better deal at the dealership.

We did too. Even on the 'extended warranty' that they were offering which was $1800 for 3/36k...ouch.

teedubya
01-28-2005, 08:50 AM
carmex is great, I used some earlier.

the Talking Can
01-28-2005, 08:51 AM
right up your alley

http://www.blaserco.com/kelly/images/jalopy.jpg

Dartgod
01-28-2005, 08:52 AM
You f*cked up.







You should have RAN away, not walked. You'll know better next time.

memyselfI
01-28-2005, 08:57 AM
You f*cked up.







You should have RAN away, not walked. You'll know better next time.

Exactly. :thumb:

Dartie, I explained to the salesperson it was a freakin car not a sweater and I'm not down with taking out a loan to buy a car and have to return it...

he acted like I was insane. Perhaps you'd spoken with him and informed him I am but not on this point. :hmmm: :p

Eleazar
01-28-2005, 09:02 AM
Being only 25 I've only had the distinct displeasure of trying to buy a vehicle from a dealer a couple of times. But, I have been with my old man enough times to know that if you get any kind of static to just leave. Ridiculous that they wouldn't let you take it to an independent mechanic. That would be the last time I walked through that dealership's doors.

Although, I have had two friends buy cars there and not had a problem.

Have you checked out carsdirect.com?

saraed001
01-28-2005, 09:03 AM
I bought from them last year and was very satisfied.

memyselfI
01-28-2005, 09:04 AM
Being only 25 I've only had the distinct displeasure of trying to buy a vehicle from a dealer a couple of times. But, I have been with my old man enough times to know that if you get any kind of static to just leave. Ridiculous that they wouldn't let you take it to an independent mechanic. That would be the last time I walked through that dealership's doors.

Although, I have had two friends buy cars there and not had a problem.

Have you checked out carsdirect.com?

I lived at carsdirect.com for the past three weeks. We found our car from a local dealer who'd been there 45 years and has a good reputation. I think we got a fair/good deal and that is really all you can ask for when gaming with used car sharks...

I had not bought a used car for awhile as most of our cars have been new.

memyselfI
01-28-2005, 09:05 AM
I bought from them last year and was very satisfied.

glad to hear it. Perhaps we just had a dork salesperson.

Eleazar
01-28-2005, 09:07 AM
I lived at carsdirect.com for the past three weeks. We found our car from a local dealer who'd been there 45 years and has a good reputation. I think we got a fair/good deal and that is really all you can ask for when gaming with used car sharks...

I had not bought a used car for awhile as most of our cars have been new.

Oh, I didn't know you had already bought.

What dealer was it?

JazzzLovr
01-28-2005, 09:07 AM
he acted like I was insane. Perhaps you'd spoken with him and informed him I am but not on this point. :hmmm: :p

Yeah, Dartie. You should have helped her out. It's part of your responsibilities now. What kind of a boy toy are you?

memyselfI
01-28-2005, 09:15 AM
Oh, I didn't know you had already bought.

What dealer was it?

Bob Sight. I loved our salesperson. He told us to not only take the car to the mechanic but 'park it in your driveway overnight to see how it looks'. We had the car for over 24 hours to check out and drive with no questions asked. :thumb:

Overall good experience. I just hope the car is as well.

Dartgod
01-28-2005, 09:17 AM
Yeah, Dartie. You should have helped her out. It's part of your responsibilities now. What kind of a boy toy are you?
Good God, what have I created?

Eleazar
01-28-2005, 09:22 AM
Bob Sight. I loved our salesperson. He told us to not only take the car to the mechanic but 'park it in your driveway overnight to see how it looks'. We had the car for over 24 hours to check out and drive with no questions asked. :thumb:

Overall good experience. I just hope the car is as well.

Allright. Seems like you hear bad things about almost every dealership so it's easier to keep track of the good ones.

FTR I had an excellent experience at Bill Woods Ford, north of the river. Nice people, easy buying experience. It was, well... weird for a car dealership.

Kris Kringle
01-28-2005, 09:33 AM
I bought from CarMax. Very good minivan. Very reliable. Good price. They were about $1500 cheaper than the cheapest like kind minivan in town. I'd buy from them again. I think they are one of the biggest auto sellers in KC. If you notice, everytime you stop at a stop light, at least one of the vehicles in front of you have the CarMax logo on their rear bumper.

Dartgod
01-28-2005, 09:36 AM
Allright. Seems like you hear bad things about almost every dealership so it's easier to keep track of the good ones.

FTR I had an excellent experience at Bill Woods Ford, north of the river. Nice people, easy buying experience. It was, well... weird for a car dealership.
Last used vehicle we bought was in '99 at Don Kahan in Lee's Summit. Very easy to work with. They had the no hassle pricing, but think we got very good deal ('96 Silverado 1/2 ton Ext. cab, loaded w/26,000 miles, paid $17G).

Last purchase was a new 3/4 ton Silverado 4x4 ext. cab. Went to Broome Chevy at 103rd and Wornall. We went back to Kahan, but they didn't have what we were looking for (was buying a 2003 after the 2004 came out). Anyway, Broome was the best experience I've ever had buying a vehicle. We liked them so much, we went back and bought my wife a car a few months later.

kc rush
01-28-2005, 10:12 AM
I've got a friend who swears by Carmax and has bought two cars from them.

They seem a bit overpriced to me. I've looked at some of their cars and have found with dealer incentives and rebates you can get a new car for only a couple-thousand more.

mikey23545
01-28-2005, 10:37 AM
So how many bags of fertilizer do you need the minivan to be able to hold?

Eleazar
01-28-2005, 10:53 AM
So how many bags of fertilizer do you need the minivan to be able to hold?

Fasten your safety belts, the thread is about to leave the station ROFL

Baby Lee
01-28-2005, 10:57 AM
carmex is great, I used some earlier.
right up your alley
As unfortunate a series of posts, leading to the inadvertant image of Ali prepping for teh buhtsechs with medicated balm, as could imagine.

memyselfI
01-28-2005, 11:04 AM
Yeah, Dartie. You should have helped her out. It's part of your responsibilities now. What kind of a boy toy are you?


Dartie's obviously not living up to his self proclaimed 'god' moniker, is he? ;) ROFL

memyselfI
01-28-2005, 11:04 AM
ROFL If a used car salesman said that to me, I would bust up laughing.


I did laugh...

especially when he said most people 'don't have a problem with the policy.'

memyselfI
01-28-2005, 11:05 AM
So how many bags of fertilizer do you need the minivan to be able to hold?

Not sure, let me check Tim McVeigh's instruction manual... :rolleyes:

Soupnazi
01-28-2005, 11:08 AM
So how many bags of fertilizer do you need the minivan to be able to hold?

One of the most hilarious posts I've ever seen on CP. Congrats.

Saulbadguy
01-28-2005, 12:29 PM
Here is a car that I think will meet your needs.

http://wizbang.mirror.unitedemailsystems.com/vw_20_b3.mov

heh. J/K :)

Phobia
01-28-2005, 12:30 PM
Carmax completely sucks ass. Look around their showroom sometime. 90% of their employees are kids under the age of 25 who have NO idea WTF they're talking about. That way, Carmax can pay them $8 an hour and no commissions. I did a little homework on a couple vehicles from them several years ago and they were about 15% higher than any other used car source and they WON'T negotiate. What a joke.

Phobia
01-28-2005, 12:35 PM
WTF? Why be in sales, then?

No idea. Frankly, I have no idea how they sell any cars off their lots. And if there are people stupid enough to pay that much money without doing their homework, why can't I ever find any of them to work on their homes?

Garcia Bronco
01-28-2005, 12:35 PM
As I posted a couple of weeks ago, we are in the market for a mini-van ( :Lin: ) and were checking out the various types and dealers in our search. We found something we could live with in our budget and without spending a quarter of 100k on a vehicle neither of us are thrilled to be driving. We sealed the deal on Wed.

Our search took us to (and from) Carmax. Their concept is interesting but I think very misleading and geared to high pressure low researched sales. We walked away from a deal when the dealership would not allow us to take the car to an independent mechanic for an hour. The salesman indicated the way they operate is you purchase the car, THEN can have it checked out and if it's not to your liking you can 'return' the car within five days and obtain a refund...He indicated our perplexed irritation was the exception and not the rule.

I believe they had a number of turnip trucks in stock... :hmmm:

We know two other people who have bought cars from them. One was screwed on their trade-in and the other on the price they paid both said they had not done research on what their cars were worth. We thought we could avoid their mistakes because we had done our research. We just didn't know they would not allow for an independent mechanic to check out the vehicle they sold.

I just read they ranked as one of the top companies to work for so they must be doing something right. Has anyone else checked them out?

Carmax is owned by Circuit City

Pants
01-28-2005, 12:40 PM
Carmax is owned by Circuit City

Circuit City is owned by Best Buy.

Eleazar
01-28-2005, 01:55 PM
No idea. Frankly, I have no idea how they sell any cars off their lots. And if there are people stupid enough to pay that much money without doing their homework, why can't I ever find any of them to work on their homes?

There are plenty of suckers out there willing to pay $2000 over the car's value for the convenience of not negotiating.

Hell, I wish I'd thought of it.

memyselfI
01-28-2005, 03:06 PM
Carmax completely sucks ass. Look around their showroom sometime. 90% of their employees are kids under the age of 25 who have NO idea WTF they're talking about. That way, Carmax can pay them $8 an hour and no commissions. I did a little homework on a couple vehicles from them several years ago and they were about 15% higher than any other used car source and they WON'T negotiate. What a joke.

Well thank you for so eloquently and diplomatically saying what I could not... :p

I thought it was kind of a suspect operation when the first thing they do when you walk in is start talking to you about their 'reject' cars. They give you this speech and all this hoopla about the cars they do not accept (and have a real life example of one) and then if you ask them specifically if they are implying their cars are accident free they say 'uh, no, that is not what we meant...just that their frames have not been damaged or pulled.' :hmmm:

Lzen
01-28-2005, 03:41 PM
Last used vehicle we bought was in '99 at Don Kahan in Lee's Summit. Very easy to work with. They had the no hassle pricing, but think we got very good deal ('96 Silverado 1/2 ton Ext. cab, loaded w/26,000 miles, paid $17G).

Last purchase was a new 3/4 ton Silverado 4x4 ext. cab. Went to Broome Chevy at 103rd and Wornall. We went back to Kahan, but they didn't have what we were looking for (was buying a 2003 after the 2004 came out). Anyway, Broome was the best experience I've ever had buying a vehicle. We liked them so much, we went back and bought my wife a car a few months later.

Broome Chevy Oldmobile? That's where we bought our van 2.5 years ago. I found it using autotrader.com, cars.com, etc. Lots of research work involved when buying a car but worth it. I got my 98 Pontiac van with 48k miles for just over $9k.

Phobia
01-28-2005, 04:01 PM
The only reason you haven't signed a recording contract is because you drive a mini-van, Lzen.

Lzen
01-28-2005, 04:14 PM
The only reason you haven't signed a recording contract is because you drive a mini-van, Lzen.

Hmmm, never thought of that. You may be right. :banghead:

memyselfI
01-28-2005, 04:34 PM
Broome Chevy Oldmobile? That's where we bought our van 2.5 years ago. I found it using autotrader.com, cars.com, etc. Lots of research work involved when buying a car but worth it. I got my 98 Pontiac van with 48k miles for just over $9k.

We almost bought a 98 Villager Estate (those are basically Nissan Quest vans) with 36k for just about the same price. I thought it was a decent deal according to my research. Hubby wanted to buy something newer and alittle larger for a few K more so we did.

Dave Lane
01-28-2005, 05:30 PM
Exactly. :thumb:

Dartie, I explained to the salesperson it was a freakin car not a sweater and I'm not down with taking out a loan to buy a car and have to return it...

he acted like I was insane. Perhaps you'd spoken with him and informed him I am but not on this point. :hmmm: :p


You to need to get hitched....

Dave

~smells love in the air

Valiant
01-28-2005, 05:51 PM
Carmax is owned by Circuit City


Carmax was owned by Circuit City... They bought out/split because Circuit City stock went to shit... Carmax is a good company to hold stock of though..

memyselfI
01-28-2005, 05:58 PM
You to need to get hitched....

Dave

~smells love in the air

Dude, perhaps you have gas cuz that ain't luv you're smellin... :p ;)