bnizzle87

i was there seeing how much i'd get for one of the family's older cars. they're very friendly and make it very hospitable and inviting all around the lot and into the showroom. the staff we met were cordial and were not trying to sell anything. they just wanted to get to know us as people and that meant a lot to my dad and myself when we were there. sure they wanted to know about the vehicle, but the lady who helped us out was just trying to be a good mediator in terms of getting the car from our position (selling) over to carmax for its used car sales. it was a pleasant experience, and should we ever need to purchase any vehicle from them. great customer service!

bagwell

never have and never will buy there....they are WAAAAAAY overpriced.....

quick search located an 09 LX CERTIFIED with 11k miles at a Honda dealer for $15.9k that's just the starting point --- you CAN haggle this price!!!

http://www.autotrader.com/fyc/vdp.js...standard=false

mmarshall

Yeah, I don't get around to Car Max that much, but I've been there a few times shopping with friends, and for those who are in the market for used cars. I've also gone there to check some vehicles for people out of town. They seem to be a good organization, but occasionally things get past them....no organiation is perfect. For instance, I was out there several years ago with a friend/co-worker of mine who was checking out an (advertised) used Subaru SVX (remember their famous upmarket coupe with the half-windows?). Car Max claims to check and inspect every used car they get, but this one had a serious...and obvious.....trunk leak. Needless to say, he passed it up. That's why it's STILL important to cheak out each car yourself, as I did with my friends' Accord yesterday.

Of course, Car Max is not the only place to get decent used-cars. The increasing tendency of automakers to offer "Certified" used cars (CPO's) has given them some good competition. But, at conventional new-car dealerships, the CPOs usually are sold at a premium because of their condition/inspections, but, unlike Car Max, you can sometimes get a negotiated or discount-Internet price. Still, Car Max has some advantages; one of them, of course, being able to look at and check out many different-brand vehicles (most of which are in nice condition) right there on the lot, all in one place.

mmarshall

Yes, I remember when Circuit City owned them....although I had almost forgotten, until you brought it up. It was (at the time) a new marketing venture for used-cars, capitalizing on the success that Saturn had established with no-haggle, list-price deals on new cars. Saturn's philosophy (again, at the time) was to build reasonably-priced cars to start with, sell them simply and easily at the dealerships by making no-haggle, customer-friendly deals, provide a money-back guarantee for a period of time, and set a new level of customer-servive. Car Max (and, later, Scion) ended up adopting at least some of these practices.

mmarshall

Well, do you think they are overpriced for the type/condition of the vehicles they sell? I mean, Car Max is a reputable buisness.........not Smiling Sam's Clunker-Store down the street with a lot full of junk.

bagwell

reputable business, yes....I just have no clue how the make money, because YES they are overpriced....and I'd never buy there because of that.

Look at my example please.

mmarshall

OK, well, I respect your opinion. And a few other posters here have agreed with you.

bagwell

thanks Mike -- likewise.



I also had a couple of bad experiences with them trying sell them my car...most of my cars are immaculately kept...in one incident they offered waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay below KBB trade-in....this was for a 02 Toyota Pre-Runner (doublecab), low miles, excellent shape, spotless.

they offered me something like 10995 when they had the same exact model on the model on the lot with nearly twice the miles and not nearly as clean for 18995.

I sold it myself for $15000 cash a few days later.

mmarshall

According to most KBB figures, the average Trade-in figure, (which Car-Max probably should have given you) is at least a few thousand dollars less than average Retail (which is what a dealer would sell the uesd-car at retail for...or at least ask that figure)....in some cases, depending on vhicle condition, several thousand. That, of course, insures a reasonable dealer-profit, given the cost of running the buisness. But you may have a point......an 8K spread, in those circumstances (from 10995 to 18995), sounds a little unreasonable.

And KBB figures, though, don't necessarily cover Certified (CPO) cars sold at new-car dealerships. That's because CPO's are more thoroughly inspected, reconditioned, and carry longer warranties.