CarMax

Reviews 4

MA

Matthew Weiner

CarMaxs sales staff are amazing: they sold me a lemon & refuse to honor their stated online policy for refunds. They had taken ten days to ship a car from Las Vegas to Costa Mesa (a drive which takes only a few hours). During this time, my salesman was unable to get me any update about the location of my vehicle. He insisted it was "In Transit." I commented about wagon trains being faster & he quipped that there was nothing he could do. The vehicle arrived with minor scratches, and major undiagnosed engine trouble. Despite allegedly having performed a thorough inspection, CarMax sold me a lemon. Fewer than 100 miles out of the lot, the car started vibrating & the check engine light turned on. Within the five day refund period, I returned the car for repairs & possibly returns (and a freezing of the refund window). CarMax staff took more than a week to partially diagnose the problem. During that time, they called me repeatedly to tell me there was nothing wrong with the car that they could duplicate; they assured me the inspection light being on was normal. It was then that I realized that none of the four times that Id described my problems with the vehicle had they accurately recorded or understood. At this point, my faith in CarMax was totally shot. On Tuesday at 3:30pm I requested a full refund. According to online policy, I should have been issued a check by Wednesday at 3:30pm; but, my salesman assured me a check would be ready and waiting for me Tuesday evening. So, you can imagine my chagrin when the operations manager informs me she will be able to issue me a manual bank draft (not a check). I refuse the manual draft citing their publicly stated online policy. She refuses to give me a check. I told her to do whatever was necessary but that I required her to comply with her contract with me. The next day, I received a call from the operations manager informing me that she was able to issue me a manual bank draft. I replied telling her I required her to comply with her publicly stated policy & asked when my check would be ready. The next day, she called to repeat that she is able to offer me a manual bank draft. With a manual draft, my money doesnt actually return to me; CarMax would get to keep my funds for another ten days. I refused, explained the difference between a manual draft and a check & demanded she send me evidence of a stated policy refusing checks to people in my situation. She refused to provide any evidence to substantiate her position. CarMax still has my money. They still refuse to issue a check in compliance with their policy. Oh, and my salesman admitted in a text exchange, "Youre right." CarMax sold me a lemon & refused to return my funds in the manner compliant with the terms of our contract.

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DW

Dwayne Williams

The car buying experience was great ill even give it a 4 star. First the cars reverse camera didnt work and the sunroof would not open and the L/R tire had a nail in i1t that was close to the sidewall. All of these things were found after of course i signed and put my cash down payment. It was purchased on a tuesday left there and I was given a loaner car and no charge. The sunroof repair was covered under warranty they had to pay for the rear camera replacement (1200). They offered to replace the rear tires so I was happy with that. After 2 weeks of being at the dealer most common people would think that when the car came back they would just have to replace the rear tires.I forgot to mention the car needed a very good exterior cleaning they offered to do a exterior body detail for free. Well the 2 tire were never ordered until the day after my car was returned from the dealer. I had to wait another week for the tires to come in. Had a appointment scheduled for the day after the tires came in to install 2 rear tires and do a exterior body detail. Brought car in at 8 am as scheduled left it there for 5 hours plenty of time. picked my car up drove 45 min to my home to have lunch I looked at the tires closely and would you believe they ordered and mounted front tires on the rear of my car when my car has bigger tires for the rear than it has for the front. At this point I am very upset I call and talk to service manager and explain to her what happened and I refused to bring my car back to her service department because I have lost complete confidence in her staff and her mechanics. I ended up making one phone call to find the tires that it took her department 3 weeks to find (so they say?). So in the end I had to pay 500.00 to replace my rear tires and now I have to wait 3 weeks to be reimburse. In closing I have purchased 5 cars and sold 3 to carmax and have always had good out comes. But this by far is the worst service department experience I have EVER dealt with I dont recommend this service department for anyone.

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A.

A.T. Stowell

It was an easy, no-hassle experience. But based on other reviews, you might want to adjust your expectations. Its 5 stars if you know what you want, not trading in your old car, and dont like the haggling experience. One of the great virtues of a CarMax lot is to have access to nearly every make/model right there, instead of having to shop multiple dealerships. We werent looking for a car for myself, but I found something that I had always wanted within the price range that suited me. It would seem the only way CarMax can survive as a business is by offering you a low amount for your trade-in. This makes sense from a business perspective. Some of the other reviewers dont understand this. Its a typical American expectation to have the best of everything (High trade in value, low price on new purchase, no haggling, 0% interest--Its like wanting government benefits but not wanting to pay taxes for them). I decided to sell my old car private party. And it probably helped that I had my own financing before purchasing. They also have a 5 day return policy for which you need no reason. If you think you might have to exercise that option, then you havent done your research, dont yourself well enough, and dont understand your own needs. In other words, you shouldnt be buying at all. Keep your old car until youve done your due diligence. With these caveats, they are probably the best used car dealership there is.

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CH

Chris Spensley

If you have ever had a bad experience purchasing a vehicle it is usually because the process took too long or the salesperson was pushy or the process of selling you something felt like you were being manipulated. The worst is when you ask if its the best you can do and the salesperson says yes and then you decide against the purchase and "magically" the deal is improved. There is a frustrating and traditional lack of transparency in many cases when you decide to visit a dealership. In our case none of these things happened. The purchase figures for the new car were clear and the amount they would pay for my trade in was as well. Everyone was extremely conscious of our time. You will read reviews about them not paying enough for cars or how you can buy vehicles for less up and down Harbor.. I really doubt that the amount you might (I stress the word might) save is worth the hassle of what you will like have to go through to get your vehicle. I have worked in this business for nearly 30 years and spent the first 15 in sales, finance and management and this is how vehicles should be sold. Its not for everyone and many people like to feel like they "won" usually because a battle happened. If you want to avoid the battle, just swing by this Carmax. (I dont know about all of them) ask for Elizabeth Laurie if she is still working there I promise you will appreciate the way they do things.

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