CarMax

Reviews 3

SE

Sergio Deleon

The experience was truly a no-pressure one, so much, after buying one car I actually went back a few weeks later with a colleague to help him pick out a car :-). I have purchased several vehicles in my lifetime, and can honestly tell you these guys really are no hassle. I did not like the fact that they have a no-haggle policy, however, I did noticed some cars priced a few hundred dollars above blue book retail and some under, so feel that pricing was fair. Like with any purchase, we did our research on the cars we were interested in buying, we checked for safety, reliability and recall information, and once we found the vehicles to look at; a simple call was made to reserve them. We made an early appointment (As many of you know, buying a car can sometimes take half a day!), and when we arrived were greeted immediately. Our sales advisor Larry was great! Since we had already been pre-approved there was no talk about, " How much can you put down, what monthly payment can you afford, yada yada yada yada...etc. He had the cars we wanted pulled right up to the showroom, and within a minute we were off test driving, and got a chance to really look over the car. Since we wanted to look at a few different cars, Larry actually was helpful in the decision process, stating pricing on some cars with higher level of miles and maybe 1 to 2 years older could affect the loan APR. He explained the parameters set by the bank, they wanted the car to be no more than 5 years old, no more than 60,000 miles on it in order to get lower financing, otherwise more money down or a higher monthly payment. Ah! This made perfect sense, so we stayed within the loan parameters (which you can speak to the bank directly and they will confirm this info as well), and finally decided on a 2 year old car with low miles. Once we decided on the car, the process was seamless! We went to the cashier to pay the down payment, went over all of the paper work and Viola! We were in and out of Carmax in less than two hours! Most of that time was actually spent looking at cars! Carmax is like a grocery store of cars, you walk in and they have everything, the prices are listed, you pick out the car and they ring it up! Simple, no pressure, they dont try to upsell you on buying a higher priced car, they follow your lead and direction...in a word, it was nice. Like with any big purchase, the onus is on you the buyer. Get pre approved so you know how much you can spend, if you qualify for a higher amount (which I did) stick to a specific number in mind. Do your research on the vehicle, and make a sound non-impulsive decision, and buy the warranty! Todays cars are very complex, trust me, I have used mine 3 times for an older car with almost 90K miles after driving it for 3 years problem-free (Original mileage at purchase was 20K), repairs came up all covered by the comprehensive warranty, in the end that warranty paid for itself 3 times! And it add around 30 bucks to your monthly payment. Carmax is the place to go to buy a used car, they dont make the car so buyers be smart! It is the best place to go for a fun car buying experience! Thanks again to the staff at Roseville Carmax!

SA

Salvador Abundis-Navarro

The representatives there were nice, but the experience was less than perfect. The representative was very assuring and comforting, allowing my father and I to inspect different cars. However, it wasn’t a good start when the only car we came to see, the Jeep, didn’t even start. We were told that the battery might need a slight charge. As it turns out, not only did the battery need to be recharged, but the negative terminal needed to be replaced – it was so rusted that it disintegrated the second we untightened the nut almost a week after we bought the car. It hasn’t been a year, and we’ve had the following problems with the car: (1) the left turning signal lamp was superglued on and fell during highway use, (2) the clutch plate was worn out, (3) the powered window controls were jammed by pennies and the lights indicated their position weren’t working; (4) the negative battery terminal, as previously mentioned, was rusted to the point of disintegration; (5) the driver side door had the only key slot for the entire car and it wasnt working - I actually had to call AAA to open my car door because my physical key wouldnt turn the door - and (6) there was a 2007 Jeep Compass recall that we didn’t know about until recently. Oh, and it didnt come with the owners manual. (Weve yet to receive one, and it hardly seems fair to use up $10 worth of gas to be reimbursed for a $20 book.) How about that for a 125-point inspection? Finally, I understand that everyone has a job, and that sales people are paid to sell warranties, but its absolutely shady to sneak a warranty into the final price. Our representative omitted the fact that he included the warranty until we asked to see what we were paying for. We then had to keep insisting that he remove the warranty, which he reluctantly agreed. (edit) Its not possible to reduce past a single star, so I had to settle for a single star from my original two-star rating. All issues listed above (and some I didnt mentioned) were all inherent in the car. I was contacted by CarMax after writing this post, believing CarMax would make right the issues. Nope - it was a sales pitch for CarMax service labor. Thank you, CarMax - I would never have found a mechanic without your assistance. Funny enough: my father and I were looking at CarMaxs Civics for my mother. Never shopping there again. Hopefully, Stocktons Honda center is better.

KI

Kirk Fox

Avoid this place at all costs, at least for trade-ins. The cars are appraised by unprofessional people with little to no knowledge of cars, and they offer significantly less if you dont sell your car on the first appraisal. I took my car to them about 1.5 months ago, was told my car was in prime condition (I am the original owner and babied it after all), and was given an appraisal offer. I was planning on selling my car to CarMax once my new car had arrived from overseas. I then took my car in to get reappraised, as the offer is only good for 7 days, and they immediately ask me why I didnt sell my car on the first offer. After a test drive in my vehicle I am told that my engine sounded weird (everyone knows Subarus have a rumble due to their boxer engine and unequal length headers....), and that my transmission had too loud of a whine when accelerating (which 99% of Subaru owners report and is due to how the gears are cut- helical vs straight). I was then told that the second appraisal offer of $1k less was because they were trying to provide good customer service and would have actually been less had they actually caught the "issue" on the first appraisal. I was also denied the opportunity to consult with their mechanic, and was told the appraiser had worked on cars. Upon leaving the lot, I noticed another Subaru getting appraised. I called the manager, Mark, and asked if he could go along in the test drive to confirm that these are common noises and that way by design. He immediately laughs at me hysterically and says "what will that prove? that both cars have the same issue?". I ask for my call to be escalated to the store manager, and he said that he is the manager and that they wont help me. After more smug responses, I decide to hang up. I then drive to the Subaru dealership to take them for a test drive to determine if I am way off and the noises are really reason for concern. They confirmed that those noises are present in every Subaru and is by design, just like I had always heard. TLDR version: If car is not sold on first appraisal they find any reason to knock the appraisal price significantly. Employees are extremely smug and treat you like an idiot. If you want to get ripped off and/or treated poorly, this is your place.