CarMax

Reviews 3

JO

Joel Helgeson

Lets be honest here, CarMax is a USED CAR DEALERSHIP. So under 100% ideal conditions, the best they can do is to "not suck". I just bought a used car from the Brooklyn Center, Minnesota location, and after all is said and done, my experience with them did not suck. My primary work vehicle was totaled in an accident, so I needed a new car, pronto. Being that this was wholly unexpected, I had not been shopping around as I did when Id purchased brand new cars from dealerships. Ive been working feverishly to get out of debt, and did not like the idea of having a car payment. Oh well, deal with reality on realitys terms, right? In the past, if Ive ever purchased a used vehicle, I bought it from a private-party seller. These are folks that usually bought the car new, or nearly new, took good care of it and there was no way they were going to let the dealer give them a low-ball offer on a trade-in. These cars were in good condition, and being something of a shade-tree mechanic myself, I could figure out pretty quick what Id be getting myself into. This is my first used-car dealership experience, and - well, could it have gone better? You bet. BUT ITS A USED CAR DEALERSHIP. Lower your expectations and youll be fine. Several things I had going for me: 1) As it turns out, I have excellent credit. 2) I knew what I was looking for in a car (Honda Accord), and having owned several Hondas in the past, I know of their reliability. I found the car I wanted, several states away - so the free shipping didnt apply. Heres where it was bad: I paid my $$ to ship my car, they said it could take up to 21 days. I waited, and waited. It was 7 days before the car was even picked up. The wait was frustrating, but they did say, and I did agree to up to 21 days. It arrived after 14. When I went to pick up my car, it was DIRTY! There was dust on the dash, and it should have been washed. Now, mind you - its still cleaner at this point than my car usually is 90% of the time, but I had paid a down payment to ship the car. I was going to purchase the car... in my mind, this was already my car. But because they have the policy of free shipping from surrounding (local) CarMax dealers, its pretty common they get window shoppers that have a car shipped in (for free) and they test drive it and move on. So its policy to not have a car detailed if it looks reasonably clean - which in all honesty it did. I mean, the dust on the dash was nowhere near thick enough to jot down a phone number with my finger (for sure by next spring, weather permitting). I wanted to speak to the manager. His response was to make up a total BS excuse that they didnt have time, yada yada. All I wanted to hear is "Im sorry, were cleaning it now, and Ill make extra sure that they do a double super-good job detailing it for you." Yeah, I didnt get that response. All I got were lame excuses that I knew were false. By the time I got out the door, the sun had gone down, and it wasnt till later that Id noticed the big scuff on the front bumper cover... "Is that why they left it dirty, so I wouldnt notice it?" Well, I took that car back the very next day... and the body shop took it and polished out the scratches to where I couldnt even see them anymore. Having great credit meant that I could afford to pay for a newer-used car. If youre dealing with financing issues, that changes the game quite a bit. Its tough to get a good quality, reliable vehicle for a fair price. Pro tip: after youve purchased your vehicle, take it to the dealership and have their mechanics give it a thorough going-over. It might cost you $$$ CarMax gives you a 60 day bumper-to-bumper warranty. Take the list the dealership mechanic gives you and have CarMax fix it for you under the warranty.

KI

Kin Mun Chew

Restored my faith in humanity (at least car dealerships and salespeople) We were looking to sell our 2009 BMW 335i and went to Motorwerks BMW to get an appraisal. Salespeople were hovering outside like hawks, and immediately asked us if we needed any help. I told one that we were looking to sell our car and he took us in, albeit begrudgingly. After about 5 minutes of checking on their computer and a 5 minute test drive, we sat down and he pointed out everything that was wrong with the car. How it would cost $4,000 to fix the damage from the minor damage from the couple of fender benders the car had been in. How it would cost $1,600 just to turn off the airbag light. For good measure, he added that he "does not make any commission when he buys a car", information he volunteered unasked. I own the car and am aware of what its exact condition is. Finally, he offered us $8,000 which is fine if thats what you can pay for it, it is what it is. There was no need to both put both the car and us down. Disgusted, we left Motorwerks and were about to head home when we thought we should get a second opinion. Having driven past CarMax a couple of time and read about them in the news, we decided to make the 25 minute drive to give them a shot. After our previous experience, we werent too optimistic. But we would have been willing to sell CarMax the car for a couple of hundred below $8,000 if it meant not having to deal with Motorwerks. We get to CarMax, and were greeted by a very pleasant Bobby. He got a couple of "senior appraisers" who seemed to know what they were doing and they inspected and test drove the car. Both extremely amiable and Minnesota nice. We then waited for them to figure out a number. It took a good 45 minutes, which was 40 minutes more than Motorwerks, but Bobby sat with us the whole time and we talked about what he did besides working there, and our impending roadtrip. It made the wait feel a lot shorter than it was. The appraisal finally came back and we held our breath as Bobby went through the findings before getting to what we actually wanted to know, what they were going to offer for it. We got to the end, and the offer was for $13,500. We were astounded. The Blue Book value was $11,500 and Motorwerks had only offered $8,000. As we left, we asked Bobby if we should come back at a specific time the following week to finalize everything so he could get a commission. He said it wasnt necessarily. Turns out, he had just graduated and received a job offer at an accounting firm, and it was his second last day on the job and so wouldnt be getting a commission on the sale. We congratulated him, genuinely happy for him and drove off with our faith in humanity restored.

SA

Sally Phillips Helling

I was a challenging customer. I found a 2014 Lexus IS250 on line at the Urbandale, IA CarMax. Rather than wait the 2 weeks or more for it to be transferred to my nearby store in Brooklyn Park, I had my brother-in-law from Des Moines, look at the car. Then I travelled to Des Moines to play golf with my sis, test drive and buy the car. CarMax provided the Autocheck report and I was able to do my own research using the VIN and by contacting Lexus directly. Jack Hanson at the BP store had offered a fair price for my 2010 MINI so I drove it to Des Moines and handed it over when I took possession of the Lexus. The detailing done just prior to leaving the dealership was excellent. After I pointed out surface damage on the hood, it was wet sanded and buffed with a very good result. It seems that the salespeople operate as a cooperative team. Jack (BP) had been in contact with Dan in Urbandale. My brother-in-law talked with a 3rd salesperson when he checked out the car prior to my arrival. There seemed to be no competition for the business among the three of them. When I returned to MN with the Lexus, I had our local mechanic do a pre-purchase inspection. It was during the 5 day money back return period. He found a great deal of rust on the rotors. The Brooklyn Park service manager, Joel, had a mechanic, Josh, test drive it (I rode along), remove the wheels and examine the brake parts (I was invited to look). Again even though the car was purchased at another dealership (Urbandale, IA) both Joel and Josh at Brooklyn Park were extremely helpful. They worked together to find a solution that was highly satisfactory to me. I would not hesitate to return to CarMax for my next car purchase. I love my Lexus!