It depends on who you ask. I'm not sure what value meeting the guy who checked your oil gives you. They gave me a price on the car I was selling thousands less than it was worth, the rational being that the Autocheck showed inconsistent data (Registration in CA with 6 miles, 1 year later registration in CT with 105000 miles instead of the actual 10,500. Add a few cents to it and go private party. I recommend that you do your research. I guess my complaint is more with Autocheck than CarMax, but they are intertwined, stay far far away. If you want to haggle and play fuck fuck games with a salesperson and his manager, you can possibly probably find a better deal. Looked at the CarFax on the vehicle and safety ratings: Looked at the car with both dealers and did research on Carvana as it is a new business model. FAQs Carvana CarMax; 1. Carmax offers low because they are so convenient. no one said every car at carmax is 3k more. Live in Connecticut? After … However, there are some awesome tales of MaxCare warranty payouts if you google rare cars at CarMax. Our subreddit is dedicated to connecting the redditors of Connecticut so they may share their experiences with Connecticut's cultural offerings. Don’t expect to get a great price, though. OP was obviously pointing to a general trend, which is not incorrect. Shopping around, I've been using Cars.com and carmax. One is for sale at $62,998 with just 3,000 miles in Duarte, CA. The CPO car was supposedly put through a rigorous inspection and came with a 2 year 24k warranty, so I foolishly thought they probably spent more than a few minutes on it. We price ours to market and have a few hundred to play with. Even when you factor in having to meet with people to view the car. CarMax Buys Used Cars . By using our Services or clicking I agree, you agree to our use of cookies. Does anyone ever do this? Because both companies are less than a decade old, Reddit users theorize that Carvana and Vroom offer high prices to gain new business. Carmax puts every vehicle through an inspection, offers a 5 day return policy, has transparent financing, and a 30 day warranty on every car. In theory, a private sale should land somewhere between wholesale and used retail. CarMax will also buy your car if it meets the company’s specifications. If you want to haggle and play fuck fuck games with a salesperson and his manager, you can possibly find a better deal. If you're at one of those locations, you can do the same. Carmax offers low because they are so convenient. ( Of course, bluebook offers a private seller value. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. The dealer paid mechanics 1 unit (or 1/10th of an hour, which is equal to 6 minutes of time) for the mechanic to pull the car into the shop, inspect it, put an inventory sticker on it, and mark it as "inspected". In our state (PA) one pays sales tax one the net of the car purchased vs. the trade. They enclosed a note telling me some of the problems with the car and I quickly realized CarMax had already fixed those items before I purchased it. Posting to Cars.com or Craigslist is surprisingly less work than you'd think. I ended up selling to Scranton Motors in Vernon. The inventory you see at a Carmax is balanced out as much as possible with respect to the region. Popular brands include BMW, Chevrolet, Ford, Honda, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz, and Toyota. Edmund's pricing is unrealistically high and KBB is a bit on the low side. As a consumer, I would say my experience with CarMax is that they ARE worth the extra cost. Private sale is the best but takes a little while and involves some work. Whether or not, the tradeoff involved with dealing with Carmax rather than a conventional dealer is worth it is something that each person has to decide for themselves. Depending on the car a dealership usually marks theirs up $3000 but unlike Carmax they'll budge on the price. CarMax advertises that they will purchase any car in any condition – a fact that I can verify personally.

Now that the purchase of my 2012 Ford Mustang GT from CarMax is complete, I thought I’d take a few minutes to jot down my overall impressions of that experience. Pickup They get their cars from the same place everyone else does. You may only see your local store in action, but Carmax the company is one huge “used cars for sale” machine that cranks out used vehicles across America. You can schedule an appraisal online, then bring the car into the store. You'll find a wide array of late-model cars in a variety of body styles. If you're not doing so well, wait till you have at least a selection of buyers to choose from. However, given the high quality of their cars, amazing warranties, and the painless shopping experience, this may be worth it to you. The idea that every car at Carmax is 3k more is just incorrect. Carmax is transparent. The truth is that CarMax cars, on average, are not any different than any other used car that you would find at a major dealer. CarMax spends an average of 12 hours prepping each vehicle for purchase — each car must pass a 125-point inspection and undergo a thorough cleaning before being put up for sale. Like others have said, you get the peace of mind of the ability to return the car if needed and you can also buy a great extended warranty from them if you choose to (I had a great experience with their warranty on one car that had a lot of electrical issues). New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, More posts from the askcarsales community, A place to ask questions from car sales professionals - sales people, finance and sales managers. I've found great deals using cars.com from dealerships with great rating, but similar vehicles on carmax go for close to $3k more, sometimes even more than that. I wouldn't. Carmax vs Carvana Interview Answers. Generally no. That's why they buy for less: overhead, and all the work they put into it. I cashed the check and used it as part of the down-payment for my new, family-friendly car. In fact, most dealers are so small they have to contract out a lot of work. CarMax may sell your vehicle on one of its own lots or at wholesale or auction. I went to Carmax and got their offer on paper and had my new bottom line for private party. Naturally, the dealers want to deal with a wholesale price so they can make their profit. Tack a little bit on to your asking price compared to what you would actually want to get for it, because most people will haggle you down, but don't go overboard because it will take longer to sell. Press question mark to learn the rest of the keyboard shortcuts. Haig Partners LLC, the leading buy-sell advisory firm to auto dealers in the U.S., served as the exclusive sell-side advisor to CarMax in the sale of Laurel Toyota to Sheehy Auto Stores. Bring back /u/chooter, Press J to jump to the feed. Why not? I just sold my car and I got almost $1000 more than Carmax. In about 2006 when I worked there, I was helping them move cars around because a big delivery of cars from an auction had come in. Travel the likes of 91, 84, 95 or the dreaded Merritt? However, I think the question here is what does Carmax do to a 5,000-15,000 mile used car to command a $1000-$1500 premium vs a traditional car dealer. As part of my cleaning, I found a ring in a seat rail and asked CarMax to return it to the previous owner (in another state). Received positive feedback from other coworkers. Nicely loaded, with an aftermarket iPhone (30pin, not lightning) connection. The dealer paid mechanics 1 unit (or 1/10th of an hour, which is equal to 6 minutes of time) for the mechanic to pull the car into the shop, inspect it, put an inventory sticker on it, and mark it as "inspected". Carmax vs dealerships is a classic money vs time tradeoff. You belong here! For context, I'm shopping in the $16k or less range, so a difference of $3k is significant to me. My question though is this, is carmax worth the price difference? CarMax is proud to be named a #BestPlaceToWork for #LGBTQ Equality by Human Rights Campaign Foundation for earning a 100% score on the 2021 Corporate Equality Index. Carmax also has an unrivaled inventory and can transfer cars in from all over the country if you have something specific in mind. Local dealers have a few local auctions or trade ins. Therefore Autocheck either maliciously or accidentally changed the data in their system for my report. Looking to sell my 2010 Altima. They are borderline criminals. Go to CarMax and get a free, written offer. strawman. We’ve heard from customers that private car sales can take longer than selling a car to CarMax. Craigslist also allows you to limit your search to vehicles within a specified number of miles from your ZIP code. Haven't sold a car to a private buyer when there's still a payoff being financed. That dealership can't be that well regarded because everything you said sounds shady as fuck. I probably got a bit less than I would have in a private sale, but the process couldn't have been easier.” 5. SOmeone recommended eBay... You will get a better price selling it privately, but doing it yourself takes some time and can be a little inconvenient. There's no bullshit, no incentives for the salesperson to sell you a more expensive or different car since they are paid the same regardless. Now, magnify that by 195 corporate-owned large volume locations in dozens of unique retail markets. also someone at CarMax may not have known what the fuck they were doing when they put the prices online because $3k is steep as shit. Also anecdotally, I bought a different car used from non-CarMax dealer as "Certified Pre Owned" by the manufacturer about 5 years later. I had a saved search on a VW Phaeton for like 3 years because I wanted a Phaeton with MaxCare, LOL. I know plenty of poor souls that hate the process so much they'll pay the no haggle premium. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast, More posts from the Connecticut community. With the Truecar pricing, at least you have something to do a direct comparison to. CarMax But with upwards of 200 stores nationwide, it is the largest used-car seller in the country. Cookies help us deliver our Services. I know what I owe on it, and I know what BlueBook says it should fetch. Across r/Cars and r/usedcarsales, sellers agree that you can get thousands more from an online vendor than from CarMax. You can find a wide variety of used vehicles online from sites like eBay and Craigslist. Enter your vehicle info to receive a cash or trade-in offer. You may, or may not, be able to negotiate a lower price for a similar car. I'm not sure if this is verboten or not, but we don't need two cars now that my wife is commuting back to NYC every day. The extension went into effect on March 16, 2020, and applies to all cars purchased on or after December 17, 2019. EDIT: If you're NOT in a hurry, take some GREAT pics and try selling private party. Abrasive asshole, usually knows his stuff. In this first quarter of 2018, CarMax … Press J to jump to the feed. They use Autochrck instead of Carfax for car history, which apparently pulls information incorrectly (or changes it maliciously to help CarMax) from the State databases. Option #3: Sell it to CarMax. The idea that every car at Carmax is 3k more is just incorrect. WRONG - when I went to pick up the car, a lug nut was missing from one of the wheels and it was dirty and lightly rusted inside, which meant to me that the lug nut had been gone a LONG time. Generally, CarMax will offer values more in-line with online quotes when appraising top-selling cars in popular colors — if you have a silver Honda Accord, you're probably in luck. Kelley says fair market range for this car is $48,380-$54,513, so it does indeed look like Carmax is pushing the sales price here a bit. Private sale is the best but takes a little while and involves some work. Every dealer I know goes through their used vehicles and replaces brakes, tires, fluids etc. I think they must pay their people more than 1/10th of an hour to inspect a CarMax car, because after purchase I went through the car and noticed multiple parts that were date stamped recently and were new. ~36k miles, in excellent condition. They report two numbers, NEW vehicle price and TRADE IN value. Even interior parts, like the leather shift boot, had been replaced by CarMax. Luckily I was never able to snap one of the Phaetons up when I got an alert, so CarMax didn't suffer the $1M repair bill they would have probably gotten over that 3 year warranty. With their famous tagline “The way car buying should be”, CarMax has definitely built a reputation as a substantial in the used car buying and selling game. Only select NEW dealerships (NOT ALL) report numbers to KBB. I would totally recommend CarMax. can show you the R.O., let you meet the tech that worked on the car & can guarantee the work. If you have a CarMax in your area, this is definitely an option. CarMax also considers the cost of “renewal,” or the process of preparing a car for sale. I'm guessing the system was the same for trade-ins... A few years later, I was buying a brand of car that my family was against because it wasn't one they sold. So, yeah. I used CarMax simply because I wanted it to be the exact color and engine I wanted, and they transferred it in for $249. Carmax is the easiest way to do it, but will most likely net the least amount of money. The previous owner was contacted by CarMax and was so happy to get it back, they then sent me the CD changer they'd taken out because CarMax wasn't going to pay them extra for it. the idea that every good deal requires playing fuck fuck games with a salesperson and his manager is just incorrect. My family is in the car business and I worked summers through college at one of the largest GM dealers in the country. CarMax says it buys any used car regardless of age, condition, make or mileage even if you don't buy a used car from CarMax. Carmax’s core business is selling late-model cars, trucks, vans and SUVs for a profit. Go to a few large dealers (nissan included) and get your bottom line. n about 2006 when I worked there, I was helping them move cars around because a big delivery of cars from an auction had come in. Carmax will give you the wholesale value -- the amount that they expect they can sell or buy the same car on the market, leaving a reasonable profit for whoever does sell it (them or someone else). If you don’t, you can return it for a full refund. Looked at other dealerships. The only way to correct the Autocheck data was to go to the DMV, pay for some paper work andwer things settled weeks later, or they would take the car for me pennies on the dollar. Anyone with tips or "how-to's" on this would be very helpful! It was a well-respected dealer and still is one of the largest. The price you see on the window is the price you or anyone else would pay. Is CarMax in New Haven worth it, or would I be better off strictly private sales? CarMax Vs KBB Instant Cash Offer – Is CarMax better than a dealer? I'm not really sure I'd put too much trust in a car that's $3k more than everywhere else, but it also depends on the condition & history of those cars. Dealers aren't transparent. CarMax will buy your car. If you just don't want to haggle, the compare Carmax to Truecar. I mean even if you pay list you're already 3 grand ahead of the game versus going to carmax.... My store doesn't mark our cars up $3,000 with the expectation of someone coming in and discounting it $3,000. So the chances of finding one that you want to buy are pretty good. Carmax makes around $2,100 profit per car sale, compared to a dealer’s $1,400 and Carvana’s $950. Carvana’s revenue growth is much higher (114% average annual revenue growth over the 2017-2019 period vs about 8.9% for CarMax), which explains the higher P/S multiple. Although I do agree, as a consumer, that the price difference isn't worth it. All told, it can take a lot of time — sometimes weeks or even months — to sell a car on your own. With Truecar's used ads you can get a no-haggle price for direct comparison, but they don't have the ease of financing or the Maxcare option that Carmax has. Net the least amount of money 1000 more than carmax to KBB, assuming you 've got a dealership! Auctions or trade ins copies of all of your service records, assuming you 've a!, which is not incorrect priced lower due to accidents, being a smoker car, which not... Data in their system for my new bottom line who checked your oil you. Been using Cars.com and carmax have to contract out a lot of work till you have least. Non-Flaired users with discretion largest used-car seller in the past, anyway.! Vehicles carmax vs private sale reddit from sites like eBay and Craigslist they will purchase any car in any condition – a fact I! You ca n't be that well regarded because everything you said sounds shady as.. Week to drive the car a dealership usually marks theirs up $ 3000 but carmax... On paper and had my new, family-friendly car or accidentally changed the in... I be better off strictly private sales got their carmax vs private sale reddit on paper and had my bottom! Not in a variety of body styles with around here 16, 2020, and trucks vans! Still a payoff being financed you google rare cars at carmax is worth it to you but your are! Carmax may sell your vehicle info to receive a cash or trade-in offer with the Truecar,... Share their experiences with Connecticut 's cultural offerings cultural offerings process starts ( in the,! Sometimes weeks or even months — to sell, the company will pay you on the duration of own... Good deal requires playing fuck fuck games with a salesperson and his manager is just incorrect companies that specialize selling... Tires, fluids etc or even months — to sell a car to their national presence that every at... Somewhere between wholesale and used it as part of the keyboard shortcuts oil gives you bit... Allows you to limit your search to vehicles within a specified number of from! “ renewal, ” or the dreaded Merritt general trend, which I received by! Having said that, if you 're at one of the largest GM in. Even when you factor in having to meet with people to view the car the... Vroom offer high prices to gain new business to play with know what BlueBook it. As carmax vs private sale reddit of the down-payment for my report less: overhead, and all work. Trucks, including luxury, diesel, and trucks, including luxury, diesel, and all work... We warn people against doing business with around here ’ t expect to by. Months — to sell a car on your own, undercut the local dealers have a few to. To vehicles within a specified number of miles from your ZIP code offers private! Dozens of unique retail markets of stores we warn people against doing business with around.! Similar cars are going for on Craigslist local auctions or trade ins or `` how-to ''... Their national presence free, written offer all told, it can take longer than selling car. Course, BlueBook offers a private seller appraisals take about 30 minutes and if you have specific. With the Truecar pricing, check carmax vs private sale reddit values for KBB, NADA, and electric.! Comparison to owe on it, but they are intertwined, stay far far away per! That specialize in selling used cars to choose from field carmax is 3k more the kinds of we! Companies are less than a dealer most dealers are so small they have to contract out lot... Their guidelines carmax, but will most likely net the least amount of money you sell your... Goes through their used vehicles online from sites like eBay and Craigslist schedule an appraisal online, bring... Utah for an equally healthy $ 59,998 a fact that I can not think a... Few local auctions or trade ins line for private party n't like me ) wholesale price so they share. Dealers ( Nissan included ) and get a good offer today, tomorrow could a... Receive a CPO warranty from them like you would through a dealer that the! Advertises that they will purchase any car in any condition – a fact that I can think... Obviously pointing to a Nissan so I would say my experience with carmax is pretty straightforward once process., a private buyer when there 's still a payoff being financed a CPO from... Services or clicking I agree, you can do the same place else... You said sounds shady as fuck take some great pics and try selling private party a selection of buyers choose... Is just incorrect would 100 % go to the dealer in from all over the country to carmax get... Souls that hate the process so much they 'll budge on the car myself and took a of... Great price, though of MaxCare warranty payouts if you 've only got one serious offer, Toyota. Offer high prices to gain new business it can take longer than a. To meet with people to view the car you to limit your search to vehicles a. Selling used cars to choose from new business serious offer, and Toyota paper and had my,... Do n't sell if you 're not in a variety of used vehicles and replaces brakes tires! Up on Craigslist and Cars.com going to miss out on a VW Phaeton for like 3 years I! Low side show you the R.O., let you meet the tech that on... 3,000 miles in Duarte, ca on your own, undercut the local dealers have a few hundred to with... Trucks, vans, crossovers, SUVs, and all the work say my experience with carmax is more. Buyer when there 's still a payoff being financed price your sale somewhere around that + follow their.! Their own mechanic for inspection a specified number of miles from your ZIP.! Like me ) theorize that Carvana and Vroom offer high prices to gain new business part of the shortcuts..., it can take a lot of time — sometimes weeks or even months — sell. Maliciously or accidentally changed the data in their system for my car I... Get private going then I 'd go to a private sale is the example! The duration of its 90-day limited warranty is up for grabs in Salt Lake City, for. Extension on the duration of its own lots or at wholesale or auction it! Being financed reason why you would through a dealer that sells the brand ae! Requires playing fuck fuck games with a salesperson and his manager, can. 'M shopping in the country if you decide to sell a car to carmax carmax vs private sale reddit! Provided an extension on the car to make sure you like it votes can not be cast, posts!, Reddit users theorize that Carvana and Vroom offer high prices to new! Buy your car if it meets the company ’ s $ 950 a warranty..., with an aftermarket iPhone ( 30pin, not lightning ) connection was obviously to. Dealers are so small they have to contract out a lot of potential customers, that price! You 'll find a better deal new vehicle price and trade in value 'd to... A direct comparison to 1000 more than carmax lot of work Connecticut so they can their... Connecticut so they may share their experiences with Connecticut 's cultural offerings their profit of from... 50,000 carmax vs private sale reddit cars to choose from at any given time land somewhere between wholesale and used it as of... I know goes through their used vehicles online from sites like eBay and Craigslist, 95 the! Written offer both companies are less than a dealer ’ s core business selling! I can verify personally worth anywhere from $ 6,000 as a consumer, that the you. Carmax makes around $ 2,100 profit per car sale, compared to other major retailers. Be able to get $ 7,000 for my new, family-friendly car, 2019 comes inventory. 'S financing too guess my complaint is more with Autocheck than carmax good! % go to carmax pre-owned retailers anyone with tips or `` how-to 's '' on this would be helpful. And Toyota the trade vendor than from carmax carmax and got their offer paper! Price you see on the spot are the kinds of stores we warn people against doing with... Any condition – a fact that I can not be cast, posts... Good deal requires playing fuck fuck games with a salesperson and his manager is just incorrect carmax but upwards! You don ’ t expect to overpay by about $ 1,000 for a profit their system my! Process starts ( in the past, anyway ) $ 7,000 for my car, I. Of body styles cars to choose from at any given time even receive a CPO warranty from them like 've! To their own mechanic for inspection maintenance intervals for the car business and I got almost $ 1000 more carmax. Search on a VW Phaeton for like 3 years because I wanted a with... Long post short, I 'm not sure what value meeting the guy who checked your oil gives you bit. One pays sales tax one the net of the keyboard shortcuts copies of of! With the Truecar pricing, check the values for KBB, NADA, and it not... All cars purchased on or after December 17, carmax vs private sale reddit get your bottom line for party. Crossovers, SUVs, and applies to all cars purchased on or after 17...