Would you buy a car at carmax?

[localmotion]

Would you all buy a car at carmax? I am in the market for a new car (Acura TL) and dont really need a new one. I was thinking buying a certified used one or one at a dealership but then someone told me to check out carmax. For some reason, I just have a feeling that they rip people off. any opinions??

[corax]

if the price is competitive, why not. Check the basics before you buy though - look under the oil cap, through the rims at the brakes, etc

[bamachem]

you can do WAY better as far as price goes if you compare them to what you can get from an individual...

[Marc P]

My wife and I went there when we were looking for a Sienna...they had 2 on the lot...neither one would start so we left.

They seem to have dealership rejects for mechanics, and the salespeople did not impress.

[Seanz0rz]

i dont think ill ever buy a used vehicle from a dealership, you can get much better deals from a private party transaction.

[localmotion]

yea, for some reason, i feel more comfortable buying from the dealership. I will have to start looking at buying from private parties, as it is much cheaper!

[garrett]

but the new TLs are so sweet!

[localmotion]

yea the new ones are awesome. There was a used one on the lot that had 3k on it...it was only 2k less than a new one...doesnt make sense to me!

I havent decided if i should get a used one or a new one yet. Decisions decisions!!

[4x4mike]

I liked carmax. We didn't buy a car from there but all of their cars were really clean, had low mileage and were farely new. The only reason we didn't buy there is that they didn't have the car we wanted, even in their system. We ended up buying a used Subaru from the Subaru dealer. In all it was a pleasant experience and we got what we wanted.

I have always like the TL's. I was trying to talk my mom in getting one when she was looking for a car. She ended up with A prius.

[localmotion]

yea, im pretty sure I want a TL..theres nothing really out there that catches my eye that would be reliable.

[Swissdrums]

I sold my 4Runner to carmax. They make it really convenient for you, and I got a check the same day. I expected about $1500, but they ended up giving me $2500! (Even with striped rear differential!)

As far as buying - I feel they are more of a place for people who don't really know about cars to buy from them. I would go with an independent dealer: they get auction prices on good cars.

[paddlenbike]

I have friends with positive experiences from carmax. It works particularly well for those looking for specific years/models and they will transport out-of-state cars for a reasonable charge. One big advantage of buying from a reputable dealer is a 30-day warranty that will protect you if something major goes wrong. In California they call it a "30-day implied warranty" that is in effect even if the vehicle has the "no warranty" paper in the window. Ask me how I know--I ended up using the implied warranty and I was required to pay nothing.

[justinh]

As an employee on the finance end for 6-years I really have nothing but good things to say about the company. I would never buy anything there as my family has been in the local car business for 25 years and I have too many good connections to ever pay retail, etc for a car. That being said plenty of family and friends have and I bought from the wholesale lot as an employee when I worked there. They are extremely picky about what makes the front lot (they have a wholesale business that generates a very large portion of their revenue and doesn't require them to recondition vehicles at all).

One of my current co-workers has purchased his last two vehicles there, both used mercedes and carmax has done a ton of warranty work on them without batting an eye and usually sends it directly to the lcoal benz dealer to have the work done. he wouldn't buy anywhere else.

Where else can you go and get a buyback guarantee? And the buyback is easy to do, my sister did it on a Honda accord a week later because she found another one she liked more.

That being said you will get better deals from a private party 99% of the time.