Carmax

Updated on March 26, 2009
G.K. asks from Grayslake, IL
21 answers

I am in need of a new vehicle. Long story short I normally lease, but found out the hard way there are things on my credit report that are not me, but I won't be able to get them corrected before I need to get a vehicle - lease is up in less than 30 days! Has anyone ever delt with Carmax? How was your experience? How was the vehicle?

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V.L.

answers from Chicago on

I really liked CarMax. Their warranty program is excellent, but you have to bring it to them so if you aren't adverse to taking it there it should be fine.

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K.O.

answers from Chicago on

We love Carmax! I've gotten 4 vehicles from them (my college car, married car, SUV, & now Minivan!) We have never had any problems and received great customer service! My parents have also gotten several cars from there with no problems! We love the no haggle and how patient the salespeople are with showing you any vehicle you want to see. Jim in Tinley Park is great! Good luck!

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K.M.

answers from Chicago on

We bought a van from Carmax two years ago- it was a good experience- the no hassle pricing is great- they gave us several options to finance- we ended up going through our credit union. Have also go back for service several times- has always been a good experience- no complaints from my end.

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T.P.

answers from Chicago on

Carmax is great. Absolutely no pressure - they just try to fit you with a car that meets your expectations and price range. There is no haggling about the price - they really mean that. What you see is what you get. We went to the one in Glencoe and worked with Jeff. very friendly and easygoing.
Good luck!

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J.H.

answers from Chicago on

I have both baught and sold cars through carmax and had great experiences. My current vehicle (Buick Rendezvous) was purchased through them and I have had no prblems with it or with them for service on it.

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J.P.

answers from Chicago on

Hi G.,
I have bought two cars through Carmax. Loved the cars and great on trade in value. They helped me out of a bad situation and I will be loyal to them and my AWESOME sales person, Chris Peterson in Naperville, as long as I live in Illinois!

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D.S.

answers from Chicago on

Hi G..
I bought a car from Carmax years ago. At the time I didn't have the best credit and it was still a great experience. I would recomend them. I pray that all goes well for you.

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K.S.

answers from Chicago on

Hi G.. I have purchased 2 vehicles from CarMax and my hubby used to sell cars for them. I like the vehicles, however, I use the dealer for all my service repair/maintenance needs.

Good luck!

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E.M.

answers from Chicago on

At Carmax, cars tend to be $400-$500 more than you can find elsewhere.

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T.O.

answers from Chicago on

Loved carmax, love my car!
Went to the one in schaumburg.
You can find thier cars available on thier website as well to preshop.
Thay are not commisioned sales people, so they do not care if you buy a $2000 car, or $20,000 car!
Good luck!

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D.K.

answers from Chicago on

I've purchased two cars from Carmax and loved them both.

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L.R.

answers from Chicago on

We bought our 16 yr old daughter a car thru carmax last year and had a great experience with them. They were very easy to work with and she got the exact car that she wanted. They even brought it down here for here from somewhere in WI for no charge. We dealt with carmax in Northbrook. I would use them again for our teenage son when he is ready to purchase his own car.

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L.F.

answers from Chicago on

We have bought 3 cars from CarMax and had a great experience. They have a website carmax.com where you can see the cars inside and out. The website allows you to choose make, year and price range. If you see a car that is somewhere else it can be shipped to you.Try it out.

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J.C.

answers from Chicago on

Although the majority of your responses seem to be positive, I & 3 others had bad experiences & will never go there again. The issues were
1)carmax offered us $8,000 less on our trade in than the dealership we ended up going thru
2) My friends transmission went out within a week of purchase, they ended up replacing it but it took her getting an attorney involved
3) my neighbor broke down on her way home from purchasing a car. And it stayed in the shop there at carmax for a week to repair the transmission.
4)Found the same car a year newer for $2,000 less at a dealership. And carmax response was we try to price them the best we can.

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M.S.

answers from Chicago on

I purchased a car through Carmax in August of 2004. I highly recommend it! It was a very easy process and they had a huge selection of cars to choose from. I never felt any pressure to buy. I came and went probably 4-5 times in 3 weeks before I actually purchased the car. I have heard that the salespeople only get a commission based on a sale of a car not on the price. So they don't care if you by a $60,000 car or a $6,000 car. When you actually sit down to buy there is no haggling. I will definitely go back when I need a new car!

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N.W.

answers from Chicago on

We bought 2 cars from Carmax. It was a pretty good experience both times, and my ex-husband had bad credit and they helped him finance. The guy actually got on the phone and negotiated with the finance company! He used every tactic to help show he was a good investment.

It's best if you have a trade-in because they'll negotiate on the trade-in, not the car price. If you buy off the lot with no trade in you'll probably pay more then at a dealer. BUT if you have a trade in they'll pay you more for your trade-in than a dealer so it works out.

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M.J.

answers from Chicago on

We had a good experience with them as well, but in a different way.

We were buying a new car and were getting the run around on the trade in of our old car. So we went to carmax to see how much they would give us for our old car. They do an evaluation and give you a piece of paper that's good for 2 or 4 weeks and it has the price on it.

We took that to the dealer and told them to give us that price or we would sell the car at carmax. It worked. I hate buying new cars, but we keep them for at least 7 years and I don't know if I got a used car if I could do that.

M.

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E.D.

answers from Chicago on

Hi. My only experience with Carmax was horrible and I will never go back there. The service was horrible. I have had trouble with my vehicle since the day that I bought it from there. I had to replace the transmission and all tires before I even had the car for the year and there were only 36,000 miles on the car.

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M.D.

answers from Chicago on

The cars are as good or better than any other used car lot. They advertise that they do not sell cars that have been in accidents where there was frame/chassis damage. That's good.
However, any used car you buy will probably need brakes, tires, battery, and timing belt (if it has one) within a few months of purchase. These are things that wear out, and all dealerships benefit from selling them before they have to replace them.
Since there is no haggling at CarMax, the experience can be fairly pleasant, although studies have found that customers pay a bit more on average when haggling is prohibited.
My main complaint with CarMax is that the TVs in the waiting room were set to Fox News and they couldn't be changed ...

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K.S.

answers from Springfield on

We bought from Carmax in January 2008. Great experience. The car-an '05 Ford Freestyle--has had no problems so far.

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M.H.

answers from Chicago on

Hi G.,

I delt with Carmax a few years ago and had a pleasant experience. I got a good car for a good price and had no problems with it the whole time I owned. I had the car for two years until I had to get a bigger one once the kids came along. : ) Otherwise I would've kept it.

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