Would you buy from Carmax?

[eziggy3]

Thanks for the replies. I went to Carmax and did a test drive today. Not bad. I will have to decide between this one with 7K and one at a dealer with 500 miles which I could probably get for minimally more. Both have the remainder of the factory warranty. Carmax does give the five day no questions money back deal so I can always get theirs checked out if I go that route.

[zackwatt]

Dude, If you found a good car, you found a good car. I would not know who I would go crying to if something went wrong, lol

[ultimate1]

Carmax will usually have high retail markup on its price and the Porsche dealership will have a little more of a premium in terms price. I bought by Porsche from a Jeep dealership last year. I found my car at cars.com and I called them up to inquire about the car. I bought my car for $19,000 and the full retail price on that car would have been close to $24,000. What I learned is that the car was traded in for a Jeep by a young couple. I asked why so low a price with the car beingin excellent shape and with only 46000 mile on it. The sales rep told me that when they get a car that they don't normally service or sell that they usually mark it up by about a $1000 or so. The dealership would rather unload it than have the added expense of sending it to auction. They also let me take the car to Porsche to get an inspection done. I also looked at Carmax and the same car with similar mileage was priced at $23000. I also got a great warranty from carchex.com for 3 years/ 36000 miles with wear and tear and seals and gaskets. I have used the warranty for a right rear wheel bearing, 2 oxygen sensors, and ignition switch with no problem. The warranty cost me $2700 so all in all I spent $21700. The car at Carmax would have also been without an extended waranty. Plus I got Zenith Metallic Blue versus the red one at Carmax.

So my suggestion is to look at Mercedes, Lexus, Jeep, Infiniti, BMW, and Acura dealerships as well ass private sellers for a steal.

[spark00]

I guess my experience was somewhat similar to Ultimate1. I looked at Carmax Boxsters online and they were much more expensive than at other non-Porsche dealerships. I did cars.com search and found mine at Volvo dealership for a great price and I was able to deal it down pretty good. The dealership said the Box was traded in by a couple who's expecting a baby for a SUV back in January. I went in at March and the manager wanted to get the car out of the dealership since it's been in the lot for few months(I guess Box is not a popular car in DC winter).

Ultimate1 got much better deal on warranty than me though. I paid $3,000 for 2 year/24000 miles bumper to bumper coverage but not including wear. I did the PPI after I purchased it (stupid I know, but I had to have the Box after the first test drive) and found RMS had slow leak, clutch needed replacement, and MAF sensor went bad which were covered by warranty and cost $3,200. Buying that warranty was worth every penny.

Should I expect another Boxster owner with DC tag sometime soon? Good luck with finding right Porsche for you.

[rick3000]

I actually got my '99 from carmax. There price was not exactly great, but they have a 3 year 36K warranty that makes buying from them worth it. Essentially the price to buy an aftermarket warranty with another car vs. going with carmax for the car and warranty was cheaper. The warranty was $1100, and they have already spent $5K fixing the car, but to be honest there 125 point inspection sucks they missed some very visible problems, but the warranty made it all worth while.

[humara]

Carmax, they are so friendly and appear to maintain an ikea like warehouse store instead of a shady car dealer. no pressure, no haggling, no heavy handed tactics. What you should realize when buying from carmax though.
1. their no haggle pricing is great only for them. it's the highest of the high price you'd pay for a car in that condition. they make it seem nice and friendly, that you're getting a great price so there is no reason to haggle. actually you are paying the highest price possible.
2. their 125 point inspection takes about 10 minutes for one of their mechanics to do. i don't know about you, but I know I couldn't check a used car out that quickly.
3. financing. same thing. no haggling, no shopping around, you just get the quickest easiest most expensive financing they have.
4. warranties, as far as i could tell, are serviced by them and them only. would you really want your porsche worked on at a carmax? there aren't even really that many carmax locations to go to either.
5. selling a car to carmax. they offer you well below even kbb trade-in value. obviously they have to make a profit, but that is just too much of a price to pay for friendly service and convenience.


so basically, the carmax business model is great for them, because they make as much profit as slimy used car salespeople, but in a happy friendly environment. they take your lunch without you even knowing it.

so ummm, no. i wouldn't buy from carmax. better deals to be had. and better to inspect your potential purchase yourself or by someone you trust. carmax works on moving lots of cars.

[Topless]

I have bought from Carmax with a good experience. Yes they do weed out the lemons pretty well. The experience is fast, low pressure, low risk and you do pay retail. You can find a great car there if you don't have time to look private party. Buying private party is surely cheaper.

[DC1]

I purchased my boxster 2002 at Carmax and have been very happy. I don't recall the exact figures but I have a 5 year extended I think until 95,000 miles and it was like $1600 maybe less (car had 32K). And yes you can take the car anywhere including Porsche. The only difference is if you take it to carmax they waive the $50 deductable. when I purchased I was sent the inspection report and also a report where they sent the car to the local porsche dealership for work prior to my purchase, I think that bill was $3500 from Porsche to Carmax. They also put brand new tires on the car and ordered for me a second key, they even refunded me for purchasing an owners manual after the fact. So yes I have been pleased. I shopped all around and I paid at the time maybe 10% above trade in value and less than suggested retail of KBB, my car also had 18" turbos and the upgraded headlights ( I forget what they are called) but I know those are expensive options. My purchase price if anything was lower than anything I found at a dealer and pretty close to what people were asking private. I did the ppi during my 5 day return period and it came back clean, its been a trouble free year other than a battery. They also did an oil change etc prior to my purchase. Now having said that I was shopping for a used Durango earlier this year, I wanted a 99 or 2000 to use for snowboarding trips etc, carmax had them around $9000 to $10,000. I got mine at a Dodge dealer for less than $7000, pretty big spread so I think you just have to shop around. i think I fell into a good deal with the Poirsche yet i could see how I would have overpaid for the Dodge had I stuck with Carmax. But i must say the carmax experience is wonderful and there is a price for that, to me its worth another 5% or so for the peace of mind and the no pressure/hassle experience. Good luck.