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I sent him 2 Corolla stock numbers I liked and he said, sarcastically, 'Are you sure you want a Corolla, it's not on recall you know' - I had asked about recall and apparently he didn't like the question. I then get a call from Charlie Gates who left a message of 'This is Charlie Gates, I need to know what you are coming to pick up your Camry' I don't know if this is the way he speaks in general but his voice was very commanding as if this Camry is weighing down the lot. I finally go today (eyes still swollen). I called FIRST and asked for Charlie Gates, the lady was extremely snippy and states he is off, do I want his cell phone number. I said no that I was just on my way in. She huffed and stated 'So do you want his cell phone number?!' I advise no again. I called John Moore and he states 'Oh, so you've finally decided to come' which dripped of sarcasm. I get to the facility and am advised by Mitch that John Moore is finishing up a sale and will be with us shortly but he'll take me out to the car. John Moore never made it over to us, he was having a smoke break so obviously he was busy. I don't think it really comes across in this review but everyone was so sarcastic and rude (minus Mitch but I haven't finished the buying from yet so who knows). I'm tempted just to go to a dealer. It's hard to give someone $12K when they act obnoxious. I realize that the end of the month is over and now my sale is unimportant and this will be my last Carmax buying experience and I'll be warning everyone else along the way. :confuse:
Their offer is good only for a 7 day period.. After the 7 days--they may reassess your trade and the number may change..So hopefully you are aware of that ! Good Luck !! :shades:
I don't know about that. I brought my car to be appraised at CarMax becuase I know it's a quick, painless experience. They were very frank with me and told that even though my car was in excellent condition, they were offering me what they thought they could buy it at auction - well-below market.
It's understandable, but I was surprised they do not offer a higher amount, even if I were to buy one of their cars at the same time.
First, I had the funds to purchase the vehicle I ALWAYS wanted, BRAND NEW, CASH MONEY...
I found the vehicle listed online at CarMax in Huston Tx. After about a dozen calls and three days of dealing with
that dealership to get pictures of the described vehicle with no luck, I asked for someone to go out and describe
the vehicle to me, I got two hang-ups from them. I guess they were to busy for a $40,000.00 cash sale. I finally
asked for the GM and DEMANDED the for him to go out to the vehicle and describe it to me since they were "TO
BUSY" to post the pictures.
I liked the vehicle so paid the $599.00 to have it transferred to California. I was told it would take 28 days, FIRM.
I said that was fine, for the funds for the sale were also 28 days out.
It arrived 14 days early and I was treated like I was lying about the funds and was asked for PROOF that the
funds were soon to be available.
I showed the deposit receipt for almost $94,000.00 and the funds would be available in 5 days. I was asked to
give a check and it would be held for the five days and then deposited for the sale of the vehicle. THEY LIED.....
The check was deposited the SAME DAY... and it BOUNCED TO THE MOON and completely RUINED my
vacations because my account was in a multi-thousand dollar NEGATIVE amount... PLUS the day I did pick the
vehicle up it looked like [non-permissible content removed], I asked for it to be detailed and it was nothing more than rinsed off and not even
vacuumed out.
I was then apologized to PROFUSLY and PROMISED it would never happen again and CarMax, I was then
asked to provide a cashiers check for the amount since the check bounced (CarMax's fault). I went to my bank
and acquired the cashiers check as requested.
In the infinite wisdom of CarMax, they REDEPOSITED the check when I had ALREADY taken the funds out in a
cashiers check... SO, this check has now bounced for a second time...
My checking account, for the second time, is now over $50,000.00 over drawn and checks are bouncing all
over the place.
I spent several hours on the phone and at my banks ATM doing damage repair for what CarMax had done to my
account and had to re- deposit the cashiers check to keep other checks from bouncing, namely checks written to
my daughter that they, employed by other banks, had any holds waived. Had these checkes bounced they would
have lost their jobs due to CarMax's stupidity.
CarMax Modesto PROMISES they will reimburse me ALL expenses... BUT what I am saying WHAT ABOUT THE
INCONVIENENCE AND THE DEFIMATION OF CHARACTURE AND THE REPEATED TRIPS TO MY BANK
AND THE "HOURS" SPENT ON THE PHONE WITH MY BANK AND CARMAX FOR THEIR SCEW-UPS?
PLUS, WHAT IF MY DAUGHTEERS HAD LOST THEIR JOBS BECAUSE OF THIS?
Total tally:
Pictures of the truck... three days
Arriving 14 days early and demanding proof of the money...
Received the vehicle looking like [non-permissible content removed]...
CarMax Deposited a check that was supposed to be HELD for five days....
Demanded a Cashiers Check THEN REDEPOSITED THE ORIGINAL CHECK...
Almost causing the termination of my 3 daughters from their jobs as bank tellers...
Can I express how angry I am with CarMax??????????????
Their incompetence is not measurable......
CarMax must start some MAJOR damage control RIGHT NOW!!!!
And then you said you made about a dozen calls but got hung up on twice? What happened the other 10 times you called?
And then you decide you liked the vehicle from what someone described to you over the phone? Couldn't you have just found a different vehicle (same make/model) and looked at that?
You then state you were told the vehicle would be delivered in exactly 28 days.. no more, no less? that it would arrive on exactly the 28th day? I have two problems with this..1.) I doubt any salesperson would promise you an exact arrival date.. I am sure they said "It could take up to 28 days"...this seems more realistic. 2.) It seems like quite a coincidence that the vehicle would be delievered on the same day your fund would be available..
Even if I thought a company was trustworthy and knew they do business well, I would NEVER give someone a $40,000 check and trust them to wait 5 days to deposit it. and i am a little surprised they accepted a personal check for $40,000.
and if you are bringing them back certified funds and they cash the check, that is to the fault of your bank. Certified funds means the funds have been certified and they are made available.
Come on now Mcguiver, please dont take out your lack of sensibility on the public. but please ask yourself one question. Who are you crappin?
Plus he said he was looking for new? Two questions 1.) are there no new car dealerships in his area and 2.) According to Carmax's website there are no new car sales in Texas (Ok thats 1 question and 1 statement).
Something just ain't right with the story.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
I agree. It fails the smell test by a huge margin. Another one post wonder, perhaps?
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
Also any car once registered and titled is used. It can have 400 miles or 4000 miles-once titled it is used.. That is the law..And any unregistered car even with 5000 miles is technically new until titled.. :shades:
1. You say ""Brand New'' --a brand new is just that -a brand new unregistered /untitled car..4600 miles is irrelevant..It is sold as a used car ,so it`s used ,not new. Also what make and model was it?? :confuse:
2.Would take 28 days "FIRM" ..Well,no one can guarantee you get it on the 28th day..It is upto 28 days..So can be 1 day or can be 28 days...you assumed the 28th day as the delivery date..Not so. So if they deliver the car within that time frame they expect the payment too.They have a risk too-they send a 40k car and there is no proof of payment received and your check bounced.So naturally they were probably thinking a scam may have occured.Not sure if you informed carmax about the 28 days stop check.Also you should have informed your bank about this.
3.When the check bounced,you should have called the bank and immediately cancelled it.
4.Why would your daughters lose their jobs b`cos of this??
5. You say -"CarMax Deposited a check that was supposed to be HELD for five days.... ""- so did you inform carmax or the bank about this??
And now regarding how the vehicle was delivered--if it was not cleaned that is just not acceptable. And personally - I would never ever ever buy a used car at carmax!! :shades: Why?? B`cos they are outrageously overpriced.A 1 yr old car is more expensive than a new car sometimes..Just beats me why people pay outrageous prices there.Probably for the convenience of no haggle. Also their reconditioning of a used car is not upto scratch..
No one is bashing up you here. Your story was inconsistent and with inadequate details and that`s why folks here could not help you that much.So my advice now--if it is still within the 5 day period and you are unhappy-just return the car for a full refund..the only thing you lose is the shipping expense..But 40k buys lots of good cars !! :P
That said, I suspect mcguiver1000’s “nightmare” started long before he called CARMAX. A dozen calls? I’m surprised that CARMAX even let him on the lot.
In December, 2007, I purchased a 2006 Lincoln Towncar from CARMAX. Later I noticed that all the windows and, to a lesser extent, the chrome and paint, had what appeared to be water spotting from mineral residue. However, my several efforts to remove the spotting were unsuccessful. Further investigation led me to conclude that the spotting was actually etching from volcanic vog (the car came from Hawaii). (Yeah, I know, I lost of few of you here – goodbye.) I explained my volcanic vog etching theory to the skeptical service manager (and resisted the temptation to posit other, perhaps fanciful, theories concerning how the car may have been exposed to hot, acidic mixtures of foul smelling gases)
who, while maintaining that the condition of the car met CARMAX standards, agreed to accept the car for service. They made a sincere effort that helped, but was partially successful. I appreciated their effort and left feeling that they had been reasonable and tried to be fair.
Well 4,600 miles is used. Its 4-5 months worth of driving. If you want to call that "Brand New" so be it. The fact that it is being sold out of a used car dealer means that it is not "brand new". The fact that you used the term "brand new" led many to believe that it was a fake story seeing that Carmax does not sell "brand new" in Texas.
I want the truck and have the exact amout to pay for it but CarMax keeps screwqing it up and causing problems that are delaying the close of our transaction.
If the transaction isn't closed then just walk away, if you took delivery on the car then the deal is closed (you will have to pay). As others have said if it is within the return period that carmax has then just return the truck and get the you know what out of there.
Now to really make your day, in most states (maybe all) it is illegal to write a check on an account that does not have the funds to cover it. Regardless of any promises to hold a check or the date on the check the law states that that check can be cashed at anytime and its your responsibility if funds are not there.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Stop confusing everyone with facts...
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
For example, it's not specifically illegal to drive with your eyes half shut. But, if you get in a serious accident because you did so and couldn't see properly, you're going to pay the price anyway.
No one around here is defending Carmax, nor is anyone who's responded associated with Carmax. If you'd asked prior to purchase whether your purchasing plan was a good one, everyone here would've told you to wait, and that your best bet would've been to purchase locally as well, just because most of us are aware that problems like this can occur with complicated financial transactions that also involve shipping a vehicle - it's usually best avoided unless absolutely necessary.
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Although I feel majority of this issue is caused by you not accepting reality, it doesn't change the fact that you do not feel comfortable with Carmax. So hopefully you consider your current emotional state before continuting with the transaction.
In regards to new or used cars..even BRAND NEW cars have a few miles on them, but 4k+ miles is not brand new. 4k miles could be considered a relatively new car, a used car, a broken in car, a vehicle with very little wear and tear on it..umm yea..really anything but BRAND NEW.
and I am also confused by how your daughters were involved..
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DON'T BUY FROM CARMAX.
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And that means what? They can get fired for something someone else does?
not to mention my own bank said it is leagal.
What was legal? Writing the check without funds to cover it? If so they are wrong.
What CarMAx I had was a VERBAL contract which is binding in California as if it were in paper format.
What are you considering a verbal contract?
So, I now have a vehicl listed thru DMV as legally mine and CarMax did not get a penny. Now, if CarMAx does the right thing and compensates me for their stupidity I will pay for the vehicle.
You might be getting yourself in trouble. Pay for the car you can always remedy things later. You don't want to get yourself in trouble to prove a point.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
Oil change, floor mats,Car Max cap or cash?
Maybe a few extra license plate frames... :P :P :P
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
It is one thing to be unhappy with your own buying experience because you choose to ignore facts and reality. But don't advise others to avoid an buying experience that any normal, sane person would enjoy.
As snakeweasel mentioned, it is not legal for you to withhold payment for the car and expect to get it for free because the transaction hasn't gone as you wanted it to. You are obligated to pay for the vehicle per the terms of the contract. Failing to do so will NOT "show" Carmax anything - it will only result in you landing in legal hot water. It is possible that Carmax would report the car as having been stolen if you do not pay for it. I doubt that you would consider fighting that legal battle worth the effort.
What is it that you seek by way of compensation for the vehicle's condition? Pay for the car, and then if they have failed to fulfill the terms of the contract, take them to small claims court. That seems to be your only LEGAL recourse, and I'm assuming that you're not prepared to go to jail over this deal.
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Lets look at the numbers 1.)your new story about your daughters is more idiotic than the initial statement you made about it. 2.) Banks do not break policies for workers. Unless this bank doesn't really exist.. Which might actually make sense with the way your story is told. 3.) Why are your daughters spending money that isn't available?
Good luck to carmax. looks like they have their hands full..
I purchased my car and on the way home I received a chip in the windshield from an 18 wheeler. Yes I know, the dreaded "Chip before I could get insurance on it" line, but it actually happened to me. My former insurance agent refused to cover it, and shortly after (Within a week or so) the car started making a scratching/grinding sound every time I would shift into 5th gear. Now greatly displeased I called CarMax about my problems and this was the resolution I received. I was told to bring the car in and have it tested for defects. I followed instructions and there was literally NO HASSLE about anything. They were more than happy to help and apologized greatly for any inconvenience that this might have caused me. Also I was given a loaner car while they fixed my old one. I didn't pay a dime for this car and it was comparable to the car I had purchased. (So if you bring in a Camaro, they will most likely give you a Mustang as a loaner) I was without my car for 2 weeks while it was being fixed. After it was fixed I checked the paper work and the repairs totaled well over $5,000. All Paid For By Them. They admitted it was their mistake and that they should have caught it before selling me the car, etc. Overly apologetic and I never paid one dime for my troubles, oh and did I mention they also fixed my rock chip? Even sent me home with a full tank of gas after the entire ordeal. One last thing, I did purchase the extended warranty with my car, but due to the 30 day (I think it's 30) warranty that basically explains "If anything breaks within 30 days of your car's purchase date we'll fix it" I would have still gotten my car repaired totally for free even without the additional warranty I purchased. Thanks for such a pleasant buying experience CarMax.
Just think about the fact that you might pay a tad more, or get a tad less for your vehicle when you purchase/sell to them, but that number is going to be very close to what any dealership with a realistic goal of the price they can get out of your car will be. In the end, even if you don't receive the absolute best price, the fact that they give no hassles on anything and treat you wonderful makes up for that in my mind. Ask yourself, would the dealer I purchased the above car from have made the necessary repairs for free? Even if it cost them 5k out of their pocket? Mine did. I have since referred family members to purchase their vehicles from CarMax as well and they have also only had great experiences from the professional sales staff and business office staff.
Great Carmax took car of you, but many dealerships have the 30 day warranty on used cars. That's what came with my 5 year old Buick Regal when I bought it.... though I think it only covered 50% of any repair.
From what I've read here, typically Carmax will give you a bit more for your trade-in than what a dealership would, and as you stated, charge you a bit more for the cars they sell.
My thoughts exactly...
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport; 2020 C43; 2021 Sahara 4xe 1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica Wife's: 2015 X1 xDrive28i Son's: 2009 328i; 2018 330i xDrive
I took the FJ to my trusted-neighborhood 4-wheel drive specialists and asked them to give it a used-car inspection. The inspection revealed that one of the front tire bearings was shot and the FJ's rear-end was shot! Fortunately, both items were covered under Toyota's 5 Year/60K mile powertrain warranty.
My Point: Don't believe car dealers' pitch that they do a multi-point inspection to assure that your vehicle will provide years of trouble free service. As I described, my FJ was "good enough" for CarMax even though it had a bad front wheel bearing and rear-end. I bought it in February 2010 and it already has about $2,500 in warranty repairs.
Their offer came in lower that I wanted, but I might have been willing to modify my expectations based on the fact that they could buy 'right now'.
Based on their inventory, they would have asked about a 50% premium over what their offer was.
Is their offer negotiable or is the number 'the number'?
A 50% margin was just too much.
Also,their offer is non negotiable-- both the selling price or the trade in price. Their trade in price is a confirmed written offer valid for 7 days at any Carmax dealership.
They are looking sell cars, not buy them, so in this market I can see them offering under the real value.
They could then wholesale it and make money.
I just wasn't sure if that was their final answer.
Carmax USED to a good place to sell a car as they would give you KBB / Edmunds trade in or even private party for your car. That was then they first opened around here - then they got smart and starting getting cars from the local auto auctions and would only give auction money offers for your car. So any time lately they have looked at a car of mine or a friend's car they would offer what they can get the same car for at auction - which is a pretty low-ball price and well below values shown online. Normally, you could "trade in" a car and get more for it - but it depends on the car and what you are trading for. If it is not something the dealer wants to put on their lot and sell, then they too will offer you auction money for it.
My wife was tired of filling up her guzzling Honda Pilot but we had a few months left on the lease. The online trade values showed more value than current lease payoff so I figured I would give Carmax a shot. I figured auction money would be close enough to payoff to let the car go so we could get something else w/o having to stay in the lease. I also did a Carmax nation-wide search for the year and model and found similar vehicles with similar miles and they were offered for sale at prices much higher than lease buyout.
Well, I guess Pilots are hot sellers as the offer came back nearly $2k more than payoff! We cleaned the car out and let them have it :surprise: . My wife misses the space of the 3 row SUV, but is getting 43-45 mpg in her new Prius and loves it.
Carmax offered her Pilot on their site about 2 weeks later (once the title came in from AHFC) for nearly $5,000 more than they gave us. They marked it down a couple of times and sold it (or auctioned it) in a few weeks. Last listed price was about $4k more than they paid us for it. I was happy with $2k over lease buyout, so more power to them if they made more off of the Pilot. I shopped it at a couple of Toyota dealers and the best offer was $750 or so less than Carmax paid. One note: they listed her Pilot as AWD when it as a FWD model. Could have been a mistake in the listing OR at appraisal time. So perhaps we made a profit due to them thinking incorrectly it was AWD? A quick check would show you it was not (I can tell w/o getting out of the vehicle) AND the original window sticker was in the glove box.
That worked out so well I let them appraise my G37. They did not offer me a $2k over lease buy out, but a price really close to buy out. So again I took them up on the offer and sold them the car so I could get me something new. They offered the G online in a couple of weeks for about $3,000 more than they paid me and later dropped the price to $2,500 over before they sold it (or auctioned it). I was surprised that the mark up on the Pilot was so much more than the G37, but again I got a fair price - my best other offer on a trade was $3k under the Carmax offer.
Both of the cars I sold them were under full warranty and were "like new". The Pilot had normal miles for a 3 year old car, the G37 was really low miles - both were clearly nice enough for them to sell (or try to sell) on their lot after purchasing them. Maybe that accounted for the "nice" appraisal prices I got?
The one dark cloud on the whole deal is the contract you have to sign when selling them a car. I never saw that until I did the first deal and if you read it (and you should) it is TOTALLY in Carmax's favor. For any reason and at any time they can call off the deal - even if they have paid off your loan / lease. If they do, then you have to pay them back the money they gave you (if any) AND repay the amount they paid out to pay off the car. I am sure the language is in place in case your title never comes in, or has more liens on it that you disclosed, or comes back salvage or rebuild even though Autocheck / Carfax say the VIN is clean. But it COULD be used for any reason to let Carmax unwind the deal. Ask them and they say "it never happens" unless the car turns out to be stolen or something. Also, they pay you with a bank draft, not a check. You have to deposit it and (depending on your account and bank) wait for Carmax to decide to honor it or not.
If you owe more than the offer you can pay Carmax to buy the car from you, but (get this) they only take CASH or certified funds. No personal checks (over $250) and no credit cards.
Ironic, isn't it? There is no way they would sell you a car under the terms they impose when they BUY your car.
In my case, both worked out just fine so I will change my Carmax "sell us your car" recommendation from "don't bother" to "worth a shot". If you go in during a slow time you can be in and out in under an hour, easy - so may be worth your time. Do a nationwide search on Carmax and find cars just like yours and what they are asking for them. Figure $3-5k UNDER that number is what they will be offering you - as long as your car is like new and clear Autocheck. If they make you an acceptable offer, have them give you a copy of the contract for you to read over and study at leisure to see if you can live with the terms - then decide if you want to sell to Carmax or not.
Keep in mind if you own or finance (rather than lease) your car there is a trade in tax credit in most states. Assuming you are not going to buy an overpriced Carmax car, take this into account when judging the offer. If taxes were 7%, for example, an offer from Carmax of $20,000 for your car would be the same a trading it toward your new car and getting $18,692 for it when counting the trade in tax savings. If leasing, it does not matter (most all states) so just take the best offer.
I would normally sell a car via private sale, but in this case, the car had not been reliable, and I would have been hard pressed to tell someone that it was.
Like you, I got stuck with a bank draft. It took 10 full business days to clear it from my bank, and they said they HAD had cases where Carmax pulled the money back, so they wouldn't release it to me until the full 10 days had passed. I believe there was a Monday bank holiday in there someplace, so it felt like three weeks before I got my money.
As you've shown, it pays to see what they'll offer you for a car. Congrats!
I know Carmax customers want to have a pleasant, no haggle buying experience but surely they can operate a computer or pick up a paper and see the same cars selling for less elsewhere? Heck, often the CM price is about the same as a NEW car price. The they must be doing it right as they are still around and sell lots of cars to lots of folks. And I thank them for being able to sell for "too much" which let them pay me "enough" for mine...
I really don't see it as a reason to distrust their mechanics.
2011 Hyundai Sonata, 2014 BMW 428i convertible, 2015 Honda CTX700D
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