Carmax Corvette
Drifting
Joined: Apr 2000
Posts: 1,655
Likes: 15
From: Jeffersonville In
Cruise-In I Veteran
Cruise-In II Veteran
Cruise-In III Veteran
Buying from Forum members
My experience in dealing with forum members is. They are very knowlegible about their cars. Once the car has been listed on here for at least a couple of weeks to a month, the owner gets a touch of reality and the price of the car becomes more negotible.
I flew 350 miles to Cleveland on one car and 800 miles to Raleigh for the second. Had great drives home on both ocasions. My first choice is to deal with a forum member.
I flew 350 miles to Cleveland on one car and 800 miles to Raleigh for the second. Had great drives home on both ocasions. My first choice is to deal with a forum member.
Race Director
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 13,913
Likes: 101
From: Manassas VA
NoVa Events Coordinator
St. Jude Donor '14
I've bought 2 cars from carmax and sold them 4. The first car was a 99 corvette back in 2001 and I returned it because after having it checked out it appeared to have flood damage. For example I noticed the speaker grills were rusted and there was rusted interior screws. Other issues.
Second car i bought i found out a year later it had been hit in the rear. Car wasn't repaired properly and I to pay to make it right.
Clean carfax on both cars.
My suggestion is if you buy a car there have it check the very next day. You have 5 days to take it back.
The clean, no damage car policy is BULL SHER$@(@#$*@#$
PERIOD...
Second car i bought i found out a year later it had been hit in the rear. Car wasn't repaired properly and I to pay to make it right.
Clean carfax on both cars.
My suggestion is if you buy a car there have it check the very next day. You have 5 days to take it back.
The clean, no damage car policy is BULL SHER$@(@#$*@#$
PERIOD...
Race Director
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 13,913
Likes: 101
From: Manassas VA
NoVa Events Coordinator
St. Jude Donor '14
I just bought a new 2011 and checkout carmax for giggles before I made my purchase. both C6s on the dulles VA lot were crap. the Red Z06 had a scratch on the nav screen, interior trim coming off... The second vette I don't remember what was wrong with it but after looking at the Z06 I said I've had enough of carmax.
Burning Brakes
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 1,171
Likes: 4
From: Columbia Maryland
Like someone else said here before, a year ago CarMax had good prices, but since then, they are overpriced. When I bought my SRX, I checked out their prices and inventory for months and found one that I liked everything about it except the price. It was above the average retail based on info KBB (as were all the SRX's that I had looked at). It was a 2007 with 26K on it, loaded and they were selling it for $31,000, but should have been priced closer to $28,000. I found that CarMax was selling SRX's around the same price that Cadillac dealers were selling Certified Pre-Owned. The kicker is buying the CPO from Cadillac extends the warranty to 6-years 100K miles. Not sure what the CarMax warranty is, but its no where this long. I ended up buying from a dealer an almost dentical 2008 with 36K miles priced for $26,500 (but was not CPO). The dealer also gave me 15% more for my trade-in than CarMax offered. IMHO the only thing CarMax is good for is finding the right kind of car to buy (because of their vast selection of vehicles), the highest price to pay for it, and the lowest price to accept for your trade.
Tolero Apto Victum
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 9,669
Likes: 37
From: Woodlands TX
Hey, I'm new to the forum and am looking to buy my first Corvette. I'm looking for a 2008 or newer manual tranny C6. Has anyone ever bought a Corvette from Carmax? If so, what was your experience. I'm debating between buying from a dealer, preferably Certified Pre-owned, or from Carmax. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks!
If you find a Vet that you like, have it checked out by an independent mechanic that you trust. Good luck with your purchase and welcome to the forum.
Tolero Apto Victum
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 9,669
Likes: 37
From: Woodlands TX
I got mine at Carmax, and I liked the haggle/hassle free experience, especially since I had a trade-in. Every dealer I went to tried to screw me over bigtime, and I just got sick of wasting my weekends negotiating ridiculous offers.
I also liked the 10 day no-questions-asked return policy. The day I bought it I took it to my mechanic to have it checked out. Turned out everything was in order, but it's nice to have that option.
Don't expect them to know the first thing about the car though.
If you don't have a trade-in, cash in hand, and have the time to haggle you can probably get a better deal at a dealer. If not, Carmax is a decent alternative imo.
I also liked the 10 day no-questions-asked return policy. The day I bought it I took it to my mechanic to have it checked out. Turned out everything was in order, but it's nice to have that option.
Don't expect them to know the first thing about the car though.
If you don't have a trade-in, cash in hand, and have the time to haggle you can probably get a better deal at a dealer. If not, Carmax is a decent alternative imo.
I am good at many things, but haggling for a lower price is not one of them.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 5,606
Likes: 88
From: Sammamish WA
I have no experience with CarMax, but from the posts on this thread, it sounds as though you should be cautious. IMO you should be cautious in that anything you consider either be supported by complete service records or, better yet, with a buyer's pre-inspection.
IMO the best Corvettes, along with Porsches, Ferraris, Yugos, Renault Fuegos and any other exotic car, change hands privately, like on this forum. You may want to consider posting your interest in the appropriate regional forum and see what happens.
You're getting some good advice from other people who have posted.
Good luck... Happy Hunting Oh, and as an '07 owner, don't overlook the relatively bargain prices available on the LS2 cars.
IMO the best Corvettes, along with Porsches, Ferraris, Yugos, Renault Fuegos and any other exotic car, change hands privately, like on this forum. You may want to consider posting your interest in the appropriate regional forum and see what happens.
You're getting some good advice from other people who have posted.
Good luck... Happy Hunting Oh, and as an '07 owner, don't overlook the relatively bargain prices available on the LS2 cars.
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Race Director
Joined: Feb 2010
Posts: 11,666
Likes: 362
From: Canyon Country, California
I shopped Carmax and ended up buying at a Chevy dealer a 2900mi GM certified for a few thousand less than any comparable Carmax cars, mostly with lots more miles.
Do the research, know what you want to spend, look at cars and be ready to walk away.
Sure I haggled but I also said I had 5 more cars to look at. Let them know you are ready to buy...just a matter of where. What ever you do dont let them waste your time. It took me 2hrs. to make my deal and drive away.
Good luck.
Do the research, know what you want to spend, look at cars and be ready to walk away.
Sure I haggled but I also said I had 5 more cars to look at. Let them know you are ready to buy...just a matter of where. What ever you do dont let them waste your time. It took me 2hrs. to make my deal and drive away.
Good luck.
Burning Brakes
Joined: Nov 2009
Posts: 846
Likes: 3
From: Las Vegas NV
Bought my Vette at Carmax, no pressure sales and they had what I was looking for cheaper then dealers. 5 day money back....took it to the Chevy dealer had the history and vehicle checked out...good experience.
Heel & Toe
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 20
Likes: 0
From: Reno NV
I would avoid buying from them if you can.
if you do I would get it checked out. In California store Roseville they would'nt return calls for warranty work I even went to corporate; Long story I will spare you. If you dont have any problems its fine, but if you have problems within the 30 days of thier warranty you will be regretting buying from them, how do I know that!
I have been watching them lately and you can get a better deal elsewhere.
if you do I would get it checked out. In California store Roseville they would'nt return calls for warranty work I even went to corporate; Long story I will spare you. If you dont have any problems its fine, but if you have problems within the 30 days of thier warranty you will be regretting buying from them, how do I know that!
I have been watching them lately and you can get a better deal elsewhere.
Intermediate
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 32
Likes: 0
From: Olathe Kansas
I bought my '06 through Carmax, but only because it was the only vehicle within reasonable distance that had the color/option combination I wanted. I figure I paid about a grand more than I might have otherwise.
My only concern is that the water pump was leaking and they claimed to have completed a 132-point inspection which included the water pump. I didn't notice this until after the 3-day return period. I opted to have it replaced at the local dealer with a good reputation rather than having Carmax's wrench jockeys work on it. Likely would have been covered under warranty but I just didn't trust them to touch it.
My only concern is that the water pump was leaking and they claimed to have completed a 132-point inspection which included the water pump. I didn't notice this until after the 3-day return period. I opted to have it replaced at the local dealer with a good reputation rather than having Carmax's wrench jockeys work on it. Likely would have been covered under warranty but I just didn't trust them to touch it.
Racer
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 353
Likes: 0
From: Belleville IL
I bought my 06 C6 Z06 from Carmax. I traded in my pristine 06 Evo IX MR with 22k miles for my current Z with 23k miles at the time.
I was not a fan of dealing with Carmax in any way, shape, or form as I had verified I had LoJack installed, but Carmax insisted that they could not at least transfer, or match the price for installation.
Overall I will never, EVER deal with Carmax again. The process of purchasing the vehicle was simple and easy, but wow they are a bunch of jerks from my experience. If you get a good deal with your trade-in and a great deal on the car you intend to buy, do it. I wouldn't expect much from them, though..the salesperson had no idea about the car, other than that it was just another car.
They also test drove my car without my approval, to make the transition that much easier. I was pretty livid about that.
I was not a fan of dealing with Carmax in any way, shape, or form as I had verified I had LoJack installed, but Carmax insisted that they could not at least transfer, or match the price for installation.
Overall I will never, EVER deal with Carmax again. The process of purchasing the vehicle was simple and easy, but wow they are a bunch of jerks from my experience. If you get a good deal with your trade-in and a great deal on the car you intend to buy, do it. I wouldn't expect much from them, though..the salesperson had no idea about the car, other than that it was just another car.
They also test drove my car without my approval, to make the transition that much easier. I was pretty livid about that.
Drifting
Joined: Oct 2009
Posts: 1,599
Likes: 22
From: Whittier CA
I sold my car there prior to buying my new Corvette. I was pleased with the experience and they gave me $1500 more than the GM dealership would. I agree that if I had privately sold the vehicle, I probably would have gotten a little more, but to me it's not worth the hassle.
Good luck!
Good luck!
Racer
Joined: Dec 2010
Posts: 418
Likes: 0
From: South Central Kansas
Got my 2006 3LT Coupe from Carmax in Wichita, Kansas in late January. The Vette was priced several thousand under KBB retail (prices have come up since then). They low balled me a little on the 2007 BMW Z4 I traded in, but they were only low by $1000 - $1500 and they didn't notice they were going to have to put new run flats on it. The Vette with 20,000 miles was in perfect condition. I have had zero issues with it. Bottom line.... it doesn't make any difference where you buy a used car as they ALL need to be checked out. I would buy from Carmax again if they had the vehicle I was looking for and it checked out. I do miss haggling though.
Bob
Bob
