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This is my first post, looking for advice. It's a long one, but I appreciate you reading thru it.
My whole life I've always wanted a corvette. I always stop to check them out when one drives past.
For the last several years I've owned two cars.. a practical 'mom' SUV and BMW sedan. I've decided to sell the sedan to get something more fun.
I've used carmax in the past and have had good experiences for the most part. I was looking 'for fun' on the app and came across this corvette across the country in Nevada. It's an '09 with 48k miles and $24k. Clean autocheck with no accidents, but multiple owners (which I know is normal for a vette) and originally from California. Nothing fancy, just a base lt1 model with an auto transmission. Black with blacked out back lights and aftermarket wheels. I called that location to ask some questions about it, and everything sounded good. The only thing the guy said was that the drivers seat was 'broken down' and was going to be replaced, but that didn't sound too bad. So I paid the $949 transfer fee to get it shipped to me and waited a month.
It finally came in and it looked good and drove well to me. The drivers seat did feel a bit broken down, but the salesperson assured me it would be replaced after I purchased. I did notice that the steering wheel was making a noise when i was making a turn, but again the salesperson assured me it was because it wasn't driven for a month while it was being transferred. Also the roof made a creaking noise when I was driving down the road, but I figured that was normal with a targa top. So I went ahead with the trade in and purchase.
The very first thing I did was drive it across the street to the chevy dealer to get it checked out. I paid their fee for a complete check of the car.
So here's where it gets interesting. I go to pick it up and the first thing the tech tells me is that the airbags have been disabled. So Carmax sold me a car with no working airbags. They said the airbag connection is under the drivers seat, which they also said was broken down and needed replacing.
Then he hands me a sheet with $4k in repairs that it needed... mostly having to do with oil leaks and he did say there was a power steering leak as well (which was the noise from the steering wheel). Also he said that the targa top needs to be lubricated to stop making that creaking noise. So right back to Carmax I go with the car.
It sat there for 3 days before I got a call from a carmax tech that left me a message to say that there are other cars in front of me for service and it's going to be a few more days before they can get to it. That annoyed me since I literally just purchased the car, but I guess it was ok. Then the next day they call to tell me that there was no leak and it was fluid left over from when a previous leak was repaired, so they aren't going to fix any of that. They did say that they were going to replace the interior cushioning of the seat, but not the seat itself. And then said apparently the padding under the seat was what broke the airbag connector and said that the airbags were working even though it was disconnected. (Which wasn't true because I called chevy back to talk with them in detail and they said that was a total lie. Once they are disabled they will not work) They also said they have to order the lubricant for the top.
It's been over one week since I purchased this car and have not been able to drive it. I still have no idea how much longer it will be until they get all of this 'fixed'. I called carmax corporate, but they are of no help whatsoever.
So here I am with the decision to just wipe my hands of this and return the car, but they will not refund my $949 transfer fee, which I am not happy about. Or keep waiting in hopes that all of this will be fixed and I can enjoy my new car. I know there are tons of other corvettes out there for sale, but they all seem to be a few thousand more and aren't the color that I want.
It sounds a bit sketchy to me that the airbags were disabled. Their free autocheck says it checks out with no accidents, but why would someone disable the airbags or could it really have been the cushion that did it?
What would you guys do?
Lubricating the top is a $10 grease. The seat cushion replacement I think was under $100. The only thing concerning me are the leaks found. Can you please post the report from chevrolet so we can see what it says exactly, thanks.
I'm not a fan of carmax...never really found a good deal there. Unless they fix everything on the list i would walk if its possible. The 949 might be cheap in the long run. another option might be them offering you a full bumper to bumper warranty, might give you some peace of mind if something does happen.
Lubricating the top is a $10 grease. The seat cushion replacement I think was under $100. The only thing concerning me are the leaks found. Can you please post the report from chevrolet so we can see what it says exactly, thanks.
Thank you so much for your reply. This is the print out that chevy gave me. But carmax swears up and down that there are no leaks, as they said they have some sort of special liquid they put thru the system to check it out and it checks out.
I did buy the extended warranty that they offer for peace of mind, as this was another reason for going with carmax.
Carmax guarantee
All of our used cars are CarMax Quality Certified and come with a free vehicle history and safety recall report, 5-Day Money-Back Guarantee, and 30-Day Limited Warranty (60-Day in CT, MN, and RI; 90-Day in GA, MA, NJ, and NY).
They soured your buying experience from them, that’s too bad and they lied. Good luck, hopefully you can get back the transfer fee.
Thank you so much for your reply. This is the print out that chevy gave me. But carmax swears up and down that there are no leaks, as they said they have some sort of special liquid they put thru the system to check it out and it checks out.
I did buy the extended warranty that they offer for peace of mind, as this was another reason for going with carmax.
Thanks for posting that. I wish they were a little more clear as to what was being done. "Replace steering gear" sounds like a big one on that list. This is usually a $1500 repair, true. Some of the other stuff happens. The oil pan sometimes leaks on c6's. Now the front crank seal is an interesting one. C6's are known for wobbling harmonic balancers. I would check to see what kind of condition it is in. If it is in fact wobbling or making noise, I would not take the car back until they replaced/fixed it on their dime. See video below for example. It is a $1000-1200 repair.
Return it now and stop thinking about this one. Take the loss and move on with the knowledge you gained from this experience. There's absolutely no reason to keep it unless you're totally fine with spending the money to fix what's wrong with it but $4k+ is a lot worse than just $949. And I sure would not buy a car that had the airbags disabled. No telling what happened and why as well as if they'll ever work when really needed. That alone would preclude me from keeping it.
Next car, have it inspected BEFORE you buy it. That in itself will be a few hundred bucks probably but that would be money well spent.
Yes, return it now and look for a better one. It IS out there.
Thank you all for your replies! The only thing keeping me thinking twice about it is the price and miles, but it does seem crazy to go thru all of this.. for a newly purchased car to automatically be in the shop before I can drive it.
If the car wasn’t as advertised you can get the transfer fee refunded even though they say it’s non-refundable. Went through carmax last year on a Zo6 and got all of my $ back. Way too many C6s out there to bother with this one let alone pay a $1k to have one transferred.
I hate to hear of your troubles with your first Vette. I’d say you could find a similar price and year C6 out there with maybe even fewer miles with less troubles. There are many garage queen C6’s looking for good homes. I’ve been lucky enough to find two in the last 5 years. Best of luck to you!
First of all, welcome to the Forum. You'll find the best advise and friends here...
Originally Posted by Celticknot
Get your money back. There are plenty straight cars for sale on this forum alone.
Originally Posted by slow_zo6
If the car wasn’t as advertised you can get the transfer fee refunded even though they say it’s non-refundable. Went through carmax last year on a Zo6 and got all of my $ back. Way too many C6s out there to bother with this one let alone pay a $1k to have one transferred.
As many have said, I'd just kick them in the ***** and get my money back. Yeah, make some noise and take it up the food chain. Get your money back, since it was "FALSE" Advertisement, and basically a conned you into it. Yes, there are tons of C6s here for Sale on the Forum. I bought mine cross country, paid for it without looking at it. The seller was good in explaining details, photos, inspection reports, etc. People on the forum usually won't cheat you.
Honestly, If I have a sour feeling about the car, I'll walk away, even at losing $950.
Originally Posted by J3TVETTE
Lubricating the top is a $10 grease. The seat cushion replacement I think was under $100. The only thing concerning me are the leaks found. Can you please post the report from chevrolet so we can see what it says exactly, thanks.
BUT...But, looking at the FIXES, it seems some of the items are not clearly explained, like the steering gear thing... Have the dealer provide you with a DETAILED report, so you can take that up with Carmax; and also, contact a local Indy to see what they'll charge for the repairs. ADD it up and see how much you're paying for the car. (My guess is with the Tax, DMV fee, Dealer fees, etc..etc in addition to the car's price, you'll be paying a lot more than if you were to buy on the forum or carguru, etc) Just have it inspected BEFORE you buy, not after.
We don't know the price and other details about the car, so in the end, if it suits your budget (after repairs out of pocket), keep it. OR Walk away now!
As others have mentioned, return the car and get your money back. Be patient, you’ll find the right car for you but make sure you have it inspected before buying.
Agree with most, return it & be a real PITA to get ALL your money back. Lesson learned! If a Vette is on your bucket list, then find one here, there's plenty & probably much better taken care of.
07-06-2018, 08:32 PM
New owner here.. what would you do?
