csvette8

Hello,

I went to checkout a 08' z06 16k miles at Carmax this afternoon. I did notice a few things and I wanted your thoughts.

It drove beautifully.
There was a slight suspension type rattle/noise going over bumps in the parking lot. It might've been something in the trunk. Is this normal?
Under the hood, I noticed a yellow oxidization by the header. Might be the from a crummy engine detail. (see below)
The clutch fluid was quite dark, but I heard this could be normal if it hasn't been recently swapped out.
Oil level was at the top third dot.
Noticed a sizzling sound from the engine. Like when your cooking meat on the bbq and the fat drops to the flame.

I would get the MaxCare warranty for $1,500 (75k/6 year). There is a 5 day cooling off period and I could have the car inspected and if anything, I could bring the car back for a refund.

If you guys can give any advice or insight, I would love to hear it. I'm considering it buying it.

armybyrd

Hey man just bought mine from carmax Thursday after waiting a few weeks. I got the 75k/60 month warranty. The saleslady assured me this warranty covers anything engine related and I even told her about the ls7 valve guide problem.
after some issues the saleslady told me it was finally ready. after getting there first thing I noticed was they had mounted a front license bracket on the car which wasn't in the pictures. also the ad said it had 2 new tires-i just checked and all 4 are dated 2015, all Goodyears but the fronts are a different tread from the back. Also right away I noticed my drivers headlight had a big gap. Had to make an appointment for this Monday to get the headlight adjusted(lady brought a tech out who said the car was bumped in the parking lot and the headlight isn't installed correctly.)
Also my battery is an advanced auto battery which they didn't bother to bolt the hold down on.
One more thing-i noticed my drivers rocker has a hole from someone most likely jacking it up in the wrong spot.
I'll admit I was really excited to get the car and it was in the evening when I got it but at Monday's appointment if they don't take care of all the issues I'll be leaving it there.
Sorry for the long read but to sum it up-make sure you check the car out really well!

csvette8

Hey there, thanks for sharing your experience. I don't really like the idea of CarMax folks even touching the car. The sales lady escorting outside the parking lot stalled the car a couple of times because she was riding the clutch in 2nd gear.

I plan to take whatever car I get to American Heritage for a full inspection and to check out the heads. Jake over there has been very helpful with some questions I had about the above concerns. I don't think with 16K miles with one owner, much could be wrong with it.

On the one I'm looking at the license plate was sitting with the salesperson.

The tires are Pilot Super Sports and looked fine. I didn't see a year/date on them. But, I didn't notice any uneven wear.

I'll check the jack points and battery just in case now . Thanks.

Unreal

How was oil checked? It shouldn't even show on the dipstick if checked cold. You need to follow the manual. If it shows that cold it is VERY overfilled.

Rear clunk is probably axle nuts or end links. Common and should be inspected/replaced as soon as you get the car.

As for the goop on the headers, could be anything. Pop the coil overs and inspect better for leaks.

csvette8

Oil was checked warm, after about 20 minutes of hard driving.

Thanks for the info.

NmtMev

I can for certain say that I will not purchase a car from carmax without a proper independent inspection. The best thing about carmax is that 5 day return policy.

I purchased a 2014 Mitsubishi Evo X with 7000 miles on it. Car was super clean. I made a mistake and went against my best judgement and purchased the vehicle and just took a quick look around before I did so. The front right suspension control arm broke on me while I was exiting out of a parking lot 2 days after purchase. I took it to my mechanic and this is the list he found with some serious digging.

All 4 corners were replaced with coilovers then returned to stock with the stock front right control arm probably cracked.

turbo, downpipe, exhaust were all removed from the car and replaced back to stock.

underneath car heat shield cut and modified.

intercooler/all piping removed and reinstalled to stock.

Car was flashed and tuned ( obviously because of said mods)

even though the car was returned back to stock form and traded into carmax, there was no guarantee the owner flashed the stock map back on the car.

also if the suspension didn't break and I blew the motor later down the line . Mitsubishi would not honor the warranty because of previously flashed ECU.

with all that said, it was on a tow truck and dropped back off to carmax on the 3rd day. Full refund, but I insisted they keep my trade in vehicle which they did.

They really were trying to persuade us to let them try to find us another car and we politely declined several times. (Like 10 times)

so note to self. Before I purchased my next car from another dealer (same car) went right back to my mechanic on a lift. This one checked out and was unmolested.

same with my used 16 stingray. It also checked out.

just my experience with carmax 😁😁😁😁

B Mac

My buddy worked for CarMax a few years back. He was the auto body guy. Your Evo was traded in with the mods I’m sure. CarMax’s policy is all cars leave their parking lot in stock form. My buddy said they remove aftermarket entertainment centers in suv’s amd chuck them in the trash. Trucks with toppers. Toppers get scrapped. The remove anything and everything that wasn’t sold from the factory. They don’t sell it either they junk it.

B Mac

Did you have the AC on. If so. The sizzling drops is the sweat(humidity) dripping from the AC system.

atljar

You couldnt pay me to buy a car from carmax. Working in the automotive world, everyone of their cars that comes in the door is a giant POS with prior major bodywork, waterleaks and problems that no one could fix so the car was traded in to carmax. F that. JMHO!

Mordeth

The rattle could be loose lug nuts, loose axle nuts, loose end links, loose battery, faulty shock, loose exhaust hangar or just something bouncing around the hatch.

I wouldn't worry about the oxidation.

Most Vette owners have no idea about swapping clutch fluid. It could even be the original stuff. Normal. Just Ranger method it if you buy it. As long as the clutch shifts well and pedal doesn't stick it isn't an issue.

Was the A/C on? Sizzling is likely the air conditioning condenser dripping water onto the exhaust pipes. Normal. If the A/C wasn't running and you hear sizzling then there could be another issue. Most likely though it was water and is normal.

The bigger issue is buying a car from Carmax. They let almost any idiot drive their cars, beat on them etc. The lot monkeys and sales people have no clue how to drive or deal with a high horsepower, high revving, manual transmission street legal race car. Unless I got a killer deal with a warranty I would run, not walk away. Better to buy from a private owner, where you get a history of the car and are dealing with the person who actually drove and took care of it. Not a car that was dumped off at this revolving door car mill.

NmtMev

I wouldn't doubt it. Luckily I gave it back in time.... super lucky. We suspect it was a "shop car" or a tester car they abused, once they were done with it they bolted all the old **** back on and got rid of it.

I was really lucky to find another one, i called around and some dude just traded his in to SC Mitsu for a 15 MR (paddle shift auto). It was still sitting there the same way he left it. The did 0 detail to it. I got it for a better price than I did the other broken one. I took it as it. Reliable car, never failed me.

carmax is good for car that people don't modify like your run of the mill honda, Toyota or ford eco boxes. I'd buy one of those but never again a sports car. Ever. Ever. Ever.

cseaman

This thread is weird. People trade problematic cars into EVERY type of dealer. I dunno why you all act like it's something CarMax is actively hunting out.

Get the car checked out independently, and don't rush the purchase. Don't buy if it has issues. Buy if it doesn't. Pay for the warranty if you plan to keep it stock and want the peace of mind about LS7 heads.

Unreal

Carmax is no worse than other places.

Friend got a vette there recently. Turned out it was a race car with no warranty (2016 c7). Was a Ron Fellows school car for first 12 months and 10k miles. When he took it in for a CE light the dealer told him. Went to carmax next day, told them, and they did a full buy back, including tax/registration/etc, no questions asked, no hassle (that was after owning the car for 6 months).

csvette8

I really appreciate everyones input. I'm not rushing into it. I have talked to some private party folks and even then I feel like they could be a bit shady too.

I did read about the A/C noise. We did have the A/C running full blast and this makes sense.

Would prefer to pick one up from folks on the forum of course.

The MaxCare warranty is appealing because it's affordable and I could probably get the heads fixed through it. Even the warranty company (mercury..yuck) through my bank wouldn't cover the corvette.

I'm also checking out another one tomorrow at a Chevy Dealer. It's Jetstream blue which I'm partial to.

armybyrd

I wasn't trying to talk crap about carmax in particular as this can happen anywhere with a used car. just sharing my recent experience. and as an auto tech I definitely don't feel comfortable with some jack of all trades mechanic working on my z.( apparently I wasn't wrong judging by the battery not being bolted down). In my particular case I blame the saleslady as she was supposed to make sure there wasn't any significant scratches before the car even shipped but clearly didn't give a crap and was hoping I wouldn't notice.
Also didn't mean to hijack your thread! just be sure to look the car over really well and not get overwhelmed by her beauty lol

atljar

I dont think carmax is actively seaking out bad cars. However, I am certain they are the easiest dumping ground with their "we buy any car" policy which makes them have a higher proportion of crap than most other places.

TXGS507

This.... is a good idea. Especially if it is a long time member w a lot of posts....

2FastCorvette4U

The best place to buy a performance car is always from the private party market. I always like meeting the person who owned the car previously.

American Heritage

It was nice speaking with you the other day.

We have replaced a few sets of heads on C6z06's through Maxcare warranty (carmax's warranty company). I will say that while it is possible to get out of spec heads replaced through them our experience has been that they like to call it "normal wear and tear" (even know its not NORMAL wear and tear) if the car has over 40,000 miles so I would hesitate on the maxcare warranty with anything but a lower mileage vehicle.
On the other foot company's like GMPP, GMEPP, Ally and several other are much easier to work with when it comes to replacing major components.

http://www.americanheritageperformance.com/

McCall38

What is that on the AC line? Is that corrosion?