CarMax

Fair warning, this is rather long… but I want people to have a good understanding of the type of unethical business this Carmax is running before patronizing this establishment. Should you have any doubts, I encourage you to read the other reviews about this location’s service center. If you’re short on time, the key takeaways are:
— After the first 30 days, Carmax’s customer service becomes a frustrating and faceless experience, with little to no ability to address issues due to the customer having to interact with virtual representatives that do not have the authority to resolve complaints.
— Make sure to request a copy of the «125 point inspection» performed by Carmax (or any other documentation on the condition of the car prior to purchase [if they will provide it to you]), and request record copies from any secondary sources that refute or contradict Carmax’s inspection results.
— Should you find yourself in an unresolvable dispute or unable to obtain responses from Carmax, a complaint with the Better Business Bureau (BBB) seems to be the only thing that gets Carmax’s attention.
Details:
I purchased a Mercedes at the Dulles Carmax in March 2015. The car had a few minor issues that fell under their 30 day full coverage, and they took care of them, which was fantastic. A short time later, however, I noticed water dripping into the interior of the car (after rain, etc.) — at one point, it got so bad that all the carpeting was soaked. I took the car to Mercedes Benz of Tyson’s to have it inspected (I have a warranty with Mercedes directly as purchased through Carmax.) Mercedes indicated that the sunroof pipes (for water drainage) were badly clogged, and that this wasn’t an issue that had arisen within the past year — the car was sold to me with clogged pipes. They offered to fix it for a fee, but recommended I take it back to Carmax for repair first since they failed to clean the pipes prior to selling me the car.
This began a months-​long dispute with Carmax that eventually resulted in my having to come $ 1424.48 out of pocket to repair the issue, due to an unexpected rainy season hitting the area and my needing a resolution quickly. During the initial stages, my in-​person complaints with Dulles Carmax’s management (specifically, Craig and Scott) were met with complete disinterest and disregard. Carmax and I went in circles due to their refusal to provide records indicating Carmax had inspected the sunroof pipes prior to sale (which I was told would’ve occurred during their «125 point inspection»), citing «confidentiality”(?) reasons, and my refusal to now pay Carmax (at a rate of $ 112/​hr) to do another inspection on the car to diagnose the problem (as I believe this would’ve resulted in Carmax finding themselves not at fault.) My paperwork from Mercedes was essentially dismissed outright, as Scott directly stated he «did not trust» Mercedes’ technicians.
Frustrated with trying to deal with Dulles Carmax directly, I attempted to file a complaint with Carmax corporate — big mistake. All complaints filed with Carmax corporate are either immediately redirected to the original dealership for response (a detail about which Scott rather flippantly warned me), or are «handled» by a social media team that is like a virtual Oz and has zero decision-​making power. The only good that came from my virtual exchange was that they were able to provide me a copy of the 125 point inspection for my car. Unsurprisingly, the inspection record did not indicate anywhere that the sunroof pipes had been inspected.
If I knew then what I know now, I would’ve paid a little bit more and gone with a more reputable establishment. I will never purchase a car from Carmax again and recommend you do the same!

I booked an appointment to view a car and assess my trade in as well.
When I arrived the person I had the appointment with was MIA so someone else helped me. They started with the appraisal and then let me walk around the lot looking at any car. There was a little SNAFU with the car I asked them to hold was missing from the system but I found it on the lot anyway.
I didn’t appreciate having to wait around while they figured out the salesperson was not in yet (car trouble apparently) nor the awkward insistence from the salesman that the car I asked to be held didn’t exist. HOWEVER, it’s refreshing to go into a car dealer and not have to haggle over every penny. I didn’t find a car I wanted at CarMax but I got to check out dozens of cars of various makes and models — which helped me make the decision to get the perfect car for me.
I stopped by a nearby dealer and spent over 3 hours there haggling over price — their final number only matched what a competitor advertised online and there was no consideration for all the wait time as the sales person when back and forth to the sales manager — to that extent, CarMax is a welcome break in the norm. The downside to that is their prices are 100% non-​negotiable and if a car is new to the lot, the price tends to be a bit higher than other used car lots. Many of the late model, low miles options are virtually the same price as a well negotiated new car (e.g., a used 2015 car with under 20K miles was just a couple hundred less than what I could get a brand new 2016 for).
The price they gave me on my trade-​in was very fair — they will obviously put this car on their lot and the price was higher than many dealers would provide for a trade-​in. Could I have gotten more selling privately? A little more but not worth the hassle. I’d guess that they sell the car for 10−15% more than they paid me.
I ultimately accepted their offer on my car but decided to buy a new car somewhere else. Aside from the initial SNAFU, I enjoyed my experience here with the no-​hassle, no-​pressure approach. If you enjoy negotiating down to the last penny, this place isn’t for you. If you can do your research and know a fair price, this is a good place to go.

We didn’t have a good experience at this Carmax and they lost our business. We wanted to buy a 2012 Yaris hatchback and found one in their inventory. Scheduled a test drive, which went well. But we test drove a 2009, and by the time we got there, they had a 2012 on the lot as well. We test drove the 2012 and decided immediately to buy it. Went inside to do the paperwork, but then the salesman said «Just a minute…» and left the office. He came back 10 minutes later and told us we had missed that car by 20 minutes. Someone else had bought it. That sounded a little fishy to us, since we had just had the car out for a test drive. But we accepted it and left. Two days later, my Carmax alert popped up with a 2012 Yaris on the Dulles Carmax lot! Amazingly, it was a 2-​door silver hatchback, had 37,000 miles on it and two previous owners, JUST EXACTLY LIKE THE CAR WE TEST DROVE 2 DAYS PRIOR. So I reserved the car on Sunday afternoon for a test drive on Tuesday morning. When we arrived Tuesday morning, they were not ready for us (our sales consultant was no where to be found), and they found someone else to take us out on the lot to the car. Problem was … we couldn’t find the car! Finally, after much conferring with his manager, he came back to us to say that the car had been sold on Sunday. BUT, he said, we have plenty of other cars for you to look at! (Of course, no 2012 Yaris’s). It sounded like bait and switch to us, and we left in disgust. We will not ever do business with this Carmax again! Two days later, I found a 2012 Yaris through
at a certified Toyota used car dealer, and we bought it the next day. End of story.

The buying experience was pleasant but the service portion left a lot to be desired. Some of the issues I have had they can never track down and the ones they did address were corrected poorly. Also, the vehicle was damaged from transit between their locations and their «resolution» was less than ideal.

I wish that I could split the sales from the service function of CarMax. I bought my car from them a year ago and was so pleased and happy with the sales rep with whom I worked: LeeAnn. Great gal, competent, critical of her own inventory, and honest.
Service is another matter.
I purchased an extended warranty from CarMax — at roughly 25% of the total cost of the car. Since that time the service staff broke my windshield somehow — which they replaced free of charge of course, but then the rearview mirror kept falling off because they broke the clip when they reinstalled it on the windshield.
So I brought the car back in yesterday for: the repair of the inside rearview mirror, the repair of the right-​side rear view mirror, one of the rear speakers kept cracking, and the 70K service — which they assured me they could do. I got a rental car from Enterprise, which would be covered up to $ 40/​day if the repairs were covered under warranty, So …
Today I pick up my car and am told that the outside rear view mirror is not under warranty — it would be covered if it was an electrical malfunction, but since the glass was simply loose I had to pay. The rear view mirror inside they repaired, and it seems to be fine. The rear speaker was fine, but «something is loose on the rear deck, and [they] could spend a few hours trying to find it» but you guessed it: not covered under warranty, so I’d have to pay for it.
I got into my car only to discover that the service light was still on in my car, so I called the service department to ask them to reset it, to which they said, «We can’t do that — only a dealership can do that.» So off I went to the Audi dealer — which I had tried to avoid at all costs because of the cost associated with their services. And I ended up there anyway, and paying them anyway.
Lastly, I got a call from Enterprise on my way home to explain that they would be charging me for the rental car, because CarMax refused for the charge; that was the last straw. I told them that I was livid, but that they should go ahead and charge me. I quickly got a call from the service rep at CarMax who had heard that I was upset about the entire transaction, and who apologized. I explained to him that it was worth the $ 400 I had spent in the last two days just to be clear where CarMax priorities were in dealing with their customers.
So in sum: I like their sales staff, but their warranty service is a joke, and their nickle-​and-​dime process of dealing with customers is insane. I hate to say it, but based on this experience alone, I’ll not go back to CarMax, and would strongly suggest to anyone I know to think twice about any dealings with CarMax in the future.
Very unfortunate.

My second time here and this time was just as great as the first. I have purchased and sold a car at this location and I can’t get over the efficiency and competency of the staff. I never feel rushed and I love how the person that greets you takes care of you from start to finish. For buying a car, they look at your needs as well as working on finding a price that works for you. If you end up changing your mind, I believe you have 72 hours to return it.
For selling a car, it’s a 30 – 45 minute wait for the mechanics to inspect and return with an offer. Not sure if you want to sell? You have 7 days to decide on their offer.
I’ll be back next time I buy or sell a car!

I went to get my routine car check up on the vehicle which I had bought from Carmax, when they brought my car back, there were several scratches on the driver door. When I pointed that to them and asked where these scratches came from, they denied and said the scratches existed before. After few hours trying to prove to the tech and management over and over, they still did not accept the responsibility and the fact that the scratches occurred on their watch. The only thing they did was to put a little matching paint on the scratches but that really did not cover it and the strip on the door must be replaced. This whole experience with Carmax service department not only took many hours of my husband’s and my time (in person and on the phone), but it gave us so much stress and unpleasant experience with this company. We would not recommend them at all after this.

They are completely unprofessional!!! Don’t bother wasting your time at this location! I drove for goes to test drive a car — it wasn’t here when I got here even though I put it on hold. The claimed they couldn’t find my appt or the car.

DON’T, DON’T, DON’T, WHY??? B/​C i think they suck… got a used car. Had bad tire on it. No windshield fluid… Alignment was off,
120pt inspection my BUTT… they don’t INSPECT crap. you can clearly see the TIRE was bad once you have it on the LIFT.
The whole no negotiation is just a way for them to over price the cars.

Purchasing experience was great. I purchased a Porsche Cayenne Turbo. Loved the car, loved the closing experience. It was all done very very quickly and neatly.
After the purchase though, the quality of the car was not good. Let’s start with the car needed a break job before I had driven the car 2k miles. Called Carmax customer service and they said they would have the service dept contact me. This was all fine so far, but the service department rep said that they sell the brakes compliant with the legal limit and that there’s nothing they could do but make an appointment and then basically charge me for the brake job. So I took the car to a reputable mechanic who quoted me nearly ~$ 4k to fix the brakes. Paid it because I need my car.
So like I said, the customer experience was great when buying the car, but the supposed quality advantage when buying the car from Carmax was non-​existent.
Will not buy a car from them again.

Update: CarMax reached out to show they love their customers. Oh, but not us because we bought our car two years ago, so they don’t care. Also they don’t have a mobile detailing service so they can’t offer to send anyone out to clean the smoke stench out of the car. Don’t buy your car at CarMax. If you have to buy a car at CarMax, go on the hottest day of the year. Take the longest test drive you can. Take the car home and park it, closed up well, for 2.5 days of your 3 day return window. See if it reeks of smoke (or who KNOWS what else). Then you can still take the thing back. Oh and since we also bought a car with a rapidly disintegrating transmission, spend 2 hours to take it to a reputable repair person to give it a thorough looksy!

I wish I could give this dealership a negative star, they were so rude and inconsiderate, I doubt I will ever go back and may not use CarMax again if I can help it (but let’s be honest, they’re basically the used car mafia so I’m sure I can’t avoid them). I went in to sell my car a little before 6pm, they were closing at 7pm that day. I put my name on the list and was told someone would be with me in five minutes. Someone came out about 10 – 15 later, took all the information about my car and the keys. They said it would be done around 7. They were finished around 6:50, while I was in the office with the sales person, someone popped their head so he went out to talk with them for a few minutes.
Once we finished and I decided to accept the offer, we walked down the hall to the business office. They said they were closed. It wasn’t quite 7:05, however they refused to process the sale even though it was completely their fault that it took that long to get the appraisal. I spoke with the manager who said there was nothing he could do. So, after driving over 30 min each way and sitting there waiting for the appraisal, then wasting my time trying to reason with rude, inconsiderate people. I literally wasted about 3 hours of my life that I can never get back. They weren’t even apologetic. Do not waste your time going here unless you get a kick out of poor service or just like feeling like chopped liver in general. boooooo for them!

Horrible service in the business office headlined by a manager named Gail whose lack of understanding is shocking.
She ignores customers at the stand, doesn’t look at you in the eye when talking and bluntly delivers bad news with the emotion of a doctor.
This is my third visit to this location in an «attempt» to sell my car. I have now been waiting for over an hour and would definitely take it somewhere else if I had not already accepted the appraisal.
Rest assured I will never be doing business here again however; do yourself a favor and don’t make the same mistake that I did.

I went into Carmax wanting an SUV and left with a Nissan Altima. And although it wasn’t my first choice — I am so pleased with my purchase!!! This was the most joyous experience! Unfortunately I couldn’t afford the monthly payments of an SUV, but Stephen Wright helped me out with the purchase and was so personable, funny and made me feel comfortable! It wasn’t about him getting a sale — he truly cared about my happiness. Buying a car doesn’t have to be hard!!! Go see Stephen — he’s stellar!!!

Good customer service. 3 day return policy for cars. I changed my mind and they were very fast about returning my car.
We have sold 2 cars to them. You will get more at carmax than at Honda or Toyota in Sterling. But when I sold cars myself, I made around $ 2,500 more than what Carmax offered me.

The process is very smooth and straight forward. The offer is very low. Their offer was $ 3,000 lower than what Kelley Blue Book indicated. The low ball is due to the fact that they deliberately not take into account some of my premium options such as Logic 7 Premium sound and upgraded red leather interior. This was what pissed me off. Purposely leaving out options so that the offer can be lowered.
So I went to another place and was offer another grand and a half higher. I would absolutely use Carmax again, but so I can only have a gauge of what my vehicle market price is. It’s a good starting point.

I bought my car April 7… and I’ve only had in my possession for 10 days since then. Carmax Dulles won’t answer the phone or call me back. Not to mention lied to me about features it had, or could be installed… lied about installing them, and then after 2 months told me it couldn’t be installed at all… So I called CarMax Corporate. They better have a solution by the time they quoted me which would be this evening. I’ve been so nice and polite for almost 4 months now… well not anymore.

The no haggle deal sounds great but they are over priced. I have found many cars I like there but they are priced too high.
The last several times I have needed to sell/​trade in a car, I take it there for an appraisal. They always give you an offer and word on the street is it’s more than most dealers will give you for trade in. But, eh, that’s not always true. I think it’s about ⁵⁰⁄₅₀. Sometimes they are more elsewhere sometimes not. That’s reasonable, though. I am sure some cars better fit their ability to sell, and sometimes they have more cars than they need or less… and retail prices fluxuate. So, it makes sense that sometimes they «over» pay, sometimes they «under» pay and sometimes they pay just a «fair» price for the cars they buy.
Today we got an appraisal and did not feel it was a great price… so we didn’t take it; we’ll sell it elsewhere. No harm no foul. I’m glad to have the option.

I finally decided to bite the bullet and check out CarMax just to see what I could sell my 2006 BMW 330i for. The offer was actually less than what many other dealers had offered on it but it did not surprise me due to the type of vehicles they had on lot. Unfortunately, I had negative equity on the vehicle.
I worked with Jack, an older gentleman who was nothing but smiles when I came in for my appraisal appointment. He was a soft spoken rep and used little to no pressure when it came to me selling my vehicle to them but did convince me to at least see if I could trade the vehicle in and roll over the negative equity. I am not a fan of rolling old debt on to new debt but they had my dream car there and I figured why not if I can afford the payments.
As other reviewers have stated, the process here at CarMax is so much more different than regular dealerships. It’s done right in front of you on a computer, price is set and once your info is in the system it pulls up which finance groups are willing to loan out.
I did not make the deal due to a down payment I was not comfortable with for now but I will be back and Jack was awesome!

This review pertains to the purchase process only. For appraisal/​selling your car, see my previous review!
I hate buying cars. HATE it. It’s such an awful process. Sit around all day, back and forth with the sales manager, «four square» game, moving numbers from column A to column B, on and on it goes. It’s horrible. CarMax tries to pit itself as the polar opposite of this: no pressure, no haggling, no drama. You pick what you want, you know the price, and you buy it.
In this endeavor, it’s reasonably successful. CarMax salespeople are still commissioned, but it’s flat rate, meaning there’s no pressure to buy a more expensive vehicle. They also have a huge selection of cars to choose from, and they do ship them from other CarMaxes (CarMaxii? CarMaxs? whatever!). There’s still some sales pressure, which is of course to be expected when someone is trying to make money off of you. But it’s not egregious like at a traditional dealership.
Financing at CarMax is also quite different from traditional dealers. Instead of filling out a paper and letting them process it behind the scenes (i.e. jack up the rate a few points and pocket that as profit), everything is done by one person — your salesperson — right in front of you. You put your details into their computer and it processes right before your eyes. One notable downfall of this process is that you have to pick a car before you can apply for financing. It’s not an entirely unreasonable way of doing things, but if you want to use in-​house financing and verify how much you can afford (i.e. what your rate will be) so you can shop smarter then it can be annoying.
In sum, buying a car at CarMax is mostly as they proclaim it to be: no haggling, no BS, and far less sales pressure. You’ll pay something of a premium for it, but nevertheless I think it’s a preferable alternative to a traditional used car experience, at least as a first look.