Rebel Yell

I have found a C7 Convertible at CarMax that looks like the one. Has anyone had experience in dealing with this company? If so, I need the good, and the bad. Thank you for your help folks.

Peter_K

They're straight forward. Here's the car. Here's the price. You want it? Done.

Hopper12

Hey Rebel Yell. During the 90's I was an officer of Circuit City (may they rest in peace) and I helped found Car Max. Many people don't know that CM was launched as a subsidiary of Circuit and was spun off as a separate company after critical mass was achieved.

The CM model was founded on openness, honesty, customer service, and a high tech system that enabled great inventory management, etc. (too bad Circuit didn't follow that model - they lost their way). Car Max isn't perfect for sure, but they work hard to do a good job.

I have not been affiliated with them in any way since 2002. I continue to do occasional business with them and never mention to the local store I deal with that I had anything to do with the start up of the company. The cars they sell have all passed inspection and are to be sold by CM. Other cars they have that don't pass or meet certain criteria are sold off at auction.

In the past 10 years I've purchased 2 vehicles and sold 3 vehicles at Car Max. My transactions have always been good. I've also had 2 vehicles that I considered selling to them, but ultimately traded them as I had a better overall deal with sales tax implications included. The 2 I sold to them had nothing to do with a purchase transaction, fyi.

Long story short, if they have a vette on the lot that you are considering, I would suggest that you can purchase with a great deal of confidence. Ask them how they acquired the car - if it was from a private sale they will likely have service records and such. If it was from an auction, that's not a bad thing, but they probably won't have the service records. They should also be very happy to provide you with a carfax report.

Good luck!

kp

I have bought and sold several cars from Carmax over the years. After a few days I brought back an ex-rental Audi I bought for my kid because of multiple issues (was still under factory warranty but was a bagel) and they never even asked why. Just took the keys back and wrote me a check after looking it over. Always easy to deal with.

Prices tend to be a little high sometimes, just look carefully and see if you can get a GM dealer to run the VIN for service visits. Carfax doesnt show a lot of dealer repairs.

Peter_K

This is all correct about the company.

Small world. I was the DBA Liaison between Richmond and the coders in Georgia. I wrote the database setup programs for the Southlake, GA store.

Rebel Yell

Thanks for the help hopper. The sales tax comment brings up another question. Does CarMax take a trade instead of buying outright before selling a car? This would make a difference of approx. $900 more in taxes if they don't take a trade.

Peter_K

Per their FAQ:

14. How can I save on taxes if I buy and sell at CarMax?
Lower the amount of taxes you pay when you buy a CarMax car when you sell us your old car at the same time. The following states may give you a break on your taxes when you buy a car and sell us your old one:

Alabama
Arizona
Colorado
Connecticut
Florida
Georgia
Illinois
Indiana
Kansas
Kentucky
Maryland
Mississippi
Missouri
Nebraska
Nevada
New Mexico
North Carolina
South Carolina
Tennessee
Texas
Wisconsin
Certain situations may disqualify you from receiving a tax break. For example, your name must be on both the paperwork to buy a car and the paperwork to sell a car in order for the tax break to apply. Check with your tax professional and your CarMax Sales Consultant for details.

Flame Red

Here is Florida where the Stealerships really love to rip you off, I have always made out much better by selling my trade-in to CarMax than trading it in. Even without the sales tax savings, It is usually well over a grand on average. CarMax is really easy to do business with.

Hopper12

Rebel - can't get a better answer than this one!

Hopper12

I love this small world stuff! You (and others) did a great job on coding, database, etc. It was a cutting edge system then, and continue to be from what I can see.

Doc750

carmax is ok. I purchased a brand new 4runner from them back in 2002. I've always been able to find a better price both on trading in and buying from them. I use them as a gauge for my shopping needs. Also if you buy a car model that has known issues that are expensive to repair, I hear their warranty is pretty good.

kenownr

I've purchased four cars from CarMax when I lived in GA. All transactions were smooth and prices were very fair. Last car I bought from them was my C6 12 GS with only 900 miles on it. I flew down from DTW to Columbus OH to the CarMax there with no promise to buy the car. They held it for me for 48 hrs prior, picked me up at the airport, gave me all afternoon to pick through the car and check it out without anybody out there hassling me and in the end I drove it home.
Unfortunately MY local Chevy steelership where I traded my C6 for my C7 were crappy from start to finish. When I buy my "Z" next year it will be a New one from a forum dealer, or hardly used like my C6 from CarMax. By the way in previous posts I've mentioned Moran Chevrolet in Clinton Township MI. They have been my servicing dealer for both my C6 & C7 and have been great -- (the dealer where I bought my C7 sucked)

boraxman

I would treat it like buying any other used car...Make sure youre not getting someone elses junk..

Do a Carfax, VIS report, get under it and look for signs of abuse, oil leaks, etc.

Good luck/

Rebel Yell

Thank you Peter. I looked at their FAQ's, but didn't see this one. I'm feeling much better now.

I guess I'll be riding over the their location in Charlotte, NC. The one I'm looking at will need to be brought up from Orlando, but at $199 that's cheap enough.

Kracka

I bought a Chevy Volt from Carmax and it was probably the easiest used car transaction I've ever experienced. I found the exact one I wanted in Chicago, had them transport it down to Dallas, took delivery and had my Chevy dealership do a full inspection on it during their 5-day return/money-back policy window. The car checked out and it's been a great vehicle. Their website generally provides a ton if decent quality pictures and a Carfax report.

Mike1320

I bought my 2004 Corvette convertible from the Fredericksburg, VA CARMAX store while living in Maryland. They shipped the car for me (at my expense, of course but applied it to the purcnase price) from a store in Jacksonville, Florida that hadn't even opened yet. They were very easy to deal with and gave me more for my Miata than i had expected. They handled the cross-state deal seamlessly. I also sold an Acadia to a different store and their price was more than a dealer was offering in trade on a new car. If you're not a haggler, i recommend them as an option.

Grimlock13

Funny that New York isn't on that list and when trading in at a dealer you do get a tax break on the purchased car.

67435animal

I tried CARMAX once to see what they would buy my used car for. Their offer was low. I sold the car privately for 2900 dollars more.

rmorin1249

Carmax is more selective about the cars they will buy for top dollar than most dealers and private sale buyers.
Any bodywork and the value declines.

67435animal

No bodywork. I guess they just did not like me.