CarMax
Reviews and Complaints

Helped my daughter by her 1st car in Feb., 2008 from carmax. We bought a 2001 Saturn, a very nice clean car and red like my daughter wanted. Thinking that with Carmax and their 125 point inspection, we were getting a car that was dependable and trust worthy.

Boy were we soon to find out that was a big joke. Had car for a few months and started having minor problems. Cigarette lighter dead, water leak and transmission starting to slip and engine smoking and using oil badly. Took car into shop at carmax on the southwest freeway here in houston. It took over a month to get the car repaired half a$$ed.

They replaced only half the parts needed for a major overhaul, Like replaced the exhaust valve stem seals but not the intake seals. Replaced only the piston rings, but no where does the repair list show any gaskets, main seals, cam bearings, etc... With me being a former mechanic, when you have that much damage you rebuild motor or replace with a rebuilt motor. They replaced waterpump not once but twice, cause 1st one was wrong they said. Then the transmission was rebuilt with only a few parts replaced, not a full rebuild as needed. When trannie slips its a complete overhaul.

Had car back one week, and back to shop again, Smoking again, loosing water and trannie acting up again. Again car is in shop for about a month. And this time they say its only a sensor or 2 is the problem.

We get car back again, this time full tank of gas gone, brakes making noise. Which I replaced front and rear brake pads and rear wheel cylinders and rotors. Test drive car and low and behold its smoking again, blue smoke and water leaking again.

Back to shop at carmax again, Still haven't fixed problem, and I get told take it to Saturn Dealer and we will reimburse you the 75 dollar for the warranty. I haven't even got their stupid warranty company still to reimburse me for the rental car I got the first time around.

Car now smokes, gas mileage has gone from upper 20's to low 30's to maybe low 10's. Water still leaks and a car that is not dependable for my daughter to drive and not worth making car payments on. All carmax says basically oh well, we can buy back but be less than you owe and still have to pay off balance.

Carmax is a rip off in my book!

I purchased a car from Carmax about two months ago. I have since had my car not start 8 times. I have had to have the trunk latch system completely replaced. The canister purge solenoid in the engine replaced. Have breaks that squeal almost all the time and all of this started about a week after I purchased the car. Just after their five day bring it back in offer was expired.

I have taken my car back to their service department repeatedly. First repair was the canister purge solenoid, wich felt like they just fixed it to shut me up but did not repair any problems. Second repair was the trunk latch witch by the day after the repair stopped working again and to this day only works off and on. I haven been there repeatedly for them to repair the starting issue and each time I am told we they dont know whats happening and can not do anything.

Shortly after all this began I contacted the car max and told them about the lemon they had sold me, and was told by their manager to bring it in and let them see it but all they could do was offer me an appraisel on the car I just purchased from them and then have me pay off the some odd thousand dollars off difference between their appraisel and what I still owed on the car plus be left with nothing at all. I bought this car for a safer more relaiable, more gas efficent car for me and my 9 month old daughter. I HAVE YET TO AQUIRE ANY OF THIS FROM THIS VEHICLE. Getting stuck in a parking lot with a car that wont start and an infant who needs to get out of the heat is not acceptable.

I am extremely distraught right now. My husband and I bought our vehicles from Carmax 3 years ago and were told all about the company's wonderful ethics, dedication to customers, etc. and that Carmax will buy your car (that you bought from Carmax) back for a great price.

We are moving to England and have to sell our car. Trusting that Carmax would give us a fair deal, we go to them. First, my husband's car, a 2002 Ford Taurus in excellent condition. The Kelly Blue Book value is between $5000 and $7000. They offer him $5000. He is disappointed, but it was just a little under the KBB value for his particular car, so he took the offer. It really hurt because he still owed $5349 on the car, so had to pay them when selling them his car. We were consoled by the fact that my car would make some money.

My car is a 2002 black Ford Escort ZX2 premium in great condition, with 29K miles, and all the options (automatic, sunroof, automatic, leather seats, ABS, etc.). The Kelly Blue Book value is between $[protected] and my husband predicts we'll get $6200. They 'appraise' the car and tell us what a great car it is, how it's the perfect car for Carmax to buy, particularly with the low mileage, and then offer $4000! My mouth gaped open and I explained how we were expecting a lot more since the car was worth more. An 'appraiser' was brought in and eventually concurred with me that we would get 'at least $6000' for the car 'on the streets, ' but that Carmax's first offer is final and that they do not negotiate. I owe $4700 on the car.

So, we were expecting to make a few thousand dollars and ended up being screwed out of a thousand. I literally spent the day bawling because I don't want to get rid of my car and feel so incredibly helpless and taken advantage of. They know we are moving overseas tomorrow and that we don't have another choice.

As an addition, we both bought the extended warranties on the cars, but when my husband brought his car in with a simple problem, they refused to fix it and only tried to temporarily stop the problem from happening. I caution everybody to stay away from Carmax and feel stupid for having listened to their story about being fair, honest, and reasonable. Admitting the car is worth at least $6000 and then offering $4000 is a slap in the face.

I will NEVER go to Carmax again and will caution all my friends, family, acquaintances, and coworkers about their unethical predatory business practices.

I bought a 2004 Honda CR-V in October of 2007. Until August of this year, everything was fine. Then, the A/C stopped putting out cold air. Since I was under extended Carmax warranty, I went to Carmax-authorized repair facility. While looking at initial problem, they discovered rear tires were both down to last layer of tread and front ball joint spindle was getting ready to go. First of all, there's no way those three things should have worn out in 10 months, and there's no way any of them should have been missed during Carmax's inspection process. This is where the fun began. Apparently, Carmax had, a few years ago, switched from decent parts suppliers to lowest-common-denominator ones, and the only supplier for their Honda parts was in San Diego, CA (3, 000 miles away from me!). My repair shop called to order the parts--when they finally came in, the ball joint spindle came without bearings in it (which is stupid, since it doesn't WORK without them). The bearings then had to be ordered, and the supplier told my repair people to go screw themselves (in much worse language, which I won't repeat here), and that they didn't need anything from them, and knew what was needed. They then sent the bearings to the wrong address, and when the repair people finally got them, they were the wrong size and type. They re-ordered AGAIN, and it wasn't until 4 1/2 weeks later that I finally got my car completely fixed and back in my hands. All during this process, I called Carmax multiple times and was told everything was covered in full (including rental), and not to worry about it. Then, my repair people would call THE SAME DAY and get the complete opposite story. It finally took a dozen-and-a-half calls between me and the repair shop to get straight answers, finally culminating in a heated call that I made from the repair place (with the manager sitting next to me) to give these people a piece of my mind and get things settled. As of Sept. 8th (after starting Aug. 6th), I thought I was done, and everything that needed to be covered was done. However, I just got a call from the repair place today (Oct. 3) telling me that they show me as having an outstanding balance of $125 for rentals that I was told by Carmax was paid in full on Sept. 8. Carmax used to be a quality facility with great used cars (my dad boght 2 vehicles from them, and never had problems), but ever since they switched suppliers and cut back on staff, they have become the biggest hassle, which no customer should have to endure.

The sales pitch sounds great! Carmax is unlike any other (they tell you) when you are looking to purchase a used car, because they provide a 30 day warranty "in writing". Sales personnel at all levels tell you that you have 30 days to visit the dealership's service department for "any" problem encountered under this warranty and it will be fixed. Upon bringing the car back for an item "covered" under the warranty, they refused to fix the problem, and now their response to my inquiries is, "Well, it is a used car, " and they repeatedly refuse to honor their warranty! The corporate customer care line is no help and simply repeats, "Well, it is a used car, after all." However, specific items that are supposedly covered under the warranty are NOT covered if they meet Carmax's standards, which are not provided to the customer until an attempt is made by the customer to have "30-day warranty" work completed. We are very disgusted with this company, its service personnel, and its managers, and will never purchase another car from them in Wisconsin or any other location. We also purchased an additional 75, 000 mile warranty, which allows us to take the car to have work done elsewhere, which we fully intend to do. My recommendation: go somewhere else.

Just had my Virginia state inspection performed at Carmax last week and despite the fact that my car purchased from them one year ago had only 7K miles, with only 2K added by me this year, they found a problem that caused my vehicle to fail the state inspection. Imagine my surprise when they insisted I leave my car with them for several days until a factory part could be delivered, telling me I could not drive with an inspection rejection sticker, and then, my consternation when a local large dealership arranged to repair the supposed problem and then found nothing wrong! Oh, and if that's not enough: the alleged failure that cause me to fail inspection according to Carmax is apparently not a state inspection item. I plan on following up with the state. Love the car, but I'll stick with the factory dealership for all maintenance going forward.

I went to the service center for a basic inspection to maintain the integrity of the warranty I purchased thru carmax, and all they had to do was a basic lube, oil change, tire rotation and filling of fluids. Well...I waited around for over 3 hours for them just to complete that. They didn't even tell me that it was done until at least 20 mins that it sat out in the maintenance bay. So I drive home. The next day my girlfriend was driving home from dropping me off, and on the way smoke began to come out and oil began dispersing onto the ground...luckily home was just around the block. That evening, I get the call about what's happened...I call carmax and the best answer their customer service manager would say was, "You'll have to call service center in the morning", ...meanwhile I'm stuck at work they wouldn't be able to cover a rental car because cars run over 25 dollars a day here in Las Vegas and there's a down payment. I called rental car companies and they wanted over 2 hundred dollars for a rental car. I don't think so! I had also asked the manager about a tow truck to pick up my car and their towing only covers 5 miles away from the store...of course my home is further than that! I get my insurance company to cover the tow and it's free of course, but what if it wasn't? Do they care that their mess up costed me life and someone else money? NO. I get my car back to the carmax service center to see what the problem was and wow!...somehow the oil plug was missing! They inspected it to make sure "WE" didn't mess up the plug ourselves. To their amazement, there were no scrapes, or anything that said we did it to our own car. Because we totally wanted to be there ALL DAY! Hanging out with them! The maintenance technician comes out...some guy that doesn't even speak english very well, and doesn't appear professional at all, to explain he doesn't know what happened, but the oil plug magically unscrewed itself from the oil pan and let out the oil. They may have done the job...but improperly put the bolt/plug in. My car, from an unsuspecting driver, could have been really messed up! I guess I made a mistake by not checking the car out myself right after they touched it, to make sure the tires had been rotated correctly, fluids filled and all the oil components put back together properly. MY MISTAKE! I also noticed that the fluids hadn't been filled either! Thats what I paid them for...why wasn't it done? One of the fluids...an obvious one the coolant, was well below the minimum marking, and it didn't even look touched. I pointed that out to the service manager, and even asked him for my money back for lack of the job being completed properly the first time. Their sign inside says, " We'll fix it right the first time, or it's free!" He said, "What's done was done and he couldn't give my money back. People make mistakes...their human"...awww...cry me a river when you're the one forking out money to pay for my engine breaking down! Covering the warranty payment...I mean, What a load of crap that was! So I waited for the part to come in and for them to do what they were supposed to do the first time, and altogether everything took over 4 hours! This is a basic inspection people. I mean c'mon! So, he assures me that a free oil change is fair! He didn't care how the car got there, why my girlfriend had to call in to work, how I missed two hours of work, ..and it seemed to me he didn't even care... yeah...because that's right...I paid them over $78.00 for all their "WORK"...ha! What a laugh! they didn't even do the job completely! Anyways, they wrote me a check for 25 dollars (to cover an oil change) that said SUCKER all over it, and sent me on my way! I looked at their little special board that listed all the inspections and jobs they are capable of doing (the same sign that said "We'll fix it right the first time, or it's free!"), and an oil change is 38 dollars...good job ###s! Not only that, but I had explained to the manager my disappointment in their service, and asked him why I would even consider taking a free oil change from people that don't pay attention to their job! He laughed and still insisted it was fair. I wasn't happy at all. Another dissatisfied customer...I'm still pissed and plan on writing the company...

This is from a current CarMax employee who has worked in several of their used car departments.

Sales - The sales people are actually pretty well trained, but there are still those that don't have a clue to what they are doing. The longer they go in training, the better for them. $12.00 an hour isn't bad for 40 hours a week for training. Oh, and unless the new person sells 4 cars within a two week period, the "mentor" who trained them gets nothing extra. An actual sales person gets paid per unit - not commission! $150.00 flat rate per car they sell. An extra $50 if they get you to buy the warranty and an extra $50 if they buy your car (only depends on the spiff of the month). Any accessories that you purchase, they get part of that. Sales persons have been paid that amount since the inception of CarMax.

Business Office - These are the people who do all your paperwork (the $149 processing charge). They, too, are pretty well trained. But when it comes to what is on the paper work, most don't have a clue. You ask them questions and they end up with the deer in the headlights stare.

Sales Managers - The people you really love! 95% of the sales managers are promoted via the "good old boy" network. They don't have to have been a good sales person, just have friends higher up. Training? Yeah, right. They follow another sales manager around for a few weeks and they are cut loose. Most have ZERO people skills. Their pay is a flat rate salary - usually about $50k, with bonuses paid IF the budget for the day/week/month is made.

Mechanics - These people, for the most, are pretty good. They actually get paid to find problems with your car! That's right - they get paid when they find "problems" with your vehicle!

Buyers - Odd name, but these people are the ones who will appraise your vehicle. They are graded on how many vehicle they buy. Regardless the price they give you. 1 - Do NOT expect to get Kelly Blue Book for your car, it isn't worth it according to them. 2 - Do NOT expect your appraiser to be knowledgeable about your vehicle. Most are taught just what to look for and nothing more. 3 - Unless your vehicle is bought as a wholesale car, you WILL see it put on the front lot for $5-6, 000 more than they gave you! Sorry!

Service Personnel - When you drop your car off for service, these are the people who you talk with. They are some of the "best"! The more work that they can have done to your car, the more money THEY can make! Something as simple as a "diagnosis" puts some sweet money in both CarMax's and the service personnel's pocket! $70 for a diagnostic to tell you your battery is dead!

Paint/Detailers - Some of the lower class of CarMax. Can you operate a vacuum cleaner? Can you wash a window? You are hired! Get those cars prepped and out on the lot NOW! It's OK if the paint isn't completely dry or there is overspray, just get that car to the lot!

Upper Management - This would be the Service Manager, Assistant General Manager and Location General Manager (aka LGM) - Real cream of the crop! These people make life miserable for everyone! If budgets are not made, they don't make money, and if they don't make money, no body is happy! Human defecation makes sudden impact with the rotating oscillator! I am not kidding when I tell you that you WILL be threatened with termination if your sales are not up!

Don't get me wrong, I love my job here, we are not as slimy as regular used car salesmen, but we have a lot of faults within our own company.

I purchase a car that I had always wanted after my divorce. In addition, I am thankful that I purchased the extended warranty. However, my problems with my car soon began after about 5 months and my car has had multiple problems and been in the carmax shop more than 7 times for repairs. Electrical headlight/taillight issue, back window replace because of antenna, sun roof replace/the repair shop scratched up the roof when replacing and no one told me, washer tank replaced, leaks in the floor when it rains, multiple light indicators on the dash, other major repairs, and now the final draw, the car has been in the shop about 4 times for the same concern, the shift stick is popping and was told by the BMW repair shop that the transmission needed to be replaced. The warranty company has denied, the car is in the shop again for the same issue and I was advised by BMW that the warranty company is sending the rep out again to assess the recommended repairs. here's my assessment, the warranty company is waiting and hoping that the warranty will run out soon, I have another 20, 000 miles and then they would not be responsible for the charges. The car was taken to Carmax each time for repairs; they never walked to my car to go over the work that was actually done and would also point to where my car was parked for me to retrieve. Most of the time Carmax indicated they didn’t make the repair because they couldn't duplicate the issue, meaning the dashboard indicates did show up for them, upon getting my car back and driving home, it would do the same thing again...my assessment was they cleared the computer or reset it and it wouldn't show up until I drove it home. I have also called the consumer relation department with and was not pleased with their help either. In addition, I had to rent a car while my car was being repaired, costing me usually 300.00 each time (warranty company only pays for 7 days at 25 a day) Carmax never told me that if I took my car straight to the dealership that I would have received a loan at no charge. Carmax never indicated that I should take the car to the dealership directly. Carmax reps told me many unprofessional things, like the that worked on your car as since been fired, he didn’t know what he was doing. claimed to be a certified BMW mechanic. The reps were not professional and one was down right rude and told me I could not have a copy of all the paperwork for my repairs. I now tell everyone I know to never buy from carmax as they are the worst company to deal with when dealing with repairs. Once you buy the car, they never want to see you again and really their is a disconnect from the purchase to the repair department. I waiting for a manager for 30 minutes when I was upset, their attitudes are, we don't care... Garland, Texas location and employees.

I bought a Saturn from Carmax a month ago. As I was leaving the lot I noticed something very wrong with the transmission. That was three and a half weeks ago. The sent my car to Saturn and that’s the last I’ve heard. I have spoken to every service manager and even the gm. They all give me different answers. My biggest issue is they refuse to supply me with a written statement honouring my lost time on the 30 day bumper to bumper warranty. This company claims they are different, but its all a facade. Total BS. Stay away from Carmax in Vegas, and Saturn's service department as well.

My mother and I purchased a Dodge Intrepid from Carmax last year in May. I have so much to say about this vehicle and their poor customer service. They are crooks and something needs to be done. I have for daughters one being an 18 month old and I can't afford to be turning my vehicle off every time I come to a complete stop because the transmission is slipping. This is very unsafe. They say the squeaky wheel gets the oil, so maybe if we all come together with our complaints Carmax will stop getting away with selling people Lemons. They are very helpful during the purchasing process but soon as you drive off the lot they turn on you. I'm a single mother and now I may have to purchase a new transmission for a 2003 with now 60, 000 miles on it, which should not be happening. This vehicle has been serviced when it should and has not been dogged out. Their appraising is such a scam when you take your vehicle back. The Manufactures need to know these things because Carmax is making certain vehicle brands look very bad. Now I would never buy another Dodge in my life all because of Carmax... They need to be stopped!

This is to any real Car Salesmen out there. Don't even bother with Carmax. Sell a car and you make $150, sell a warranty you make $100, then get lucky enough to meet their off the wall bonus program for the month you might get an extra $50 for every car that meets the program.

I went through their interview process, it was a joke! I actually started laughing when they presented me their pay plan, and walked out when I got to the part of the interview where they asked me to "sell" them a bic pen. I told them "I sell cars, I don't sell pens." I laughed again and told them to disregard this interview.

Carmax is all about the money. They don't pay their salesmen fairly and their cars are usually $1, 500-$2, 000 overpriced. No haggling and you will definitely deal with an uneducated salesperson. Because good salespeople wouldn't be caught dead working there. During the interview I asked "How many cars did your top salesmen sell last month?" I was told that info was confidential, but he told me if I asked him he would say 0, but if you asked him how many "relationships" he made then he would tell you! I thought I was going to puke! Avoid Carmax!

Carmax is not all it's cracked up to be. I barely escaped being ripped off by them, as I returned a car I bought but hardly even got to drive.

My salesman was genuinely nice at first, helping me with the transfer of a car from another state. The car had been a rental, so I was a little sceptic, but they assured me the car was in great condition accept for a dent in the door and tear in the seat, which would be fixed at their cars go through a "125 point inspection".

Well, they didn't fix it. I went to see the car and there was so much *** wrong with it, but they assured me it could all be fixed. It was only physical flaws and it was used, so I told myself to get over it and decided to go ahead and buy the car. As soon as I left the lot, the brake light went out. The CD player stopped working 2 days later, and I took the car back to have everything fixed.

What was supposed to be a two-days-tops repair, turned in to over 7? They continuously lied to me about doing the repairs, and kept changing what they were actually working on and when it would be done. No one could give me a straight answer on the day it would be finished.

The day I finally was able to pick the car up, they got finished right at closing. They pulled it out into the service bay with overspray over the entire car, having just painted over the fender where they had fixed the dent. I then proceeded to tell them off, screaming why the [censored] hadn't been finished before then, and what the *** it took so long to do if they just finished with it that day.

I did get my transfer fee back, the only good thing that came out of it. And the fact that I found the same exact car for about $5, 000 less than theirs through a private party. Plus, the private party knew someone who bought a car through Carmax and was ripped off too!

I forgot to mention that they also ran my transfer fee through my bank account 3 times! They blamed this on a computer crash, but I should have known then to take my business elsewhere.

Carmax is a joke. They have a bunch of [censored] salesmen, with idiotic managers, and a worthless service department who don't know *** about cars. There was no way I wanted that car bad enough to go through with the sale after being treated the way I was, no one even saying they were sorry.

And to top it all off, the [censored]s don't even know I still am in their rental car they gave me while they were working on mine!

What a bunch of idiots. And the store I'm referring to is the one in Indianapolis, Indiana, but the store that originally had the car was in Fayetteville, North Carolina. They're all a bunch of [censored]es to me, either way.

Ok, seen reviews before I went there; many awfully bad, but I need to sell my truck so I can move. Well, went to the new location in Colorado Springs, everyone cool and all that crap. Till I came back from smoking.

These people have the nerve to tell me that a 42255 mile S10 2003, never crashed clean title, excellent mechanical condition, 2.2L, with 20" rims, and iPod connection has the value of 1700... WTF?! I’m not a crackhead.

And when I tried to get the "manager" to see the odometer, he just wouldn’t let me talk, and told me that if they buy my truck, they will put it for auction not the lot, hoping for someone to take it for the same 1700, right, and apparently I had a sign that said sucker. And this is the kicker, the test driver?, that dude need to get another profession because he seemed so confident on describing the aftermarket parts on my truck, he don’t know a stock shifter from a short shifter, and on their words "aftermarket stuff don’t matter...", right Sherlock. Since when, someone tell me, lowering a truck compromises the integrity of the vehicle? So apparently there’s an infinite amount of suspension companies that want to get sued... I would feel so much better if I could just punch that dude square on the face, how can you sleep at night being a liar of that level.

I know if I sold my truck, and while I was buying drugs [maybe I look like a junky] they would get all OEM parts install them in about 3-4 days and have a 10000 dollar truck, my truck as it is by KBB is 8600 and I noticed that most of the cars are "below" KBB but that’s because of so many suckers that keep going to this company. Regular dealerships are better, some haggle and pressure won’t kill you.

Bottom line, if you want to lose money big time selling your car, Carmax is the way to go, they will square you away.

We took my immaculate 2003 Ford F250 Diesel Crew Cab Pickup truck to get a "fair evaluation and a great price» for it. The pushy Asian kid talked our ears off with all of the "feel good" CarMax BS for a good 15 minutes before he finally took the keys and had his appraisal guy look it over. He drove it for 3 minutes, looked around it, and disappeared for 20 minutes.

Then Asian kid came back. (Keep in mind that this truck Blue Books for trade in value of $21, 000.00 low to $23, 000.00 high!) He held up the appraisal sheet showing $8, 000.00! We laughed and left. Took it across the street to Ken Grody Ford, where they bought it for $21, 500.00!

The cars we saw on the CarMax lot as we were looking around, cost more used that you can buy a new car for. Example, a Hyundai was 2 years old for $16, 788.00, Hyundai of Garden Grove has a new 2008 with all options for $15, 350.00! Avoid this place-rip off!

I bought a 2005 Audi S4 from the LAX location 4 weeks ago. After a week I noticed an odd noise coming from the steering on full lock. Call up CarMax and they say take it to any Audi dealer (I'm in SF) and they will fix it, CarMax will pay. Nope! My car has been at Audi for 2.5 weeks while CarMax pass me from one person to the other, don't return calls and generally try and bury their head in the sand. Even the "Executive help team" can't get the *** store manager to call me back! AVOID THESE MUPPETS AT ALL COSTS!