CarMax
Reviews and Complaints

My 25 year old daughter went to car max to trade in a 2016 Toyota Scion that was paid in full with no issues. A salesman took advantage of her to make a sell. Fine, she has lessons to learn. He gets her into a Volvo that has major issues. They take the car back within three months and put her into a Jeep with a $600 per month payment. She has had nothing but issues from this vehicle as well. I encouraged her to sell the vehicle for a less expensive car. Today a local dealership reported to her that the car had been in an accident. They offered her $10,000 less than what she owes on this car. Let me remind you that she came to Car Max with a 10K car and no issues. I ask her to call the store manager in Winston-Salem to see how he would like to handle this situation. He stated that Car Max was not aware of any accidents because they do not use Carfax! Wait this is America, who doesn't use Carfax to see if a car has been in an accident? I cant help but think this is lie number 101. He did tell her to bring the Carfax and the car back if it had a salvaged title they would buy it back. Otherwise there is nothing they can do.

I am writing every review possible so that hopefully we can help someone avoid this same mistake. We are also in contact with an attorney to see if we can recover some resources from CarMax. BUYERS BEWARE!

Drove out of your Hillsborough County Tampa shop on 10/22/22 and as I got onto the highway, the window deflector flew off the car. I have been trying to

have it replaced by Carmax since that time. We have been speaking to Chris Santos in the service dept. Have spoken to him various times via email as he does not answer his phone and has not resolved matter as of yet.

Can you help me with this.

Judith Cintron

[protected]

email: [protected]@yahoo.com

Paid 250 dollars to transfer a 2013 Dodge Ram pick up truck from California to Arizona. On todays date 11/01/2023 I went to purchase the Ram truck only to discover the trucks front tires are new and replaced and the rear tires were very worn and not replaced. Also the tires are mis matched and are not the same brand. Also the interior seats both drivers and passenger seats worn and ripped. None of the pictures or photos provided did not show the damaged interior or the tires mis matched. Of course I walked out of the store advising the employee that never waited on me I didn’t want the T damaged truck. Out 250 dollars and I will never return to Car Max. Unfortunate but lesson learned. Buyer beware.

I had until 11/5/2022 to pay the amount required to release my car from repo and before was sent to auction. On Sunday, October 30, 2022, I went to CarMax in Newark, DE and paid the amount of $1,900.00 with the understanding that my car would be released on Monday, October 31, 2022. I was advised to call after 11am to make sure all paperwork was completed and ready to pick up my car. When I called after 11am, I was advised that my car was already at the auction since October 25, 2022. So this is what CarMax does is scam people thinking we going to get our car back when pay the required monies before the expiration date and when time to get the car, we are told its already at the auction? Where are my belongings that were in the car, where are my tags that were on the car? Where is the communication that this is what truly happens? I gave you all that I had to get my car so I can get to work for my 4 kids.

Nov 2020 my daughter and brought a 2012 ford focus SEL. From car max Oxnard California. The first we had it we has possessing of the car maybe 3 months the rest of the time car max had it shipping it here and there. Trying to fix it so they said. The car was sold to me unsafe. They knew it. It had steering issues where the steering wheel would lock up on me while driving. They told me to take a video of it while it is happening. Wtf. However I did do a video of it when the car was parked and the engine running where I couldn't turn the steering wheel. That was one issue. The 2nd issue was the wheel that was making noises. The 3rd issue was the radiator the car was over heating ibwas putting 3 bottles a week of coolant carmax told me nothing was wrong with. So I left the car in their parking lot and there was a puddle of coolant from my car. Issue number 3 I had told them from the first month of the car that there was something wrong with the transmission they told me oh that is how the car is supposed to be. Sorry no it's not. After 3 times telling them xalling them and leaving messages that no one ever called me back on. I had the car towed there. They sent it to Ford to get fixed then said oh it will be 2 weeks before they can get it done. So they moved it to dome place else who said it was the clutch so instead of ford parts they used another brand and the car is still having trouble. Issue 4 they did not smog the car when they sold it to us. They to get the car back to do it months after the sale of the car. Issue 5 they said that they would clean the carpet and the seats in the car they never did. Issue 6 they had to fix the headliner twice before they ended up replacing it. Issue 6 the visor broke off and they had to replace it. This was all in the first yr of the sale of the car. The day we got the car. They told us flat out that this is the only car you can get. We never looked at any other cars. We were told thus is it or nothing. Yes they assured us the car was in great condition . Soon found out with In a week it was not. Now after they got the clutch done they have not returned any calls and when I have been able to reach someone at car max I get the run around no shenis with a customer he is with a customer. So then I started asking for the manager of the store he is busy with a customer we will have them call you back. Will this coming nov 2022 I'll have the car 2 yrs. And the car is not safe. I have to replace parts on it. And the transmission still isn't working right. Like I have told them multiple times. They informed me well your warranty is expired. There is only one mechanic there that knows what the hell they are doing. The rest of them don't. I don't know if this is what you call good relations with customers but it clearly is not. Saleing me a used car that isn't safe. That should be illegal in fact it is. The car has almost made me go off the side of a cliff. It has stopped cold in it tracks and I damn near been hit by other cars multiple times. Something has to be done. I am afraid to drive this car now. And I don't trust it on trips. As well. Car max should give me another car of my choice and all the money that we have pit in to this car and payments should go on another car. Thank you for your time. I hope this matter can be fixed the right way.

Mary Frenyea

Mary.[protected]@gmail.com

Mary Frenyea

1300 Saratoga ave apt 1401

Ventura California 93003.

P.s. I'm hoping that you can do something about this or put me in contact with someone that will handle this. Thank you again

Carmax, A TRIP TO HELL. Don't expect ANY customer service from Carmax. I bought my car, paid cash, spent almost $25,000, yet I had to wait in a little corner for over 45 minutes just to get the keys to my car. Now it's been over six weeks since I bought the car, STILL NO TITLE, still no metal license plates for my car. I called them to find out where my ownership title and my plates are, I was told "It's being processed." Carmax thinks they can operate under "Carmax policy" instead of TEXAS STATE LAW. I will NEVER buy from Carmax ever again and I'll tell anyone who cares to listen NOT to go there.

Carmax of Brooklyn Park Minnesota agreed to pay off my lease on 9/26/22 and as of today it still hasn't happened. The lease company has now notified me that my October payment has been taken out of my account.

On September 26th I brought my Ram truck into Carmax to sell it to them. The truck had been leased and I had called in advance to make sure they would buy it anyway. I waited while they got the pay off and was told everything was going through. After three weeks they notified me I had to take my truck back. I have already replaced my truck and returning it creates a financial hardship. I am 73 and on Social Security.

I purchased a 2018Lexus. Yes it was used and yes I spent 40K which is an extreme amount of money. I purchased late night and did not see just how dirty it was until Saturday 10/15/22. I will never purchase another car from CARMAX nor will I recommend this. That car should have been detailed and cleaned to the highest possible level. I am going to return the vehicle just for this principle and seek purchase somewhere else. You ought to be disgusted with yourselves for letting this time of service go forward. It make me question whether the vehicle has gone through the inspections that you say it has. It do not trust this facility and will never return.

purchased 2017 truck in March 2022 with just under 50 000 on the odometer. truck is in excellent condition. In October, I had break down with coolant boil over due to fan clutch failure. The Vehicle towed to Nissan dealer for repairs. In diagnoses, it transpired that the engine does not match the vin# of the truck. Neither the Nissan dealership nor CarMax can give me the exact milage that the engine and who did the swop out of the engine. There is no information on the Carfax report that this had been done. Nissan has cancelled the factory 100 000-mile factory warranty on the drive train now as it is not the OE engine.

Carmax is willing to reimburse me my extended warranty of $2500 and still cover the extended warranty from the date of the repair.

I purchased a car from Carmax Renton, WA in May 2021. Last week, I want to trade in my car and the other dealer told me the car was 2 accidents report shown on the Carfax report. I had a report from Carmax while I buy the car they show me was no accident through Experian- AutoCheck. The next day, I came to Carmax to clarify those issues, and one of the employees told me it is a real report. (I didn't say it was fake). And he printed the report for me again, it was the same record (no accident) as in May, 2021. The employee told that they through Experian and have no idea about the Carfax report. I asked Why Experian AutoCheck didn't show the accident and Carfax had that accident record. He still told me he didn't know and said he is not the owner of Carfax... That is the answer I got. I have a feeling of being cheated or they just concealing the facts to make the sales.? Carmax, sell /trades lots of cars, I don’t think they didn’t know the report between Carfax and Autocheck. Or they just want to show you what they want to show. They can't say the car was no accident! Because you didn’t give a full information or other report from other company to your customer. As a buyer/ customer, Who will knows how many reports we need to check or confirm, we just trust what they show us. I was very disappointed about this experience and also my car trade-in value was affected because of these 2 accidents in 2018 and 2019. I’m not convinced, if they told me it was a 2 accidents report for this car, I still take it because I like this car, thi is my decision that is fair, right? But they said NO accident checked by Autocheck … Hahaha but you can find it on the Carfax report. So, everyone if you want to buy a car from Carmax, remind them or ask them to check one more +/ different company or check by yourself.

I bought a 2019 Ford Explorer from the Hickory store on 9/17/22. I wanted to put a down payment of $7,000 cash on it but did not have it with me. So guess what? They made me go home and get it before they'd send me away with the vehicle. (Yes, perfectly understandable but will make more sense in a few minutes). I brought the vehicle home and the farther I went, the worse it smelled. So, after some careful inspection, I noticed a large amount of animal poop on top of the motor, a clip that was supposed to be holding something but not attached to anything, very dirty under the hood, very dirty engine air filter, disgusting cabin air filter that was dirty AND installed upside down, and when inspecting cabin air filter, I realized glove box hinge was broken making it very difficult to close. Now to 9/26/22, I finally decided I couldn't and shouldn't have to deal with these things anymore so I returned the vehicle. The return process wasn't horrible but what was aggravating was the fact that yes, they made me go home and get the cash before I could take the vehicle, BUT they wouldn't give me cash back nor would write me a check. I was told they didn't have a checkbook there and it had to go through the home office but I should receive a check within 7 business days. SO... on business day 10, 10/7/22, I call multiple times to the home office and the Hickory store,I get the runaround everytime, not ONCE did anyone call me back when they said they would, at Hickory the manager said she never even got the message or heard about it, at the home office he says he'll talk to the Accounting team and call me back (this was at 3:45 and I called back at 6:45 and the recording said they were already closed when online says open til 7, and then I call back to the Hickory store and was informed she didn't know anything about it and all I can do really is just sit and wait. She was rude, kept talking over me and had zero desire to help me. On the 3:45 call, he said the check appeared to be sent last Friday 9/30/22. I asked if he couldn't just cancel the check, let me send him routing and account number, and just direct deposit the money instead. He said he knew of it before, so he'd check with accounting team to see what to do and then call me back. I just want my money but with everything that has happened, I want something done about it. I have everyone's name and dates/times of calls... I won't put those in here yet, but i do want to hear from someone ASAP about this. As you can see, I'm very aggravated with this ENTIRE situation.

C Patterson

Purchased a truck from Norcross GA location on labor day weekend. The day I drove the truck home I found a engine code pop up on dash. Called to schedule a return service to have them look at issue and I was told I would have to wait to Sep 21-23. I asked if they could give me a loaner. They said no that it's not possible. I had to leave my truck that I didn't have for 24 hours and drop it off for 16 days minimum and eat up the 30 day money back guarantee. This service was absolutely terrible. Bo one could help and had no direction. Now I'm being told part won't be in on time. If we can't get this resolved I will return the vehicle and speak my opinions about carmax.

I purchased a 2020 Genesis 380 from Brandywine Md location on June 17, 2022. The salesman did a fantastic job of keeping me informed of the status of the vehicle's transfer from White Marsh, preparation after arrival and everything up to the sale. Unfortunately, it's the follow up that has frustrated me. It seems that, once the sale was almost complete, I was no longer considered an important customer.

Note that, at the time of purchase, one of the tires was leaking air. I was apprised of the issue and since a work order was submitted, I agreed to take the car home. On the second day, I noticed that the tire was low; so, I put air in it, no problem. By the end of the first week, I was putting air in the tire every day, then twice a day. About ten days in, I received a call from the service department advising that the new tire had arrived; however, even after I told the rep that the tire was actively leaking air, the replacement was not prioritized and I was told that the first, available service appointment was a week later. Within the next, few days, the tire would not take in air, at all and it was completely flat, undrivable. I had my sister drive me to the location and I spoke to a very nice gentleman in the sales department who profusely apologized and explained that, indeed, I should have been prioritized and been allowed to have the tire replaced the day I was called. The service department arranged for a tow and the next day, a Sunday, my vehicle was towed to Brandywine to have the tire replaced (and the coolant topped off which, for whatever reason, couldn't be completed on the day of purchase). Note that I reached out to the original salesman for assistance several times during this issue and he did not follow through.

On 8/22, I noticed that my temporary license plate had expired. Upon calling to inquire about the status of my permanent tags, I was told that there was a stoppage flag on my MVA account. No one from CarMax had called to advise me of this and I was told nothing could be done, at this point. Consequently, I contacted the MVA to see what the issue was and was told there was no flag on my account.

I called Brandywine to follow up, and a very nice lady explained that I did not get charged for tags and that's what the first rep meant by a stoppage flag. I responded that I was never advised that the onus for obtaining permanent tags was on me and asked to speak to a manager. I am 61 years old, have bought several vehicles over my life span and every time, even when I purchased a car out of state, the seller made arrangements for permanent tags. Additionally, I was not advised that it was my responsibility to obtain permanent tags and, neither was I given the option to choose whether I wanted the responsibility; I guess the salesman chose for me.

So, here I am, for the 2nd time in 90 days, I own a car that I cannot drive. All I requested was an extension on my temp tags so that I can do what the seller should have done and no one has returned my call, nor has the location manager responded to my email.

I bought a 2021 Kia Forte from CarMax White Marsh. It had 11289 miles on it when I bought it. Call me dumb, but I assumed that Car Max insured that all scheduled maintenance is up to date before putting a car on their lot, but this is not the case. I put 5000 miles on the car before I got and oil change and found out that not only had the car never had an oil change, but the oil was low as well as the radiator fluid. Fortunately no damage was done. I love the car and just want people to be aware that the cars are not serviced prior to purchase.

My daughter sold a car to Carmax and purchased a 2021 Jeep Compass Altitude from South Austin Carmax OVER A YEAR AGO. As of 8.31.22, we have been trying to get resolution on a superseded title on the vehicle. The registration expired today and we cannot register the vehicle due to this issue. We’ve spoken with several people including Keith, General Manager, for over a month, but still have no resolution. Travis County Vehicle Registrations says Carmax has 100’s of superseded titles that have been pending for months to over a year. What does it take to make this right and a priority. This kind of service will only lead to bad reviews and eventually litigation. I want to speak with Executive Management ASAP.

The Tulsa location is the worst business I have ever associated with. They are all shady. They sold my husband and I a SUV and then a week later said the bank denied our loan, called the bank and they never denied our loan. CarMax Tulsa called us liars and said we don't know what we are talking about. If you live in the Tulsa, OK area, I would consider taking your business elsewhere.

Hello,

From the very beginning Carmax advertised that all their vehicles go through an "Inspection," I was told in an eMail from the Sales Associate at Carmax that "Every vehicle sold at Carmax goes through a reconditioning phase (certification). All fluids and filters are replaced." This, however, couldn't be farther from the truth. For starters, both the Cabin and Engine Air filter were never replaced (See Photos). Secondly, no less than six months after having purchased the vehicle I had to replace Coils and Spark plugs.

Also, the Brake and Transmission fluid were never replaced neither. I have that performed at a shop for more than $200 Dollars.

Re: Carmax Service Compliant

I’m writing regarding a customer service issue that I’ve experienced with CarMax. Please review a detailed list of events over the past weekend.

1.       On, August 26, 2022, I was approved for a car loan through CarMax. This information was confirmed by someone named Matthew. As I was in route to the dealership I was contacted by someone named Camron. He very balantely advised me, “I’m not going to waste our time time by having you come here. There is an insurance compliance fee that needs to be paid at City Hall.” The insurance compliance fee actually needed to be paid at my motor vehicle department and not City Hall. So, not only did I perceive Camron to lack a business professional tone he also gave me misinformation about who this fee was to be paid too.

2.       August 27, 2022, The fee insurance compliance fee was paid in full. PJ at Carmax signed me in and took this information to the Sales Manager. The Sales Manager comes over and advises that the phone number for the employment verification did not work. I asked whether Carmax would be willing to try again and possibly leave a voice message and was told, “no,” without explanation.

3.       I was later asked to provide payroll checks. Which was done and also offered to have the Sales Manager speak to the owner of the business that I work. He looks the business up online and then ask for a bank statement showing the payroll deposit. This was also provided upon request. The manager later advised that the bank statement was not sufficient because it lacked a bank seal. This also was incorrect.

4.       I called to find out what the issue(s) were and why after being approved and providing all of the information that was requested that I still had not been able to pick out a car of my choice and purchase it.

5.       The sales manager balantley advised that he would not be selling me the car and hung up. He called back minutes later to read a disclosure and then disconnected the call again.

I am extremely discouraged and disheartened by the course of events that I’ve outlined above. My credit was good enough to be approved and I provided all of the necessary documentation and I was told that I would not be able to purchase a car. The only explanation is the color of my skin. I would like a detailed explanation of why I was not given the opportunity to purchase a car at CarMax. I would also like an apology as well. This is not how a customer should be spoken to and treated. This is not acceptable.

Hello,

Bought a 2019 vw atlas, was told a tire pressure gauge needed to be replaced, and they would do so before I picked up. They said they replaced it. Signed contracts & they messed up on our names, then had us resign new contract. Then my husband caught our address was typed incorrectly. We brought it up but they advised it wouldn’t affect anything.

After a few days the tire was reading low after putting air. We decided to return and not chance it after refund window.

CarMax sent me a check for the $2000 which was a whole other situation. However we finally got the check, cashed it. It was pending in our bank for 1 day and seemed to clear. 3days later I get a notification my account was -700 (I paid bills with the $2000 refund), and seen the check was reversed. Called back and was informed carmax banking institute placed a stop on the check, or it had bounced.

Called car max and given the run around how we couldn’t call the institution our selves and I needed to give them 24-48 hrs to email them. I’m so upset all my bills will bounce and I will get return fees and late fees because of this!

My experience has been horrendous with the dealership in Torrance CA. They do not perform any rigors performance services on cars they will purchase a car and sell it to you knowing that the car is faulty! The way business is conducted they robbed me and then gave me the run around about the repairs. Once they pretended my vehicle was being repaired off site and I was standing at my vehicle that wA parked on the first floor of the garage. I don’t know if repairs where actually done or if they just charged repairs to my extended warranty!