Carmax prices

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Originally Posted by CKN
... Guys who change their own oil and drive all over town to buy oil at .25 cents a quart don't like Carmax.

smile.gif


It is not that I don't like them, they have their place in the market (as proven by them still being around), but it is not for me.
I don't like paying more form something than I have to. I am willing to take a little time and effort to save myself some money.
Some people are willing to pay more (or don't know different) for what they offer.

Originally Posted by clarkflower
Interesting. I always note how low these cars go through.

2009 BMW 335 XI Carmax $13,999 Online now
At the auction $5,800


2008 328i Carmax 70,000 miles $11,988
At the auction $3,500 70,163 Grade good

Auction and retail are two totally different things. I have no ability to buy at most auctions in Texas. Need a dealer license or know somebody with one.
 
Very few of us have the ability to buy from the dealer's source-an auction. Whats the price in the Blackbook/Bluebook on the BMW?
 
Originally Posted by clarkflower
Originally Posted by Imp4
Originally Posted by clarkflower
As long as people know that the car they buy may have been in a few accidents and that buying at car max does not exclude that I'm happy.
I don't think 'only accident free cars for sale' was ever implied or explicitly stated at any time in any part of this thread.

Did I miss something?!?

Nice to hear from their attorney
lol.gif

Yes you missed that when you pay absolute top dollar some expect top quality. Not seeing a car that has been in 3 wrecks.
Ugh, you're missing the point entirely, but oh well...
Have a nice life!!!
cheers3.gif
 
Originally Posted by pbm
I imagine that Carvana is similar...(high priced for those who won't haggle.....their 'business model' is buy low sell high of course).
I think it's CarMax that runs the commercial where the 'dopey' guy looks foolish as his (so smart) wife finds the car quickly on Carmax....typical. That commercial alone would steer me away.

I believe the commercial you're thinking of is for CarGurus... an online search aggregator..

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CarGurus
 
Originally Posted by CKN
Guys who change their own oil and drive all over town to buy oil at .25 cents a quart don't like Carmax.


This. Whether we like it or not we are not the typical Carmax customers.

People like my aunt, grand ma, daughter of my English teacher, etc would likely want to make sure they are not ripped off too much. They'd rather pay $1k to make sure they are not paying $5k more because they don't know how to negotiate, inspect, or repair, and they don't want to buy a new car.

If I tell my aunt she should send mail in rebate for Pennzoil Platinum, and bring the oil in for a tire shop oil change with coupon, and change it every 10k instead of 5k because it is a synthetic, she'll call me crazy.
 
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Originally Posted by blupupher
Originally Posted by CKN
... Guys who change their own oil and drive all over town to buy oil at .25 cents a quart don't like Carmax.

smile.gif


It is not that I don't like them, they have their place in the market (as proven by them still being around), but it is not for me.
I don't like paying more form something than I have to. I am willing to take a little time and effort to save myself some money.
Some people are willing to pay more (or don't know different) for what they offer.

Originally Posted by clarkflower
Interesting. I always note how low these cars go through.

2009 BMW 335 XI Carmax $13,999 Online now
At the auction $5,800


2008 328i Carmax 70,000 miles $11,988
At the auction $3,500 70,163 Grade good

Auction and retail are two totally different things. I have no ability to buy at most auctions in Texas. Need a dealer license or know somebody with one.




I get that...but having been in the business I call getting 11,988 for a car that you paid 3500 retailing plus
15.gif


You are crushed and will never get out whole
 
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Originally Posted by clarkflower

I get that...but having been in the business I call getting 11,988 for a car that you paid 3500 retailing plus
15.gif


You are crushed and will never get out whole

Oh, I agree those are overpriced, a quick look online seems they are ~$2000 higher than other places (depending on mileage and options).
But that is what has been being said, they are higher for the convenience factor.

No different than the dealer that gave me $4500 for my trade in (a fair price), and saw it for sale on the lot 4 days later (with minimal prep on their part, vehicle was clean) for $3000 more.
They are in business to make money. They sell cars at a price point people are willing to pay. What they pay is not the point.
 
Carmax is for lazy passive buyers/owners. I use the term lazy loosely, not everyone wants a vehicle purchase to become a crusade, have better things to do with their time and see vehicles as an appliance rather than a hobby or investment. You probably won't find many of those people on this site.

Their business model depends on you trusting them or not bothering to do the research or expand your search, or being too picky about what you get. There are exceptions but you will usually overpay by way more than it would take to fix any problems with a car found elsewhere (extreme examples aside).

On the other hand, it is a bit crazy to try to compare to auction prices, where vehicles are diverted for two typical reasons. Either there is so much wrong whether mechanical or cosmetic, that a premium dealer doesn't want it on their lot, or it is a repo that just needs liquidated as fast as possible - one shot to get as much as they can out of it, with many for sale and the buyers not being in love with any (just going to be resold) so none would fetch top dollar like a picky end-user would be willing to pay.

Do buy from an auction if it's open to the public or you have a dealer friend, if you are willing to take the gamble on repairs, researched the vehicle model/issues, know a good mechanic or are one yourself. If the former does not apply then I'd seek private sellers and have it inspected pre-purchase if worth more than about $3k or if anything about it is questionable, or in a high rust area where you need it up on a lift to get a good look at it.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted by blupupher
Originally Posted by clarkflower

I get that...but having been in the business I call getting 11,988 for a car that you paid 3500 retailing plus
15.gif


You are crushed and will never get out whole

Oh, I agree those are overpriced, a quick look online seems they are ~$2000 higher than other places (depending on mileage and options).
But that is what has been being said, they are higher for the convenience factor.

No different than the dealer that gave me $4500 for my trade in (a fair price), and saw it for sale on the lot 4 days later (with minimal prep on their part, vehicle was clean) for $3000 more.
They are in business to make money. They sell cars at a price point people are willing to pay. What they pay is not the point.



+1 and lets not forget 2g higher than a dealer that will come down 2g
 
Originally Posted by Dave9
Carmax is for lazy passive buyers/owners. I use the term lazy loosely, not everyone wants a vehicle purchase to become a crusade, have better things to do with their time and see vehicles as an appliance rather than a hobby or investment. You probably won't find many of those people on this site.

Their business model depends on you trusting them or not bothering to do the research or expand your search, or being too picky about what you get. There are exceptions but you will usually overpay by way more than it would take to fix any problems with a car found elsewhere (extreme examples aside).

On the other hand, it is a bit crazy to try to compare to auction prices, where vehicles are diverted for two typical reasons. Either there is so much wrong whether mechanical or cosmetic, that a premium dealer doesn't want it on their lot, or it is a repo that just needs liquidated as fast as possible - one shot to get as much as they can out of it, with many for sale and the buyers not being in love with any (just going to be resold) so none would fetch top dollar like a picky end-user would be willing to pay.

Do buy from an auction if it's open to the public or you have a dealer friend, if you are willing to take the gamble on repairs, researched the vehicle model/issues, know a good mechanic or are one yourself. If the former does not apply then I'd seek private sellers and have it inspected pre-purchase if worth more than about $3k or if anything about it is questionable, or in a high rust area where you need it up on a lift to get a good look at it.


I see it all. Cars with hidden head gasket issues and 1 year old 15000 trades and lease turn ins.

Some big dealers require their trades to go through the auction so a GM can't rip them off. Selling dirt cheap to a friendly wholesaler or used car dealer and getting a kickback. It works the other way around too. Paying too much for salvage car and getting 1500 per car.

In any case my point is there are not all junk
 
Sometimes you can find a little golden nugget on their lot. I like to think our 2016 300 was one of those nuggets. Little high on the mileage for the year, but otherwise spotless, and was actually cheaper by a good $3,000-$4,000 than all other dealers. Could I have gone to another dealer, haggled then down to the carmax price or even a little lower? Definitely. But why? I found my little gem, and spent less than 3 hours with them.

When we were minivan shopping (back to suv/cuv shopping) their prices were ridiculous though. Gotta know what you're looking for, otherwise you'll pay on the high side for most things.
 
Originally Posted by Skippy722
Sometimes you can find a little golden nugget on their lot. I like to think our 2016 300 was one of those nuggets. Little high on the mileage for the year, but otherwise spotless, and was actually cheaper by a good $3,000-$4,000 than all other dealers. Could I have gone to another dealer, haggled then down to the carmax price or even a little lower? Definitely. But why? I found my little gem, and spent less than 3 hours with them.

When we were minivan shopping (back to suv/cuv shopping) their prices were ridiculous though. Gotta know what you're looking for, otherwise you'll pay on the high side for most things.

So you were a responsible shopper? How dare you.
I agree though, there are some vehicles that are priced correctly, but the majority are high.

One thing I like about the cargurus.com website is they have a little thing that tells you if the price is high, average or low, and guess where most all of carmax and carvana prices are?
 
I've bought a couple of vehicles from Carmax and I was a salesman for them for a year when they first came here to Omaha. I like their business model and they have always acted with integrity with me when I was an employee and when I've bought vehicles from them. By the time I head there I already know the price, I already know what financing I can get on my own, and have a decent idea what my trade is worth. I like the simplicity.
 
Originally Posted by aquariuscsm
Carmax is a joke.


But if you have a mediocre car they many times pay more outright than you can get from an individual or in trade in the real world
 
Originally Posted by aquariuscsm
Carmax is a joke.


Yea- kind of like the "thin oil" debate.
 
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i think they like keep prices artificially high, give you good trade in values compared to the dealer in hopes you pick out something on the lot
 
Originally Posted by Rmay635703
Originally Posted by aquariuscsm
Carmax is a joke.


But if you have a mediocre car they many times pay more outright than you can get from an individual or in trade in the real world

Ditto! +
 
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